NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State plays its third game in four days when the Redbirds host Quincy Friday, Nov. 27, at 2 p.m. on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena. ISU (2-4) will try to return to the win column after dropping two-straight at the Cancun Challenge, including a loss to No. 2 Maryland in which ISU led for more than 10 minutes. Quincy (2-3) – an NCAA Division II opponent – enters Friday's contest on a two-game winning streak. Friday's game is presented by Subway.
QUINCY AT ILLINOIS STATE • FRIDAY, NOV. 27, 2015 • 2 p.m.
- THE GAME:
Although Quincy competes at the NCAA Division II level, Friday's game will count toward Illinois State's regular-season record and statistics; however, the game will not impact the Redbirds' RPI. Quincy returns all five of its starters from 2014-15, including junior guard Evan McGaughey, who led the team in scoring and rebounder. - THE SERIES:
Friday's game marks the 16th regular-season meeting between Illinois State and Quincy. Prior to last year's 99-57 Redbird victory over the Hawks on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena (Dec. 29, 2014), ISU and QU had not met in the regular season since 1981. Quincy has also served as an exhibition opponent in six of the last eight seasons. - THE COACHES:
Illinois State: Dan Muller (Illinois State, 1998) is in his fourth season as the head coach at Illinois State (60-48). Muller is the first coach in ISU history to beat three Top-25 teams in his first three seasons.
Quincy: Marty Bell (South Carolina, 1985) is in his 13th season as the head coach at Quincy (197-194). Under Bell, the Hawks have reached the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Tournament in 11 of his 12 seasons. - 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) ... in the midst of playing the top-two nationally-ranked teams (fell by 11 to No. 2 Maryland Nov. 24 and face No. 1 Kentucky, Nov. 30). - ABOUT QUINCY:
Picked to finish third in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) West Division ... return all five starters and nine of 13 letterwinners from last year's team, which went 13-16 overall and 11-7 (fifth) in the GLVC West, including junior guard Evan McGaughey, who led the team in scoring (11.6 ppg) and rebounding (6.6 rpg) ... top scorer and rebounder is junior forward Joseph Tagarelli (17.8 ppg and 6.8 rpg). - UP NEXT: Monday, Nov. 30 at No. 1 Kentucky: 6 p.m. CT at Rupp Arena.
LAST TIME OUT (L, 71-60 - NOV. 25, 2015 VS. TCU)
Despite overcoming a double-digit halftime deficit to tie the game early in the second half, the Illinois State men's basketball team ultimately fell to TCU, 71-60, in the Riviera Division third place game at the Cancun Challenge. The Redbirds (2-4) earned a 1-3 record in the Cancun Challenge, including ISU's two on-campus games followed by the two contests in Cancun, Mexico. Paris Lee netted a season-best 16 points, while MiKyle McIntosh collected eight rebounds, the most by a Redbird so far this season.
ALL-TOURNAMENT
Junior point guard Paris Lee was named to the Cancun Challenge all-tournament team after scoring 15 points with five rebounds against No. 2 Maryland (Nov. 24) and finishing with a team-best 16 points and two rebounds versus TCU (Nov. 25).
NON-DI
By hosting Quincy, the Redbirds are facing a non-NCAA Division I opponent in the regular season for the third-straight year. ISU previously earned wins over DII Sonoma State (75-58, Nov. 29, 2013) and against Quincy (99-57, Dec. 29, 2014). Just like ISU's previous two regular-season games against non-DI opponents, Friday's contest will count toward Illinois State's regular-season record and statistics; however, the game will not impact the Redbirds' RPI. It will serve as an exhibition game for Quincy.
FAMILIAR FOE
Although the Redbirds have faced in-state NCAA Division II foe Quincy in exhibition games six times over the last eight seasons, Friday's game marks ISU's second regular-season matchup with Quincy since earning a Jan. 7, 1981, victory over the Hawks at Horton Field House in Normal, Illinois.
WHAT A WEEK
Illinois State is playing the top two teams in the nation during a one-week span, after playing No. 2 Maryland (and falling, 77-66, Nov. 24) before traveling to No. 1 Kentucky this Monday, Nov. 30. ISU has only matched up against a top-two team five times in program history, including the Maryland contest. 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 time frame.
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 11-59 overall, including Tuesday night's loss. No. 2 Maryland was ISU's first Top-25 opponent of the year, although the Terrapins were likely not the last. According to the Week 3 (Nov. 23) rankings, three of ISU's 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.
UPSET ALERT
National sports media outlets issued "upset alerts" during the Illinois State men's basketball team's game against No. 2 Maryland (Nov. 24) at the Cancun Challenge. A Justin McCloud 3-pointer from the left corner with 7:26 remaining gave Illinois State a five-point lead over No. 2 Maryland; however, the Terrapins answered with a 13-3 run and pulled away for a 77-66 victory. The Redbirds led for 10:17 in a game with 10 lead changes and nine ties.
INSTANT OFFENSE
Senior guard DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell has emerged as Illinois State's top scorer in 2015-16, reaching double figures in all six of ISU's games this year, and dating back to last season, eight-straight and 13 of the last 14. 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.
AN EARLY GRIND
ISU is in the midst of four games in nine days (with 4,000 miles of roundtrip travel), and eight games in 18 days (with 7,300 miles of roundtrip travel), to start the season. The Redbirds began their season nearly 2,000 miles away from Normal, Illinois, in San Diego, California, at San Diego State. Illinois State played three-straight home games before flying 1,300 miles to Cancun, Mexico for two games. ISU is now at home for a game against Quincy before driving more than 350 miles to face Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky. The Redbirds' other non-conference destinations include Illinois-Chicago (130 miles) and Saint Joseph's in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (800 miles). ISU will finish the road portion of its non-conference schedule more than 2,700 miles away from where it began (San Diego to Philadelphia).
HALFTIME SIGN
In all six of ISU's games this season, whoever is leading at halftime is also leading when the final horn sounds. The Redbirds have trailed at the half in four of six games this year, and they are 0-4 when trailing.
ON THE DEFENSE
Through the first six games, Illinois State ranks second in the Missouri Valley Conference with 7.0 steals per game and third in the league with 3.8 blocks per contest.
LEE-DING IN STEALING
After six games, junior point guard Paris Lee leads the Missouri Valley Conference with 2.3 steals averaged per contest. With one steal versus TCU (Nov. 25), Lee increased his career-total to 143 steals and moved into sole possession of fifth place on the career steals list, passing Jamar Smiley (ISU's point guard when head coach Dan Muller played). 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).
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