Redbirds Travel to Chicago to Battle Flames

NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State takes to the road on Wednesday evening, as the Redbirds will battle the UIC Flames in a 6 p.m. tip-off. The game will be the 24th all-time meeting between the two teams, with Illinois State holding onto a 17-6 lead in the series.

GAME INFORMATION
Illinois State Redbirds (6-3) vs. UIC Flames (3-5)
When: Wednesday, Dec. 5
Tip-Off: 6 p.m.
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Arena: Credit Union 1 Arena
TV: NBC Sports Chicago
    Jordan Bernfield, play-by-play
    David Kaplan, analyst
Radio: Illinois State Radio Network / TuneIn Radio
    Dick Luedke, play-by-play
    Mike Matthews, analyst
Live Stats: UIC Statbroadcast

SETTING THE TABLE

•    Illinois State's 6-3 record through nine games ties the best start to a season in head coach Dan Muller's career.
•    Illinois State head coach Dan Muller was recently named to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Silver Anniversary Team.
•    This ISU senior group has a chance to go down in school history for wins in a four-year period. The group is currently 70-39, 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 fourth in the MVC in scoring, first in rebounding, and fourth in assists — making him one of four student-athletes in the country to rank inside of his conference's top five in all three categories.
•    The Redbirds are 80-21 at home during head coach Dan Muller's tenure with ISU, including a 4-1 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 is 59-20 all-time against teams from the Horizon League, while Dan Muller is 5-1 all-time against teams from the conference.
•    Milik Yarbrough's season averages of 17.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 3.9 assists have him as one of 10 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.
•    Over the last five seasons Illinois State has out-performed its MVC preseason coaches poll prediction.
•    Illinois State head coach Dan Muller ranks ninth in NCAA Division I in coaching wins among coaches at are currently at their alma maters.

SCOUTING THE FLAMES

UIC comes into the mid-week in-state match-up having dropped its last two games at St. Joseph's (PA) and at home against Loyola. 

In the loss to the Ramblers, Marcus Ottey scored a game-high 20 points, making 10-of-12 shots from the field while Godwin Boahen added 16 points. Jordan Blount nearly recorded a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds, while also dishing out a team-best five assists.

For the season the Flames - who are 3-5 on the season - have four players averaging in double-figure scoring, led by Tarkus Ferguson's 17.5 point per game average. Ottey averages 17 points per contest, with Boahen pouring in 15.1 points per contest. Blount also averages in double-figures at 10.3 points, while Rob Howard is just off the pace at 7.6 points per game.

Ferguson leads the Flames in rebounding, pulling down 5.6 boards per contest, while also leading the team with 46 assists, 11 blocked shots, 29 made three-pointers, and a 48.3 three-point shooting percentage. 

FAST START

Illinois State has started the season with a 6-3 record through the first nine games of the season, tied for the best nine-game start to a season under current head coach Dan Muller. The 2012-13, 2014-15, and 2016-17 teams all opened the season 6-3. Of those three times, twice the Redbirds won the 10th game of the season.

SILVER ANNIVERSARY TEAM

Illinois State head coach Dan Muller was recently named to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Silver Anniversary Team. The team includes 10 members named to the 1994 Indiana All-Star squad. Eight other all-state players are included to recognize the top of Indiana's High School class of 1994.

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.

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 70-39 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.