CANCUN, Mexico – Preseason Big Ten Conference favorite No. 2 Maryland faces Illinois State Tuesday, Nov. 24 at 7:30 p.m. CT in the Cancun Challenge at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya, with a spot in Wednesday's Riviera Division championship game at stake. The Redbirds (2-2) and Terrapins (3-0) are both coming off of Saturday night victories during the two-game, on-campus portion of the Cancun Challenge.
ILLINOIS STATE VS. MARYLAND • TUESDAY, NOV. 24, 2015 • 7:30 p.m. CT
THE GAME:
Illinois State faces Big Ten foe Maryland in the Riviera Division of the Cancun Challenge Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. CT. The victorious team advances to play the winner of Tuesday's (5 p.m. CT) Rhode Island versus TCU matchup in Wednesday's 7:30 p.m. CT championship game. The losers will play for third place (Wednesday at 5 p.m. CT).
THE SERIES:
Tuesday's game marks the first-ever meeting between Illinois State and Maryland. The Redbirds are 7-24 versus current members of the Big Ten Conference, and head coach Dan Muller is 1-1 against the Big Ten after falling to Northwestern, 72-69 (Nov. 24, 2012), and – most-recently – beating Northwestern, 68-64 (Nov. 17, 2013).
THE COACHES:
Illinois State: Dan Muller (Illinois State, 1998) is in his fourth season as the head coach at Illinois State (60-45). Muller is the first coach in ISU history to beat three Top-25 teams in his first three seasons.
Maryland: Mark Turgeon (Kansas, 1987) is in his fifth season as the head coach at Maryland (90-50). Turgeon led UM to a school-record 26 wins during the 2014-15 regular season, an eight-game improvement from 2013-14.
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) ... tied for third place in the 2014-15 MVC standings (11-7) ... feature eight newcomers (two of whom are redshirting) ... aiming to advance to the Cancun Challenge championship game for the second time.
ABOUT MARYLAND:
Picked to win the Big Ten Conference ... received an at-large bid to the 2015 NCAA Tournament, earning a No. 4 seed and advancing to the third round by beating Valparaiso before falling to West Virginia ... feature the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year, sophomore guard Melo Trimble, who led Maryland in 2014-15 by averaging 16.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game ... ranked No. 2 in the nation.
UP NEXT: Wednesday, Nov. 25 vs. Rhode Island or TCU (Cancun Challenge third place or championship game).
WHERE TO WATCH (In the Bloomington-Normal Area):
XFINITY/COMCAST CHANNEL 531 & 963(HD)
DIRECTV CHANNEL 221
DISH NETWORK CHANNEL 158 & 158(HD)
MEDIACOM CHANNEL 171 & 662(HD)
CANCUN CHALLENGE
Tuesday's game against Maryland is Illinois State's third of four in the 2015 Cancun Challenge. ISU already faced South Dakota State (Nov. 19 - L, 83-67) and Houston Baptist (Nov. 21 - W, 72-56) in the on-campus portion of the Cancun Challenge. The Redbirds traveled to Cancun, Mexico, Saturday, leaving behind a couple inches of snow and a temperature in the 20s. ISU faces No. 2 Maryland (Nov. 24) and either Rhode Island or TCU (Nov. 25) in either the championship game or the third-place game at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya Convention Center. Maryland is currently ranked No. 2 in the nation. Illinois State is playing in the Cancun Challenge for the second time. In 2011, the Redbirds finished 3-1, with their lone loss coming to in-state foe Illinois in the championship game, 63-59. ISU is now 4-2 all-time in the Cancun Challenge.
AGAINST THE BIG TEN
Illinois State holds a 7-24 record against current members of the Big Ten, and head coach Dan Muller is 1-1. Muller and the Redbirds most-recently defeated Big Ten foe Northwestern, 68-64, Nov. 17, 2013 in Evanston, Illinois after falling to the Wildcats, 72-69, Nov. 24, 2012 in the championship game of the South Padre Island (Texas) Invitational. In the Redbirds' first trip to the Cancun Challenge in 2011, ISU defeated Rutgers (currently a Big Ten member, but was not at the time), 76-70, Nov. 22, 2011 before losing to Big Ten foe Illinois, 63-59, Nov. 23, 2011. ISU is 2-7 versus the Big Ten in regular-season tournament games.
TAKING ON THE TOP 25
With last season's 65-62 win over No. 8 Wichita State (March 7, 2015) in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament semifinals, ISU beat a Top-25 team for the fourth time in as many seasons – a feat that had never been accomplished by the Redbirds – after also topping No. 25 Dayton at home (Dec. 7, 2013), winning at No. 16 Creighton (Feb. 9, 2013), and edging No. 15 Wichita State at the MVC Tournament (Mar. 3, 2012). Versus Top-25 opponents, ISU is 11-58 overall. No. 2 Maryland is ISU's first Top-25 opponent of the year, although the Terrapins are likely not the last. According to the Week 3 (Nov. 23) rankings, three of ISU's future opponents are ranked: No. 2 Maryland, No. 1 Kentucky and No. 20 Wichita State. ISU's season-opening opponent, San Diego State, received votes in the first two polls, and future MVC foe Northern Iowa is currently receiving votes.
TOP-2
ISU has only faced a Top-2 team four times in program history, last facing No. 2 Kansas (Nov. 30, 2000) and falling by a score of 80-61. The Redbirds have never beaten a team ranked higher than No. 4 (winning against No. 4 UNLV Feb. 3, 1977 and against No. 4 Indiana State Jan. 21, 1978). ISU has also never faced the No. 2 team and the No. 1 team within a one-week span.
INSTANT OFFENSE
Senior guard DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell has emerged as Illinois State's top scorer in 2015-16, reaching double figures in all four ISU's games this year, and dating back to last season, six-straight and 11 of the last 12. Akoon-Purcell has also scored 20 or more points twice this season and five times throughout his career since transferring to Illinois State for his junior year.
BLOCK PARTY
Through the first four games, Illinois State leads the Missouri Valley Conference with 5.0 blocks per game. ISU's 20 total blocks ranks No. 31 in the nation.
LEE-DINGÂ IN STEALING
After four games, junior point guard Paris Lee leads the Missouri Valley Conference with 2.3 assists averaged per game. Lee's nine total steals ranks No. 21 in the nation. In 2014-15, Lee led the MVC and ranked No. 9 nationally in steals (2.4 per game), establishing ISU's single-season steals record (82).
ON POINT
Along with his ability to force turnovers, Paris Lee is also one of the best in the Missouri Valley Conference at creating offense. He ranks third in the MVC with 5.0 assists per game. Additionally, Lee's 20 total assists ranks No. 36 in the nation.
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