Illinois State Closes Regular Season at Loyola on Saturday

NORMAL, Ill. - The Illinois State Redbirds will put the finishing touches on their 2017-18 regular season on Saturday afternoon, when the squad travels to Chicago to take on the Loyola Ramblers, who have clinched the regular season MVC title.

GAME INFORMATION
Illinois State Redbirds (16-13, 10-7 MVC) vs. Loyola Ramblers (24-5, 14-3 MVC)
When: Saturday, Feb. 24
Tip-Off: 1 p.m.
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Arena: Gentile Arena (4,963)
TV: ESPN2
   Mitch Holthus, play-by-play
   Malcolm Huckaby, analyst
Radio: Illinois State Radio Network
    Dick Luedke, play-by-play
    Mike Matthews, analyst
Live Stats: Loyola StatBroadcast

SETTING THE TABLE

•    Milik Yarbrough is one of three student-athletes in NCAA Division I to rank in the top-five in his conference in points, rebounds, and assists.
•    In Illinois State's last game, an overtime win over Drake, the Redbirds out-scored the Bulldogs by eight points, the fifth-largest single-game win in an overtime game in program history.
•    Illinois State's 20 points in its overtime period against Drake is tied for the most in an overtime period in program history. 
•    Yarbrough is averaging 17.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game, and is the only active player in the country to average such numbers. If he continues those stats through the end of the season, he will be the 11th such player since 1992-93 to average those numbers or better.
•    Illinois State has played in five overtime games this season (with a 4-1 record in those games), It is the third-most overtime games in program history, and the third-most overtime games in the country this season.
•    Yarbrough was named the Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week for the fifth time this season, which is tied for the fifth-most Newcomer of the Week Awards in a single season in Conference history. 
•    Illinois State has used 14 different lineups in its 29 games this season, which are the eighth-most different lineups in the country this season. 
•    Illinois State has had two consecutive games in which it has trailed at halftime, and trailed by double-digits, and came back to win. that gives the Redbirds four games this season in which it has overcome a double-digit deficit for a win. 
•    Yarbrough ranks fifth in the country in percentage of possessions used.
•    This season Illinois State has faced six different teams that have at least 20 wins. 
•    Illinois State has three of the top six scoring pairs in the Missouri Valley Conference this season. 
•    Yarbrough ranks seventh in the country in KenPom's assist rate.
•    ISU's 120-78 record over the last six years is the best record in the state of Illinois during that span. 
•    Yarbrough also ranks 17th in the country in fouls drawn per 40 minutes.
•    Illinois State is 19-14 all-time on February 24. 

SCOUTING THE RAMBLERS

Loyola comes into the regular season finale having clinched the regular season MVC Championship, and have won six consecutive contests.

In the last game, a 75-56 win at Southern Illinois, Clayton Custer scored 16 points, while Aundre Jackson scored 15 and Cameron Krutwig 14. Ben Richardson flirted with a double-double with nine points and eight assists. Donte Ingram and Marques Townes each also scored nine points, one off of the double-figure plateau. 

Jackson pulled down a team-best seven rebounds, with Krutwig grabbing six, as the Ramblers out-rebounded Southern Illinois 28-27.  Custer grabbed five steals, as Loyola had nine steals in the contest.

For the year, Loyola has five players average in double-figure scoring, led by Custer's 14.7 points per game average. Townes (11.6), Ingram (11.5), Jackson (11.3), and Krutwig (10.6) all average in double-digits. Krutwig's rebounding average of 6.5 leads the team as Ingram is close behind at 6.3 per game.