NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State hosts No. 21 Wichita State Saturday, Feb. 6 at 9 p.m. on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena in the first meeting between the two teams since the Redbirds upset the Shockers in the 2015 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament semifinals (March 7). ISU enters Saturday having won four of its last five games. Fans will also be treated to a special halftime show by Chicago Bulls mascot Benny the Bull.
No. 21 WICHITA STATE AT ILLINOIS STATE • SATURDAY, FEB. 6, 2016 • 9 P.M.
THE SERIES:
Saturday's game marks the 79th meeting between Illinois State and Wichita State. WSU leads the all-time series, 40-38, with the Shockers winning 13 of the last 15 games. Versus WSU, ISU is 22-13 at home and 17-10 at Redbird Arena, with Illinois State last earning a home-court victory over Wichita State on Dec. 29, 2009. The Shockers have won five-straight in Normal, Illinois, signifying ISU's longest active home MVC losing streak.
THE COACHES:
Illinois State: Dan Muller (Illinois State, 1998) is in his fourth season as the head coach at Illinois State (70-55). Muller is the first-ever ISU coach to beat three Top-25 teams in his first three years, leading ISU to the 2015 NIT.
Wichita State: Gregg Marshall (Randolph Macon, 1985) is in his ninth season as the head coach at Wichita State (221-81) and his 18th overall (416-164). Marshall has led WSU to four-straight NCAA Tournaments.
ABOUT ILLINOIS STATE:
Picked to finish fourth (out of 10 teams) 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 MVC preseason team selection DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell ... currently in a four-way tie for second place in the MVC standings.
ABOUT WICHITA STATE:
Picked to finish first (out of 10 teams) in the Missouri Valley Conference ... return three of five starters and nine of 11 letterwinners from last year's team, which recorded a 30-5 overall record and a 17-1 MVC mark (first place) ... earned an at-large bid to the 2015 NCAA Tournament where, as a No. 7 seed, beat Indiana and Kansas to advance to the Sweet 16 ... feature All-American seniors Ron Baker and Fred Van Vleet ... currently first in MVC.
PREVIOUS GAME (W, 78-70 - Feb. 3, 2016 AT LOYOLA)
MiKyle McIntosh scored a game-high 21 points on a career-best nine field goals and the Illinois State men's basketball team shot a season-high 58.3 percent from the field, as the Redbirds used a 12-2 second-half run to permanently pull away from Loyola in a 78-70 Missouri Valley Conference victory over the Ramblers at Gentile Arena. After winning four of their last five games, the Redbirds improved to 13-11 overall and 7-4 in the MVC and are now in a four-way tie for second place in the league standings. Loyola fell to 10-13 and 3-8 in the MVC. Along with shooting 28-for-48 (58.3 percent) from the field, Illinois State went 5-for-10 (50.0 percent) from beyond the arc. The Redbirds also outrebounded the Ramblers, 32-19.
LAST MEETING VS. WICHITA STATE (W, 65-62 - March 7, 2015)
Senior guard (at the time) Daishon Knight put his team on his back in the second half of Illinois State's Missouri Valley Conference Tournament semifinal game against top-seeded Wichita State, scoring 16 of his game-high 25 points in the second half to lead the Redbirds to a 65-62 victory over the No. 8 ranked Shockers at Scottrade Center in St. Louis. With the win, ISU advanced to the MVC Tournament title game for the 11th time in school history and the first time since 2012 against Creighton. The victory marked ISU's first win against a team ranked that high since a 1978 victory over Larry Bird and No. 4 Indiana State.
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 11-60 overall, including close losses this season to No. 2 Maryland (Nov. 24 at the Cancun Challenge) and at No. 1 Kentucky (Nov. 30).
AIMING FOR HISTORY
An Illinois State victory over No. 21 Wichita State would be historic for the following reasons:
•It would mark the first time that ISU has beaten a Top-25 team in five-consecutive seasons.
•It would mark the first time that an ISU head coach has beaten four Top-25 teams in his first four seasons.
•It would mark the first win over a ranked MVC foe in Normal, Illinois, since beating No. 9 Tulsa in 1984 at Horton Field House.
•It would mark the first-ever win over a ranked MVC foe at Redbird Arena and the second overall victory (with the last one occurring Dec. 7, 2013 versus No. 25 Dayton).
TURNING UP THE HEAT
Illinois State's offense has heated up, with the Redbirds shooting a season-best 28-for-48 (58.3 percent) from the field in ISU's most recent win at Loyola (Feb. 3). The Redbirds have shot 48.6 percent from the field through their last four games, earning a 3-1 record during the three-game span. By comparison, ISU started the conference season by shooting 39.1 percent from the field through its first seven MVC games.
FINDING ANOTHER GEAR
Sophomore forward MiKyle McIntosh has increased his offensive productivity in Missouri Valley Conference play, averaging 13.2 points per game against league foes compared to 9.8 points per game during the non-conference season. McIntosh has averaged a team-best 17.0 points through Illinois State's last seven contests, netting 16 or more points in six of the last eight games. The Pickering, Ontario, native has scored a career-high 25 points twice this season, most recently with an 8-for-11 shooting performance from the field in ISU's win over Drake (Jan. 26). McIntosh has led Illinois State in scoring in three of the Redbirds' last four games, averaging 20 points per game during the four-game stretch, with ISU going 3-1.
THREE MACHINE
Sophomore forward Deontae Hawkins has shot 10-for-23 (76.9 percent) from three-point range in Illinois State's last three games versus Drake (Jan. 26), at Missouri State (Jan. 30) and at Loyola (Feb. 3), averaging 15.3 points and 4.0 rebounds during the three-game stretch in which ISU has gone 2-1. The Dayton, Ohio, native is shooting a team-best 41-for-105 (39.0 percent) from beyond the arc this season.
McCLOUD MAKES IT RAIN
In Illinois State's last three contests, senior guard Justin McCloud has averaged 9.8 points per game, a significant increase from his season average of 3.5 points per game. He recently scored in double figures in back-to-back games for the first time in his career, netting 12 points versus Drake (Jan. 26) and a season-high 15 points while matching a career high with five 3-pointers versus Northern Iowa (Jan. 23).
DOUBLE-DIGIT DeVAUGHN
Dating back to last season, senior guard DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell has scored in double figures in 30 of the last 32 games. Akoon-Purcell reached double figures in ISU's first 20 games of the season before being held to seven points versus Northern Iowa (Jan. 23). He has recorded 20 or more points four times in 2015-16 and is averaging 14.8 points (seventh in the Missouri Valley Conference) and 4.8 rebounds per contest (15th in the MVC). Akoon-Purcell has led ISU in scoring 12 times this season. He most recently netted a career-high 10 free throws on a season-high 12 attempts to total 12 points at Loyola (Feb. 3.)
CRASHING THE GLASS
After being outrebounded in eight of their first 10 games (going 4-6 with a -4.2 rebounding margin), the Redbirds have outrebounded the opposition in 10 of their last 14 contests (going 9-5 with a +2.3 rebounding margin). ISU is 10-2 when outrebounding its opponent and 3-9 when outrebounded. The Redbirds earned a season-high +13 rebounding margin in their most recent win at Loyola (Feb. 3).
HAWKINS' HEIGHTS
Sophomore forward Deontae Hawkins has crashed the boards this season, averaging a team-best 5.2 rebounds per game, which ranks 11th in the Missouri Valley Conference. Hawkins matched a career high with 15 rebounds in Illinois State's win at Bradley (Jan. 20). He also collected 15 boards last year versus Youngstown State (Nov. 29, 2014). Hawkins has tallied 10 or more rebounds twice this season.
LEE-DINGÂ IN STEALING
After 24 games, junior point guard Paris Lee ranks fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference with 1.6 steals averaged per contest. With two steals at Loyola (Feb. 3), Lee increased his career total to 168 steals and is in sole possession of fourth place on the career steals list. 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).
BATTLING BACK
In eight of Illinois State's 13 victories this season, the Redbirds have overcome deficits of eight points or more. In ISU's first three Missouri Valley Conference wins, Illinois State came back to win after trailing by 12 or more points (down 13 vs. Missouri State, Dec. 30; down 12 at Drake, Jan. 3; down 13 vs. Loyola, Jan. 6). The Redbirds most recently overcame a nine-point deficit in their win at Loyola (Feb. 3).
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