Redbirds Travel West for Battle with I-74 Rival Bradley

NORMAL, Ill. - The Illinois State Redbirds travel west on Wednesday afternoon, as the squad is set to do battle with their I-74 rivals, the Bradley Braves, on Wednesday night in a 6 p.m. tip-off.

GAME INFORMATION
Illinois State Redbirds (11-8, 4-2 MVC) vs. Bradley Braves (9-10, 1-5 MVC)
When: Wednesday, Jan. 23
Tip-Off: 6 p.m.
Location: Peoria, Ill.
Arena: Carver Arena
TV: MVC TV Network (ESPN+ blackout in MVC footprint)
    Mitch Holthus, play-by-play
    Dave Kaplan, analyst
Radio: WJBC (AM 1230 / FM 93.7) / TuneIn Radio
    Dick Luedke, play-by-play
    Mike Matthews, analyst
Live Stats: Bradley Live Stats 

SETTING THE TABLE

•    Illinois State is 10-0 this season when going into halftime with a lead.
•    Illinois State's senior duo of Milik Yarbrough and Phil Fayne combine to average 14.3 rebounds per game, which is the highest two-person average in the MVC this season.
•    Phil Fayne's 1,052 career points put him 37th in school history, and he needs 17 more to move into sole possession of 35th.
•    Illinois State's 133-88 record since Dan Muller has taken over the program is the best record during that same span in the state of Illinois. 
•    Dan Muller's 133-88 record is the ninth-best record among coaches currently at their alma maters.
•    ISU senior Milik Yarbrough was named to the mid-season watch list for the Lou Henson Award, given annually to the top mid-major student-athlete.
•    Phil Fayne's career field goal percentage of .581 is the 33rd-highest currently active career shooting percentage in NCAA Division I.
•    Over the last three seasons, Illinois State is 24-7 in games that are within five points at the end of regulation.
•    The senior class' four-year record of 75-44 is seven wins away from being in the top-10 winningest four-year spans in program history. 
•    Illinois State has won eight of the last nine meetings with Bradley. 
•    Illinois State has won its last seven overtime games, which stands as the second-longest active overtime win streak in the country.
•    ISU senior Keyshawn Evans ranks seventh in school history in career three-pointers made (171) and attempted (454). 
•    In each of the last five seasons, the ISU men's basketball program has exceeded its preseason coaches poll prediction. 
•    Illinois State has had an even or positive rebounding margin in five of its last six games.
•    Through 19 games on the season, Illinois State has led its opponent for nearly 12 minutes more than it has trailed. 
•    Illinois State is 18-13 all-time on January 23.
•    Illinois State ranks 88th in the NCAA in assists per game. 

SCOUTING THE BRAVES

Bradley enters the rivalry game having snapped a five-game MVC-opening losing skid against Southern Illinois on Sunday afternoon. 

In that game, Darrell Brown scored 16 points, while Elijah Childs scored a dozen. Nate Kennell scored 11 off of the bench for the Braves, while Luuk van Bree pulled down a game-high nine rebounds. Brown dished out three assists and grabbed a pair of steals.

For the year, only Brown (14.6) and Childs (11.8) average in double-figure scoring, while three others, Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye (8.6), Kennell (8.4), and Koch Bar (8.2) average over eight points per game. Childs pulls down a team-best 7.6 rebounds per game, while Brown leads the team in assists (61) and steals (23).

REBOUNDING PAIRS

The senior duo of Milik Yarbrough and Phil Fayne combine to average 14.3 rebounds per game, which is the highest tandem in the Missouri Valley Conference this season. The nearest foe is Drake's duo of Nick McGlynn and Tremell Murphy who combine to average 14.2 rebounds per game.

AT AND CLIMBING NEAR 1K

Against Evansville on Jan. 5, ISU senior Phil Fayne became the 44th-member of the program's 1,000-point club, with two teammates - Milik Yarbrough and Keyshawn Evans - closing in on the milestone as well, as Yarbrough has 855 points and Evans 805.

BEST IN STATE

Over the last seven-plus seasons, there has been one NCAA Division I school in the state of Illinois to have a winning record six times - Illinois State. During current head coach Dan Muller's tenure, the Redbirds have experienced a level of success that is unrivaled among the other 13 Division I schools within the state. ISU is 133-88 over the last six-plus seasons, and the next best program's record - Loyola - is 127-95. (as of games on Jan. 20)