NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State returns to the road for the back end of back-to-back road games, the first time that the Redbirds have played in two true road games this season.
GAME INFORMATION
Illinois State Redbirds (10-10, 4-4 MVC) vs. UNI Panthers (10-10, 2-5 MVC)
When: Wednesday, Jan. 24
Tip-Off: 7 p.m.
Location: Cedar Falls, Iosa
Arena: McLeod Center (6,650)
TV: ESPN3
Mitch Holthus, play-by-play
Kevin Lehman, analyst
Radio: Illinois State Radio Network
Dick Luedke, play-by-play
Mike Matthews, analyst
Live Stats: UNI StatBroadcast
SETTING THE TABLE
• Illinois State head coach Dan Muller's career record of 114-75 is the fifth-most wins by a head coach in program history, and trails Kevin Stallings - the head coach during his playing career - by nine wins.
• Over the last five-plus seasons, Illinois State has a combined record of 41-21 over the last 12 games of the season, all during Dan Muller's tenure.
• Phil Fayne made 11-of-12 shots in the team's loss at Southern Illinois, which stand as the 10th-best shooting performance this season in NCAA Division I.
• Milik Yarbrough's season averages of 16.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game put him in elite company, as he is one of just two players to average those numbers or better.
• Yarbrough's 12-for-12 free throw game against Bradley is tied for the fourth-best single-game free throw performance in school history. Additionally, he has made his last 16 free throws, dating back to the game against Loyola on Jan. 10.
• Phil Fayne, Keyshawn Evans, and Yarbrough are climbing their way into single-season school records, as Fayne is climbing in with field goal percentage, Evans with three-point baskets, and Yarbrough with free throws.
• Fayne's career shooting percentage of .593 ranks 17th among all active players in NCAA Division I.
• Illinois State's .569 field goal percentage against Southern Illinois is the 11th-highest single-game field goal percentage in the country this season for a team that came out on the losing end of the scoreboard.
• Illinois State has used nine different lineup combinations in its 20 games, which is the 14th-highest such total in the country
• Illinois State head coach Dan Muller is one of 35 head coaches in the country to be coaching at their alma maters, and his win total puts him 13th on that same list.
• Yarbrough draws an average of 7.8 fouls per 40 minutes, which is the 11th-best such total in Division I.
• Illinois State is 11-8 all-time on January 24
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
UNI comes into the mid-week game having won two of its last three games, including home wins over Valparaiso and Drake.
In the team's most recent game, a 64-53 loss at Southern Illinois, Wyatt Lohaus led three Panther players in double-figure scoring with 15 points, while Klint Carlson and Isaiah Brown each scored 10.
Brown pulled down a team-best seven rebounds, as the Panthers were out-rebounded 35-to-30 in the contest. Juwan McCloud and Bennett Koch each dished out two assists, while Brown nabbed a team-best three steals.
For the season the team is led by Koch, who averages 12.5 points per game, while freshman Tywhon Pickford averages 10.8 points and 8.8 rebounds. Two other players, Carlson and Lohaus are just off of the double-figure scoring pace with 9.4 and 9.0 points, respectively.
Pickford is tops on the squad with 8.8 rebounds per game, while Koch (6.1) and Carlson (5.8) follow in behind the freshman. McCloud has dished out 47 assists to lead the team, as his 24 steals are also a team-high for the season.
