TELEVISION BROADCAST
Saturday's game will be televised live on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, FOX Sports Midwest, ESPN Full Court and ESPN3:
- Comcast XFINITY (Bloomington-Normal):Â 56, 57, 522, 533, 519, 838, 922
- DirecTV:Â 665, 671, 725
- DISH:Â 418, 429, 5418
- AT&T U-Verse: 741, 1741, 1748
- Comcast XFINITY (Chicago-area): 37, 200, 413, 838
- Mediacom: 33, 172, 733
- ESPN3.com
THE SERIES:
Illinois State plays at Loyola Saturday afternoon for the 13th meeting in the all-time series dating back to 1980, which the Redbirds lead, 8-4. ISU is 3-3 versus the Ramblers in Chicago, with a 1-1 mark at Gentile Arena. Head coach Dan Muller is 1-1 versus Loyola, with the home team winning each time last season.
WHAT'S AT STAKE?:
The Redbirds are aiming to climb two games above .500 in the Missouri Valley Conference for the first time this season after topping Missouri State, 67-57, (Jan. 28) on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena. ISU will try to win its third MVC road game of the year after already earning victories at Missouri State (Jan. 11) and at Drake (Jan. 20). The Redbirds totaled one conference road win last season and three in 2012-13. Loyola is striving to bounce back after losing four-straight, including five of its last six.
ILLINOIS STATE AT A GLANCE:
Improved to 13-8 and 5-4 in the MVC after beating Missouri State (Jan. 28) ... 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.
LOYOLA AT A GLANCE:
Fell to 13-8 and 3-6 in the MVC by losing at No. 12 Wichita State (Jan. 28) ... after starting the MVC season with a 3-2 record, lost four-straight ... picked to finish 10th in the MVC after going 10-22 overall and 4-14 in the league for a 10th-place finish last season during its first year in the MVC ... led by former Illinois State coach Porter Moser.
DOUBLE-THREAT
By collecting a career-high 12 rebounds and matching a career-best 20 points in the win over Missouri State (Jan. 28), junior guard DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell registered his second double-double of the season. Akoon-Purcell not only became the first Redbird to earn two double-doubles this season, but also the first to record more than one since Jackie Carmichael earned 15 double-doubles in 2012-13.
FULL STRENGTH
All 13 players on Illinois State's active roster were healthy in the Redbirds' win over Missouri State (Jan. 28), marking the first time that ISU has been at full strength since its Dec. 14 win at BIG EAST foe DePaul. Versus the Blue Demons, DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell broke his right hand and was forced to miss ISU's next seven games. Staring Dec. 20 at Murray State, Deontae Hawkins missed 10 games with a stress reaction in his left foot, Reggie Lynch missed two games (Dec. 29 versus Quincy and Jan. 7 against Drake) due to back pain, and Paris Lee missed ISU's game at Drake (Jan. 20) with a knee injury.
ROAD READY
Winning on the road has been a point of emphasis this season after last year's Redbirds went 3-11 - with just one MVC victory - in true road games. This season's team is up for the challenge, already earning a 4-3 record on the road, including a 2-2 MVC road-mark and a 2-2 non-conference road-record, featuring wins at UAB (Dec. 7) and at DePaul (Dec. 14). Illinois State has earned the rebounding edge in six of its seven road matchups, and senior guard Daishon Knight has thrived, averaging 19.7 points per road game, compared to his overall average of 15.1 points per contest.
DECISIVE WINS
The Redbirds have earned nine (out of 13) 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.
CLOSE CALLS
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 +15.8 scoring margin in victories.
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 10-3 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 13-4 when leading at halftime, 0-1 when tied, and 0-3 when trailing at the half. ISU has also earned a cumulative +8.0 scoring margin in the first half, compared to a -0.5 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 17 out of 21 games, including seven of the last eight.
DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE
The Redbirds lead the Missouri Valley Conference in steals (7.9) per game and rank third in blocks (3.9), which is No. 37 and No. 125 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 2.6 blocks per game, which ranks No. 2 in the MVC and No. 24 nationally.
GAME KNIGHT
Senior guard Daishon Knight has recorded double figures in a team-best 21 out of the last 27 games, dating back to last season, including 16 of 21 this year. He has scored 20 or more points 11 times at ISU.
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 50 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 with 96.
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 48 steals already this year (one more 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 95 career steals.
HUNTING FOR 3-POINTERS
Redshirt senior guard Bobby Hunter leads the MVC, shooting 50.0 percent (35-for-70) from 3-point range. Hunter has made at least one 3-pointer in 11 out of his last 12 games, matching a career best with four 3-pointers in two games this season.
BALANCING ACT
Along with ISU's impressive defensive statistics, the Redbirds lead the Missouri Valley Conference with a +6.2 rebounding margin, while ranking No. 4 in the MVC with an +8.0 scoring margin and No. 2 with a +1.52 turnover margin. Comparatively, last year's Redbirds had a -1.5 rebounding margin, a -2.0 scoring margin and a +0.5 turnover margin at the same point.
REBOUNDING DIVIDEND
The Redbirds lead the Missouri Valley Conference with 13.4 offensive rebounds per game. ISU has established a +4.6 offensive rebounding margin (282-184), while holding an advantage on the offensive glass in 15 games, with one tie. ISU has capitalized on its offensive boards, scoring 112 more second-chance points than its opponents (250-138). In all nine 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 17 out of 21 games this season, with one tie. When the Redbirds outscore their opponent's bench, they are 12-4 this season. ISU is also 12-7 when the bench reaches double figures. Bench production has proven key in all five of Illinois State's Missouri Valley Conference victories, with the Redbird bench outscoring its opposition by a combined 135-85 margin.
SCHEDULE STRENGTH
Illinois State's non-conference strength of schedule is ranked No. 26 in the nation according to the Jan. 30 Collegiate Basketball News RPI Report. ISU's No. 26 NCSS ranks second in the Missouri Valley Conference behind Wichita State (No. 15). ISU's RPI is No. 111, which is fifth-best in the league.
BIG IMPROVEMENT
Illinois State leads the Missouri Valley Conference and ranks No. 28 nationally with a +6.2 rebounding margin. At the end of the 2013-14 season, the undersized Redbirds ranked last in the MVC, with a -2.6 rebounding margin. Illinois State has held the rebounding advantage in eight out of its nine conference games this season, and ISU has only been outrebounded three times this year. ISU leads the MVC and ranks No. 26 nationally with 13.4 offensive rebounds averaged per contest.
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