Redbirds Look for 2-0 Start on Sunday

NORMAL, Ill. - After a seven-point win in the season opener against Belmont, Illinois State returns home to take on the Little Rock Trojans in a 3 p.m. tip-off at Redbird Arena.

GAME INFORMATION
Illinois State Redbirds (1-0) vs. Little Rock Trojans
When: Sunday, November 10, 2019
Tip-Off: 3 p.m. (CT)
Location: Normal, Ill.
Arena: Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena
TV: ESPN3
    Kurt Pegler, play-by-play
    Bob Morris, analyst
Radio: WJBC (AM1230) / TuneIn Radio
    Dick Luedke, play-by-play
    Mike Matthews, analyst
Live Stats: Illinois State Live Stats

QUICK HITTERS

• The game is the first meeting between the two teams since December 2, 2011.
• The Redbirds are looking for their first 2-0 start since the 2012-13 team started the season 5-0.
• Illinois State is hosting its first three games of the season for the first time since 2007-08 (the team started 3-0 that season).
• The Redbirds face off against seven opponents picked in the top four of their conference pre-season polls, including Belmont (1st), Bowling Green (t-1), Western Kentucky (1), Northern Kentucky (2), UIC (2), UTSA (2), and Cincinnati (3).
• The game is the first time in head coach Dan Muller's tenure where he has faced off against a team from the Sun Belt Conference. As a program, Illinois State is 20-7 against schools currently in that conference.
• According to the statistical website KenPom.com that predicts home court advantages based off of an algorythm, Redbird Arena is the fifth-toughest place to play in the country with a home court advantage of 4.4.
• Illinois State has won its last seven overtime games, the third-longest such streak in the country behind Marquette (10) and Harvard (8).
• Since Dan Muller has taken over as head coach, Illinois State has the best record within the state of Illinois (140-96).
• Under head coach Dan Muller, Illinois State is 46-26 all-time in games that are within five points at the end of regulation. ISU is 25-8 in such games over the last four seasons.
• Five times in the last six seasons Illinois State has bettered its preseason poll prediction.
• Dan Muller is one of 38 head coaches in NCAA Division I to be coaching at their alma maters, and on that list, he ranks eighth with 140 victories.
• Illinois State has played just one game all-time on this date, last season with a loss at Belmont.
• In the team's win over Belmont, Illinois State put five players in double-figure scoring, the first time Illinois State has accomplished the feat since Dec. 8, 2019 at home against Ole Miss when Milik Yarbrough scored 19, Josh Jefferson 14, Phil Fayne 13, Zach Copeland 11, and Isaac Gassman 10.
 

SCOUTING THE TROJANS

Little Rock comes into the Sunday afternoon contest after picking up a 67-66 win over Missouri Valley Conference preseason favorite Missouri State on Tuesday evening.

In that game, Ruot Monyyong made a long jumper with seconds left on the clock to secure the one-point win.

Ben Coupet Jr. scored a team-high 13 points and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds., while Markquis Nowell scored 12 points with eight assists. Jaizec Lottie added 10 points, as all nine players that saw action in the game reached the scoring column. 

Little Rock out-rebounded Missouri State 32-to-26, and had a 17-to-13 assist-to-turnover ratio.

PRESEASON STRONG

Of Illinois State's 12 non-conference opponents, seven were picked to finish inside of their top four of the conference preseason polls, including Belmont and Bowling Green/Western Kentucky who were each picked to win their conferences. Below is a list of where the ISU opponents were picked to finish this season.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena has turned itself into one of the most difficult places to play in the Missouri Valley Conference. During head coach Dan Muller's tenure, the Redbirds have an 88-24 record at home, including a 16-1 mark during the 2016-17 season and a 12-4 mark in 2018-19.