ISU Returns to Redbird Arena to Battle Flames

NORMAL, Ill. - The Illinois State Redbirds look to get back into the win column on Wednesday evening when the squad hosts the UIC Flames at Redbird Arena with a 6 p.m. tip-off.

GAME INFORMATION
Illinois State Redbirds (4-6) vs. UIC Flames (4-7)
When: Wednesday, December 18
Tip-Off: 6 p.m.
Location: Normal, Ill.
Arena: Redbird Arena
TV: ESPN3
    Kurt Pegler, play-by-play
    Bob Morris, analyst
Radio: WJBC 93.7 & 1230 AM
    Dick Luedke, play-by-play
    Mike Matthews, analyst

QUICK HITTERS

• The game is the second straight for ISU against teams from the Horizon League, and the Redbirds have played against all 10 schools from the conference.
• Illinois State freshmen Antonio Reeves and DJ Horne have climbed into the top-10 in the Dan Muller-era for single-game points for a freshman.
• Against Morehead State, the Illinois State defense did not allow a double-figure scorer, the first time the Redbirds have accomplished that feat since November 29, 2008.
• Through 10 games, Illinois State has had nine different players reach double-figure scoring, more than the team had through the entirety of last season. The team also has four different players who have led the team in scoring for at least one game this year.
• Illinois State scored 51 points from its bench in a narrow loss to UCF, which is the highest reserve total in head coach Dan Muller's tenure with the squad.
• The Redbirds face off against seven opponents picked in the top four of their conference pre-season polls, including Belmont (1st), Western Kentucky (1), Northern Kentucky (2), UTSA (2), Grand Canyon (2), UIC (3), and Cincinnati (3).
• Illinois State sophomore Dedric Boyd scored 22 points off of the bench against UCF on Nov. 17, which is the fifth-most points by an individual off the bench in Muller's tenure.
• Illinois State is 55-17 against the 10 current schools in the Horizon League, and have played against nine of the 10 schools. ISU head coach Dan Muller is 6-3 all-time against teams from the league.
• According to the statistical website KenPom.com that predicts home court advantages based off of an algorithm, Redbird Arena is the fourth-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 (143-102).
• Under head coach Dan Muller, Illinois State is 47-29 all-time in games that are within five points at the end of regulation. ISU is 26-11 in such games over the last four seasons.
• Five times in the last six seasons Illinois State has bettered its preseason MVC poll prediction.
 

SCOUTING THE FLAMES

UIC comes into the game having won two of its last three games, with wins over San Diego and Purdue Fort Wayne, and a loss at DePaul.

In the loss to the in-city school, UIC got 14 points and a game-high 14 rebounds from Braelen Bridges, while Marcus Ottey and Godwin Boahen each scored a dozen points. Both Tarkus Ferguson and Brian Taylor scored nine points in the loss. Ferguson dished out a game-high six assists, as he and Michael Diggins had two blocked shots apiece. 

After missing the first three games of the season, senior Tarkus Ferguson has averaged 13.8 points per game, while also leading the team with 40 assists and 17 steals. Ottey, playing in his first game of the season for the Flames, is averaging 12 points, while Boahen averages 11.4 and Diggins 10.6. 

Jamie Ahale is just off of the double-figure scoring pace, averaging 8.7 points, while Boahen leads the team with 5.2 rebounds per game. Diggins has a team-best 13 blocked shots, as he and Boahen each have 10 steals. Boahen also stands second on the team with 37 assists.

Last season when the two teams met, Ferguson had a 14-point, 12-rebound, 11-assist triple-double. Boahen made 7-of-9 shots from the field and all six of his three-point tries, scoring 22 points, while Jordan Blount - who has yet to play this season because of injury - scored 27 points with five steals. Michael Diggins also added 12 points in the loss. Of the seven players that saw action in the game for ISU, only Rey Idowu returns, as he scored six points with three rebounds and an assist a season earlier.

FRESHMAN SCORING

This season Illinois State has a pair of freshman in Antonio Reeves and DJ Horne have climbed into the top-10 in the Dan Muller-coached era for single-game points for a freshman. Reeves' 15 points at TCU stands tied for the sixth-best single-game scoring total under head coach Dan Muller, while Horne's 14 points against Morehead State are one of nine times that a freshman has scored that many points in a game under Muller.

FLIPPING THE SCRIPT

Coming into Illinois State's game against UIS, the Redbirds had made just 61.9 percent of its free throws on the season, a total that ranked 314th of 350 teams in NCAA Division I. Against the Prairie Stars, the Redbirds went a perfect 15-of-15 at the charity stripe, the second-best single-game free throw shooting day in the country. Over the course of one game Illinois State's percentage rose to 69.2 percent, and the team climbed to 191st in the country.

PERFECT AT THE LINE

Illinois State's 15-for-15 effort at the free throw line is the third-best single-game shooting performance in program history. Below are the five best single-game free throw shooting games in the history of the program.

NO DOUBLE-FIGURE SCORERS

Against Morehead State, Illinois State kept the Eagles from having a scorer reach double-figures. It was the first time that ISU has held an opponent from recording a double-figure scorer since the 2008-09 season. Below are the eight most recent times where a Redbird opponent has not had a single player in double-figure points.

NEAR THE TOP OF THE NCAA

When Illinois State converted on all 15 of its free throw tries against UIS, it climbed into second this season in the NCAA national rankings for single-game free throw makes, behind only Harvard's perfect 22-of-22 effort against Texas A&M a day earlier. Below are the top-eight single-game free throw performances in the NCAA this season.

PRESEASON STRONG

Of Illinois State's 11 non-conference opponents, seven were picked to finish inside of their top four of the conference preseason polls, including Belmont and 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.