Men's Basketball to Host San Diego State in White Out at Redbird Arena

NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State hosts its third consecutive home game, as the San Diego State Aztecs come into Redbird Arena to close out the three-game homestand, as the team will be celebrating the storied history of ISU basketball by wearing their throwback uniforms.

GAME INFORMATION
Illinois State Redbirds (6-2) vs. San Diego State Aztecs (4-2)
When: Saturday, Dec. 1
Tip-Off: 2 p.m.
Location: Normal, Illinois
Arena: Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena
TV: The Valley on ESPN (ESPN+)
    Brad Wells, play-by-play
    Adam Emmenecker, analyst
Radio: Illinois State Radio Network / TuneIn Radio
    Dick Luedke, play-by-play
    Mike Matthews, analyst
Live Stats: Illinois State Statbroadcast

SETTING THE TABLE

•    Illinois State has made 40 percent of its three-point shots in four consecutive games, tied for the third-longest such streak by a Redbird team since 2003-04. 
•    With a 6-2 record, Illinois State has its best eight-game start to a season since 2009-10 when the team went 7-1 over the first eight games of the year.
•    The Redbirds are 2-4 all-time in the Missouri Valley / Mountain West Challenge, most recently falling to Nevada last season in Reno. 
•    This ISU senior group has a chance to go down in school history for wins in a four-year period. The group is currently 70-38, and the four-year win record is 91-37 from the 1997-98 season - current head coach Dan Muller's senior season. 
•    Illinois State senior Milik Yarbrough ranks third in the MVC in scoring, third in rebounding, and fifth in assists — making him one of seven student-athletes in the country to rank inside of his conference's top five in all three categories. 
•    The Redbirds are 80-20 at home during head coach Dan Muller's tenure with ISU, including a 4-0 mark this season.
•    ISU senior Yarbrough has been named as one of 50 on the mid-season watch list for the Lou Henson Award — presented annually to the nation's top mid-major player.
•    Dan Muller's 128 victories are the ninth most among active head coaches who are currently coaching at their alma maters.
•    Illinois State is one of three schools in the country to have two assistant coaches who had won National Titles as student-athletes, joining Duke and Washington.
•    Illinois State's opponents average a possession length of 17.9 this season, which ranks as the 284th-longest in the country. The shortest possession length by an opponent stands at 13.3 seconds. In six of the seven seasons under Dan Muller, the Redbirds rank at least 300 or more in the category.
•    Milik Yarbrough's season averages of 17.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists have him as one of 11 student-athletes since 1992-93 to average those numbers.
•    Illinois State's 128-82 record over the last seven years gives the Redbirds the top record in the state of Illinois during that span.

SCOUTING THE AZTECS

San Diego State comes into the game with a 4-2 overall record, with the team's two losses coming to Duke and Iowa State.

In the team's last game, an 87-44 win over Jackson State, five Aztec players reached double-figures, led by Matt Mitchell and Jordan Schakel each scored 15 points. Jalen McDaniels scored 14, as Nolan Narain scored 11 points off of the bench. Two players - McDaniels and Watson - each dished out two assists, as Nathan Mensah grabbed 11 rebounds off of the bench.

For the season it is McDaniels that leads SDSU by averaging 15 points per contest, with Watson (14.7), Mitchell (13.3), and Jordan Schakel (10.7) all averaging in double-figures, while Jeremy Hemsley averages 9.8.

McDaniels also leads the team by averaging 6.8 rebounds, as the Aztecs out-rebound their opponents by almost a half-rebound per contest. Watson has 26 assists to lead the team, as the team has a 90-to-83 assist-to-turnover ratio. McDaniels and Hemsley each have seven steals, with Mensah blocking six shots to pace the squad.

SHOOTING STRONG

Illinois State is currently in the middle of a stretch in which the team has made at least 40 percent of its three-point baskets in each of the last four games. This is tied for the third-longest such streak for the Redbirds since 2003-04.

FAST START

Illinois State has started the season with a 6-2 record through the first eight games of the season, the best eight-game start to a season since the 2010-11 team also went 6-2. The six wins in the month of November are also tied for the second-most in the month in program history. The 2008-09 team won seven games in the month (7-0), while the 2009-10 team also won six games in the month (6-0).

PAIR OF NATIONAL CHAMPIONS

Illinois State is one of three schools in the country (along with Duke and Washington) to have multiple coaches on its staff to have won national titles as student-athletes. Both Brian Reese (North Carolina, 1993) and Chris Duhon (Duke, 2001) played in their respective seasons' National Championship games.

ISU HISTORY IN MVC/MWC CHALLENGE

This season's meeting in the Missouri Valley / Mountain West Challenge is the last one in the foreseeable future, and Illinois State is 2-4 in six meetings in the series. 

FOUR-YEAR WINS

This senior group has the chance to go down with one of the winningest four-year stretches in program history. This group is currently 70-36 over the last four years and is 21 wins away from tying the school record for wins in a four-year period - 91 held by the 1997-98 senior class which included current ISU head coach Dan Muller. Below are the top ten four-year win totals, and where the current group stands in wins over the same span.

TOP FIVE IN THE CONFERENCE

Behind his strong performances this season, Milik Yarbrough has climbed into the top-five in the MVC in points, rebounds, and assists. In doing so, he was one of just seven student-athletes in the country to stand in the top-five in each in their respective conference in those three categories.