NORMAL, Ill. – The 2015-16 Illinois State men's basketball season tips off Friday at 9 p.m. CT when the Redbirds face 2015 NCAA qualifier San Diego State in a Mountain West/Missouri Valley Challenge matchup on Steve Fisher Court at Viejas Arena. ISU's MW/MVC Challenge game will feature two Redbird basketball alums leading their respective teams, with ISU head coach Dan Muller (`98) facing SDSU's Steve Fisher (`67).
ILLINOIS STATE AT SAN DIEGO STATE • FRIDAY, NOV. 13, 2015 • 9 p.m. CT
- THE SERIES:
Illinois State and San Diego State are meeting for the fourth time in program history and the first time since Dec. 29, 1973. ISU leads the series, 2-1. The Redbirds won the first two meetings in 1967 and 1972 before falling to the Aztecs, 97-88, in 1973. Illinois State is 0-1 versus SDSU in San Diego, California. - THE GAME:
In the season opener for both teams, Illinois State faces San Diego State as part of the renewed Mountain West/Missouri Valley Conference Challenge. The Redbirds are aiming to add a victory to their 77-40 record in season-opening games dating back to 1898. ISU is trying to win an opener on the road for the first time since 2009. - THE COACHES:
Illinois State: Dan Muller (Illinois State, 1998) is in his fourth season as the head coach at Illinois State (58-44). Muller is the first coach in ISU history to beat three Top-25 teams in his first three seasons.
San Diego State: Steve Fisher (Illinois State, 1967) is in his 17th season as the head coach at San Diego State (339-185). As a player, Fisher helped Illinois State finish fourth in the 1967 College Division National Tournament. - ABOUT ILLINOIS STATE:
Picked to finish fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference ... return three of five starters and six of 13 letterwinners from last year's team, which went 22-13 overall, advancing to the second round of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) ... feature eight newcomers, including five freshmen ... ended last season by winning seven of its final nine games ... fell in the MVC Tournament championship game to No. 11 Northern Iowa after upsetting No. 8 Wichita State in the MVC Tournament semifinals ... tied for third place in the MVC standings (11-7). - ABOUT SAN DIEGO STATE:
Picked to win the Mountain West Conference ... return three of five starters from last year's team which went 27-9 overall and 14-4 (tied for first place in the MWC) and made its sixth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance, earning an eight-seed and knocking off St. John's before falling to eventual Final Four team Duke in the Round of 32 ... top returner is senior forward Winston Shepard who led SDSU in scoring and rebounding in 2014-15.
SEASON-OPENING SUCCESS
Throughout ISU's program history, the Redbirds have played well in their season openers. Since the 1981-82 season, Illinois State's first campaign in the Missouri Valley Conference, the Redbirds have won 20 of their 34 season openers. In the 118-year history of the program, Illinois State has compiled a 77-40 all-time record in season-opening games. In the NCAA Division I-era (1970-present), the Redbirds are 27-18 in season-openers, and ISU has won eight of its last 12 season openers. Illinois State is aiming for its first season-opening victory since 2012 and ISU's first season-opening win on the road since 2009.
ILLINOIS STATE ALUMS
Illinois State's Mountain West/Missouri Valley Challenge game features two Redbird basketball alums leading their respective teams, with ISU head coach Dan Muller (`98) facing San Diego State's Steve Fisher (`67). As a player, Fisher helped Illinois State to a fourth-place finish in the 1967 College Division National Tournament. Coincidentally, Fisher and ISU beat San Diego State in the Elite Eight that year. Fisher will be facing his alma mater for just the second time in his 24-year head coaching career, previously leading Michigan to a 76-70 victory over ISU in the NCAA Tournament, March 16, 1990.
CHALLENGING THE WEST
The revived Mountain West/Missouri Valley Challenge Series will feature head-to-head competition between 10 Mountain West and 10 Missouri Valley teams annually, with each conference hosting five games apiece each season. Annual matchups for teams in the Challenge Series are based upon factors including the previous year's achievements, records and RPI rankings, as well as projected rankings/strength of teams in the upcoming season, based on composite sources. Each season will be considered separately in terms of matchups, therefore, games from the previous year may not be returned.
RENEWING THE RIVALRY
The previous Mountain West/Missouri Valley Challenge Series ran from the 2009-10 through the 2012-13 seasons, with Illinois State earning a 1-2 record (2009-10: at Utah, W 73-63; 2010-11: vs. UNLV, L 82-51; 2011-12: No opponent; 2012-13: vs. Wyoming, L 81-67).
RETURNING REDBIRDS
Reigning 2015 Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Year DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell is one of three starters and six letterwinners returning for the 2015-16 Illinois State men's basketball team, which advanced to the MVC Tournament championship game following a third-place finish in the final league standings. The 2015-16 Redbirds return 50.6 percent of their scoring, 54.5 percent of their rebounding and 61.8 percent of their assists and steals from last season. Junior point guard Paris Lee accounted for 32.3 percent of ISU's steals and 30.4 of the team's assists, earning 2015 MVC All-Defensive Team accolades.
ONE OF THE BEST
Senior guard DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell is one of five 2015-16 Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Team selections. Joining Akoon-Purcell on the five-person preseason team are Wichita State's Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet, and Evansville's D.J. Balentine and Egidijus Mockevicius. As a junior at Illinois State last season, Akoon-Purcell led all Missouri Valley Conference newcomers in scoring, while ranking second on the team and seventh in the league with an average of 12.8 points per game in 2014-15. The Orlando, Florida, native finished the season as ISU's leading rebounder, averaging 5.6 boards per contest.
WATCH OUT
CollegeInsider.com has selected senior guard DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell as one of 30 players on the Lou Henson Preseason Player of the Year Watch List. The Lou Henson Award is presented annually to the mid-major player in division I college basketball.
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