FORT MYERS, Fla. - The 2017-18 season opener for Illinois State is on Saturday afternoon, when the Redbirds travel to face off against the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles.
GAME INFORMATION
Illinois State (28-7 17-1 Missouri Valley Conference) vs. Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (26-8, 12-2 Atlantic Sun)
When: Saturday, November 11
Tip-Off: 12:00 p.m. (CT)
Location: Fort Myers, Fla.
Arena: Alico Arena
TV: ESPN3
John Vittas, play-by-play
J. Webb Horton, analyst
Radio: Illinois State Radio Network / 93.7 FM
Greg Halbleib, play-by-play
Mike Matthews, analyst
Live Stats: Florida Gulf Coast StatBroadcast
SETTING THE TABLE
• Illinois State has won its last 15 games in which it has out-rebounded its opponent.
• Illinois State is 104-65 over its last five seasons (all during the Dan Muller tenure). That is the most wins, and highest win percentage, of any NCAA Division I school within the state of Illinois.
• The Redbirds are 65-17 at home over the last five seasons, which is tied for the most wins over that span of any of the teams that are currently in the MVC and played in the league last season.
• Lewis head coach Scott Trost wsa formerly the head men's basketball coach at Illinois Wesleyan.
• In each of the last four seasons, Illinois State has exceeded its preseason coaches poll prediction.
• Illinois State is 13-0 all-time when Phil Fayne reaches double-figures in the scoring column, and is 7-0 when Keyshawn Evans scores in double figures, and 1-0 when Madison Williams accomplishes the feat.
• Illinois State is 77-42 all-time in season openers, and have split its most recent 10 season openers.
• The Redbirds have out-performed their preseason conference prediction in each of the last four seasons, and 17 times over the last 23 seasons.
• This season marks the first time in program history in which the Redbirds have faced off against two Southeastern Conference (SEC) opponents.
• Dan Muller's 104 wins through five seasons are tied for the second-most wins in the same time frame in program history. The only coach with more wins over their first five seasons was Kevin Stallings, the coach when Muller was a player with the Redbirds,
• Illinois State is receiving votes in the preseason CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major top-25 poll.
• Phil Fayne is one of seven players returning to their schools for the 2017-18 season after making 59 percent of their shots, scoring at least 300 points, pulling down at least 200 rebounds, and blocking at least 40 shots.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Florida Gulf Coast is coming off of a 26-8 season in 2016-17, as the team won the Atlantic Sun regular season and tournament titles, en route to an NCAA Tournament berth where the Eagles fell to Florida State in the opening round.
The Eagles return three of its top four leading scorers from last season, including leading scorer and preseason Atlantic-Sun preseason Player of the Year Brandon Goodwin. Goodwin led Florida Gulf Coast in scoring (18.5 points per game), assists (139), three-point makes (55), and free throw percentage (79.1 percent).
Junior guard Zach Johnson averaged 11.9 points per game, while 6-5 guard Christian Terrell averaged 10.2 points in 33 games played. Johnson also led the team in steals with 45, while he finished second on the team with 54 made long-range shots.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE BOARDS
On December 23, Illinois State out-rebounded San Francisco 50-47 in Honolulu; however, the Redbirds lost the game. Since then, Illinois State has won its last 15 games in which it out-rebounded its foes.
FGCU RUNNING WITH THE WALK-ONS
Florida Gulf Coast has 19 players on its roster, including six walk-ons. Among the walk-ons includes Ryan McAdoo, son of five-time NBA All-Star Bob McAdoo.
A WINDING HISTORY
As coaches, Illinois State head Coach Dan Muller and Florida Gulf Coast head coach Joe Dooley have never faced each other; however, that does not mean the two have never met on the basketball court. For two straight seasons - 1994-95 and 1995-96 - the teams met where Dooley was coach and Muller was a player.
In 1994-95 Dooley was an assistant coach with the East Carolina, and Muller was a freshman on the Redbird squad. In their meeting, Muller scored 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field with six rebounds; however, East Carolina came out on top 64-57 in Greenville, North Carolina.
A year later in a rematch in Normal, Illinois, Dooley was in his first season as head coach; however, Muller and the Illinois State squad exacted its revenge with a 64-52 win. Muller scored 12 points with six rebounds and two assists (4-of-8 shooting, 2-of-5 on 3's).
Through the remainder of their careers - for Muller spanned two more seasons at Illinois State as a player, 12 seasons as an assistant at Vanderbilt, and now five seasons at Illinois State; and for Dooley a hodgepodge of schools including New Mexico, Wyoming, Kansas, and Florida Gulf Coast - the two have never met as foes on the basketball court.
NOT DOUBLING UP ON THE MASCOTS
This season's Redbird basketball team will face off during the non-conference schedule against Eagles, Gamecocks, Hawks, Buccaneers, Wolf Pack, Golden Hurricane, Cougars, Racers, Rebels, and Flames. What you don't see in that group are any duplicate mascots (for the sake of argument, even though Eagles, Gamecocks, and Hawks are all fowl, they are all different). This anomaly marks the first time since 2013-14 that Illinois State does not have a matching mascot during its non-conference slate. Previous seasons have seen Hawks duplicated in 2016-17 (UT Martin Skyhawks and Saint Joseph's Hawks), 2015-16 (Quincy and Saint Joseph's), and 2014-15 (UT Martin and Quincy).
BEST IN THE STATE
Over the last five seasons, there has been one NCAA Division I school in the state of Illinois to have a winning record five times - Illinois State. During current head coach Dan Muller's tenure, the Redbirds have experienced a level of success that is unrivaled among the other 12 Division I schools within the state. ISU is 104-65 over the last five seasons, and the next best program's record - Illinois' - is 97-76.
record over last five seasons
