NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State is looking for its sixth win in the last seven games when the Redbirds host the Loyola Ramblers in a 7 p.m. tip-off at Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena.
GAME INFORMATION
Illinois State Redbirds (9-7, 3-1 MVC) vs. Loyola Ramblers (12-4, 2-2 MVC)
When: Wednesday, Jan. 10
Tip-Off: 7 p.m.
Location: Normal, Ill.
Arena: Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena (10,200)
TV: ESPN3
Scott Warmann, play-by-play
David Kaplan, analyst
Radio: Illinois State Radio Network
Dick Luedke, play-by-play
Mike Matthews, analyst
Live Stats: Illinois State StatBroadcast
SETTING THE TABLE
• Against Missouri State, Illinois State committed just six turnovers, the fewest in a game since Jan. 3, 2016 against Drake.
• Illinois State is 3-0 this season when being held to six or fewer three-point field goals, including six against Missouri State, five against South Carolina, and four against UIC.
• This is Illinois State's first game as part of the "Battle for Illinois" (page 4)
• Illinois State junior guard/forward Milik Yarbrough is one of two players in NCAA Division I to average at leas 17.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game, and one of just 30 players since 1992-93 to average those numbers for an entire season. (page 4)
• With Loyola making the trip to Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena, it brings back former Illinois State head coach Porter Moser, who was head coach of the program from 2003-2007, and had a 51-67 record with the Redbirds. (page 4)
• Illinois State was the first program in the MVC since 2008-09 to play its first four conference games against teams without a conference loss. Loyola, with a 2-2 record, is the first team the Redbirds have played within the conference season that came into the game with a loss.
• In the KenPom.com metric Percentage of Possessions Used, Yarbrough ranks second in the country, behind only Trae Young's total of 39.8.
• The Illinois State trio of Yarbrough, Keyshawn Evans, and Phil Fayne combine to average 52 points per game, which stands as the fifth-highest season total in Missouri Valley Conference history, and 10th in program history. (page 5)
• The Redbirds have the three highest scoring duos in the Missouri Valley Conference this season, as Evans and Fayne, Evans and Yarbrough, and Fayne and Yarbrough each average at least 34.1 points per game as a group, where the next highest pair, Evansville's Ryan Taylor and Dru Smith average 33.7 points per game. (page 6)
• Illinois State has used seven different starting lineup combinations over the first 16 games of the season, which is tied for the 12th-most in the country.
SCOUTING THE RAMBLERS
Loyola enters Wednesday evening's contest with a 2-3 record in its last five games, winning its most recent contest 56-50 at Northern Iowa.
Clayton Custer was the only Rambler player in double-figures against UNI, scoring 11 points, as four others had at least seven points. Ben Richardson and Cameron Krutwig each scored nine points, Donte Ingram scored eight, while Lucas Williamson added seven.
Ingram pulled down a team-best six rebounds, as Loyola was out-rebounded 37-to-33. Custer dished out four assists, with the Ramblers sporting an 11-to-7 assist-to-turnover ratio for the game, and picked up nine steals.
This season Loyola has four players averaging double-figure scoring, led by Aundre Jackson's 12.6 points per game, while Custer averages 12.4. Marques Townes (11.9) and Ingram (11.4) also average in double figures.
Ingram also leads the team in rebounds, with 106, while Krutwig has pulled down 94 with a team-best 15 blocked shots.
