ST. LOUIS, Ill. – The Illinois State Redbirds have been picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley Conference according to a poll released on Thursday, while three ISU seniors: Phil Fayne, Milik Yarbrough, and Keyshawn Evans have been named to one of two preseason all-conference teams.
In the poll, determined by a panel of the league's coaches, media, and sports information directors, Illinois State garnered 374 total points and 10 first-place votes. Loyola is the preseason favorite, earning 410 points and 29 first-place votes, while Southern Illinois was picked immediately behind the Redbirds with 362 points and the remaining four first-place votes.
Fayne and Yarbrough were two of the five honorees for the preseason all-conference first team, while Evans earned a nod on the second team. Loyola's Clayton Custer – the reigning MVC Player of the Year – was named the Preseason Player of the Year.
In each of the last five seasons, Illinois State has out-performed its preseason poll prediction, including last season when the Redbirds were picked fourth and ended in a tie for third place in the 10-team conference. The 10 first-place votes are the most for Illinois State since the team earned 26 of 30 total first-place votes ahead of the 2001-02 season.
Yarbrough earned preseason first team honors after being named to the MVC First Team last season, as he averaged 16.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.8 assists a season ago. His assist total led the MVC, while the scoring mark was fourth and rebounding fifth, making him one of a small number of players across the country to rank in the top five in all three categories.
Fayne, who was named second team All-MVC selection last year, averaged 15.6 points and 7.4 rebounds. His rebounding average was third best in the MVC last year, and his scoring fifth. He also made 59.5 percent of his shots from the field (181-of-304), which was the second-highest total in the MVC in 2017-18.
Evans averaged 15.2 points last season, giving the Redbirds three players inside of the top six in the MVC in scoring. He also ended second in three-point field goals per game (3.0), seventh in assists (3.6 per game), and seventh in three-point field goal percentage (41.9).
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