NORMAL, Ill. – After earning a 69-55 victory at Missouri State earlier this month, the Illinois State men's basketball team is aiming to sweep the Bears, when ISU hosts MSU in Missouri Valley Conference action this Wednesday at 7 p.m., on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena.
The Redbirds will try to claim their second MVC-sweep of the season after already beating Drake both times this year. ISU has not earned a pair of MVC regular-season sweeps since the 2011-12 campaign. Illinois State (12-8, 4-4 MVC) and Missouri State (8-12, 2-6 MVC) are each striving to bounce back following losses.
Sophomore center Reggie Lynch led Illinois State last week, averaging 12.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in ISU's victory at Drake (Jan. 20) and in the Redbirds' one-point loss to No. 19 Northern Iowa (Jan. 25). With one block versus UNI, Lynch recorded his 49th block of the year, which set ISU's sophomore blocks record.
THE SERIES:
Illinois State hosts Missouri State, Wednesday night, for the 66th meeting in the all-time series dating back to 1967, which the Redbirds lead, 37-28. ISU is 22-6 versus the Bears in Normal, Illinois, with a 17-6 mark at Redbird Arena. Head coach Dan Muller is 3-3 versus Missouri State and has never lost to the Bears at home. After winning at MSU Jan. 11, ISU is trying to sweep the regular-season series against MSU for the first time since 2012.
WHAT'S AT STAKE?:
The Redbirds are aiming for their fifth Missouri Valley Conference win of the season, after falling to No. 19 Northern Iowa, 54-53, on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena. Illinois State is striving to win its fourth-consecutive game against MSU at Redbird Arena after winning three-straight, including six of the last seven. Missouri State is trying to snap a six-game losing streak and win at Redbird Arena for the first time since Feb. 12, 2011.
ILLINOIS STATE AT A GLANCE:
Fell to 12-8 and 4-4 in the MVC after narrowly losing to No. 19 Northern Iowa (Jan. 25) ... three of Illinois State's four Missouri Valley Conference defeats have been by two points or less ... leads the MVC in steals and offensive rebounds per game ... earned three MVC Newcomer of the Week accolades ... selected to finish fifth in the MVC.
MISSOURI STATE AT A GLANCE:
Fell to 8-12 and 2-6 in the MVC by losing at Bradley (Jan. 24) ... after starting the MVC season 2-0, lost six-straight ... posted a 20-13 overall record and a 9-9 MVC mark to finish tied for fourth last season ... former Southern Illinois player and current MSU head coach Paul Lusk is in his fourth season.
EARLIER THIS SEASON VS. MISSOURI STATE
Illinois State went 7-for-10 from 3-point range in the first half, while building a 22-point halftime advantage en route to a 69-55 Missouri Valley Conference road victory versus Missouri State (Jan. 11) at JQH Arena. Illinois State shot 40.0 percent from the field, compared to 35.8 percent by MSU. The Redbirds outrebounded Missouri State, 39-29, and ISU earned a 15-7 advantage on second-chance points.
BOUNCING BACK
Illinois State has had a short-term memory this season, earning a 6-1 record when coming off of a loss. The Redbirds have only lost two-straight games once this year.
ANOTHER CLOSE CALL
With a one-point loss to No. 19 Northern Iowa (Jan. 25), Illinois State suffered its fifth defeat (out of eight total) by four points or less this season. ISU's last two losses were by just one point each, with the opponent gaining the lead with six seconds remaining each time. Three of Illinois State's four Missouri Valley Conference defeats have been by two points or less. The Redbirds have a mere -4.6 scoring margin in losses this season, compared to a dominant +16.3 scoring margin in victories.
DECISIVE WINS
The Redbirds have earned eight (out of 12) double-digit wins compared to just one double-digit loss (out of eight). Six of Illinois State's defeats have been by five points or less.
KEEPING THE LEAD
Despite manufacturing a 13-1 run to establish a 12-point advantage with 10:48 remaining versus No. 19 Northern Iowa (Jan. 25), the Panthers overcame the double-digit deficit to edge Illinois State. The Redbirds have now led by 12 points in four losses this season. If ISU has the lead with five minutes left in regulation, they are generally safe, posting a 9-3 record. However, ISU is 3-5 when trailing with five minutes to play.
FIRST-HALF ATTACK
The Redbirds have held the halftime advantage in all but three games - with one tie - this season. The only times ISU trailed at intermission were during the Redbirds' losses to Seton Hall (Nov. 24), at No. 16 Wichita State (Jan. 4) and at Indiana State (Jan. 14). ISU has not yet faced a halftime deficit at Redbird Arena this year. ISU is 12-4 when leading at halftime, 0-1 when tied, and 0-3 when trailing at the half. ISU has also earned a cumulative +8.2 scoring margin in the first half, compared to a -0.8 second-half scoring margin.
CONTROLLING THE BOARDS
Illinois State has only been outrebounded three times this season (at Murray State, Dec. 20, vs. Indiana State, Dec. 31 and vs. Bradley, Jan. 17). The Redbirds started the year by outrebounding their opponents in five-straight games, a feat ISU had not accomplished since outrebounding six-straight opponents in 2010-11. ISU has earned the rebounding edge in 16 out of 20 games, including six of the last seven.
DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE
The Redbirds lead the Missouri Valley Conference in steals (7.9) per game and rank second in blocks (4.0), which is No. 40 and No. 113 in the nation, respectively. Sophomore guard Paris Lee leads the MVC and is No. 10 in the nation with 2.4 steals per contest, while sophomore center Reggie Lynch is averaging a league-best 2.7 blocks per game, which ranks No. 22 nationally.
SOPHOMORE SWATTER
By blocking Seth Tuttle's layup attempt at the 18:16 mark in the second half of Illinois State's game against No. 19 Northern Iowa (Jan. 25), sophomore center Reggie Lynch broke ISU's sophomore blocks record. Lynch now has 49 blocks this season, surpassing the previous sophomore mark of 48 blocks established by Joe Galvin during the 1977-78 season. Last year, Lynch set the ISU freshman blocks mark.
LEE-DING IN STEALING
Sophomore Paris Lee is statistically one of the nation's top defenders, ranking No. 10 nationally with 2.4 steals per game. Lee is on track to break Illinois State's single-season steals average, which is 2.0, set by Ron Jones in 1979-80. With 46 steals already this year (one less than he totaled last season), Lee is in pursuit of ISU's single-season mark of 61, set by Todd Starks in 1986-87. Lee has 93 career-steals.
GAME KNIGHT
Senior guard Daishon Knight has recorded double figures in a team-best 20 out of the last 26 games, dating back to last season, including 15 of 20 this year. He has scored 20 or more points 11 times at ISU.
BALANCING ACT
Along with ISU's impressive defensive statistics, the Redbirds rank No. 2 in the Missouri Valley Conference with a +6.0 rebounding margin, No. 4 in the MVC with a +7.9 scoring margin and No. 2 with a +1.50 turnover margin. Comparatively, last year's Redbirds had a -1.3 rebounding margin, a -2.3 scoring margin and a +0.2 turnover margin at the same point.
REBOUNDING DIVIDEND
The Redbirds lead the Missouri Valley Conference with 13.3 offensive rebounds per game. ISU has established a +4.5 offensive rebounding margin (252-172), while holding an advantage on the offensive glass in 14 games, with one tie. ISU has capitalized on its offensive boards, scoring 109 more second-chance points than its opponents (239-130). In all eight of the Redbirds' MVC games, ISU has earned the advantage in second-chance points.
BENCH BATTLES
Illinois State's bench has held the scoring advantage in 16 out of 20 games this season, with one tie. When the Redbirds outscore their opponent's bench, they are 11-4 this season. ISU is also 11-7 when the bench reaches double figures. Bench production has proven key in all four of Illinois State's Missouri Valley Conference victories, with the Redbird bench outscoring its opposition by a combined 103-70 margin.
HUNTING FOR 3-POINTERS
Redshirt senior guard Bobby Hunter leads the MVC, shooting 50.7 percent (34-for-67) from 3-point range. Hunter has made at least one 3-pointer in 10 out of his last 11 games, matching a career best with four 3-pointers in two games this season.
SCHEDULE STRENGTH
Illinois State's non-conference strength of schedule is ranked No. 34 in the nation according to the Jan. 27 Collegiate Basketball News RPI Report. ISU's No. 34 NCSS ranks second in the Missouri Valley Conference behind Wichita State (No. 12). ISU's RPI is No. 113, which is fifth-best in the league.
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