Top of MVC set to Battle on National TV

NORMAL, Ill. - The top two teams in the MVC standings will face off on Saturday night, as Illinois State hosts Loyola Chicago in a 9 p.m. tip-off that will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.

GAME INFORMATION
Illinois State Redbirds (13-9, 6-3 MVC) vs. Loyola Ramblers (14-8, 7-2 MVC)
When: Saturday, Feb. 2
Tip-Off: 9 p.m.
Location: Normal, Illinois
Arena: Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena
TV: ESPN2
    Dave Lamont, play-by-play
    Malcolm Huckaby, analyst
Radio: WJBC (AM 1230 / FM 93.7) / TuneIn Radio
    Dick Luedke, play-by-play
    Mike Matthews, analyst
Live Stats: Illinois State Live Stats 

SETTING THE TABLE

•    Before the game, Illinois State will be recognizing long-time broadcaster Dick Luedke for his 1,000th men's basketball game behind the mic.
•    Illinois State is 12-0 this season when going into halftime with a lead. 
•    The Illinois State pairs of Milik Yarbrough and Phil Fayne (points and rebounds) and Yarbrough and Zach Copeland (assists) rank among the top two pairs in the MVC for their respective stat categories. 
•    On his current pace, Milik Yarbrough will just the third Illinois State student-athlete to lead the MVC in scoring. 
•    Phil Fayne has 29 blocked shots and 22 steals this season. He is one of 11 student-athletes in the country to have reached the 20-steal and 20-block plateau in each of the last three seasons.
•    Illinois State's 135-89 record during Dan Muller's tenure is the top record in the state of Illinois during that span.
•    Dan Muller's 135 wins are the ninth-most among coaches who are currently at their alma maters.
•    Over head coach Dan Muller's tenure, Illinois State is 49-26 over the final 12 regular season games. 
•    Illinois State is 85-22 at Redbird Arena over the last seven years.
•    Phil Fayne's career field goal percentage of .581 ranks as the 35th-best career percentage among active players.
•    Milik Yarbrough is one of four players to rank inside of the the top-five of his conference in points, rebounds, and assists. 
•    Illinois State's seven-game overtime win streak is the second-longest such win streak in the country.
•    The Redbirds are 45-25 under head coach Dan Muller in games that are within five points at the end of regulation. 
•    Keyshawn Evans has moved into sole possession of sixth place in the school's career record book for made three-pointers.
•    In each of the last five seasons, Illinois State has out-performed its preseason coaches poll prediction.
•    Keyshawn Evans has made at least three three-point baskets in each of the last three games, and with another he will be in the top-six in the category. 

SCOUTING THE RAMBLERS

Loyola enters the battle for first place in the Missouri Valley Conference having won five of its last six games, including a 61-60 win over UNI on Wednesday evening.

In the win over the Panthers, Cameron Krutwig scored 22 points while Marques  Townes scored 19 and Bruno Skokna 11. That trio scored 52 of the team's 61 points in the game. Krutwig added 11 points and five assists, all team-highs.

Townes and Krutwig are tied for the team lead, averaging 14.3 points per game, while Clayton Custer averages 12.2. Krutwig has pulled down 7.2 boards per game, as Townes leads the team with 78 assists.

PAIRING UP

The top pair of players for Illinois State rank near the top in the MVC among other schools' top two in points, rebounds, and assists. In fact, Illinois State's top pair in each category rank in the top two in each of the three, including tied for the lead in assists. Milik Yarbrough and Phil Fayne combine to average 32.7 points per game, which is the second-highest top-two average in the conference, while the same pair average 13.8 rebounds per game – also second-best. Yarbrough and Zach Copeland combine to average 7.1 assists per game, tied for the top spot in the league.
 

LEADING THE SCORERS

This season through 22 games, Illinois State senior Milik Yarbrough leads the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring. He is putting himself on pace to become just the third player in program history to lead the MVC in scoring.

20-20 VISION

This season Phil Fayne has 31 blocked shots and 22 steals, the third straight season that Fayne has eclipsed at least 20 in both categories. That puts him as one of 11 student-athletes currently active in NCAA men's basketball to have done it over the last three seasons. The others include: Nicholas Baer (Iowa), Malik Benlevi (Georgia State), Kevarrius Hayes (Florida), Cameron Jackson (Wofford), Nick Mayo (Eastern Kentucky), Ed Polite, Jr. (Radford), Nate Renfro (San Francisco), Tahjai Teague (Ball State), Matissa Thybulle (Washington), and Grant Williams (Tennessee).

CLOSING STRONG

In his six-plus seasons as head coach, Dan Muller's squads have closed the regular season strong. Over the last 12 games of the previous six seasons, the Redbirds have a combined 49-26 record, including an 11-1 mark in 2016-17. 

GOOD IN THE SHORT MONTH

In the shortest calendar month of the year, the Illinois State Redbirds have been outstanding under head coach Dan Muller's era, with a 32-15 record in the second month of the year.

BEST IN THE 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 135-89 over the last six-plus seasons, and the next best program's record - Loyola - is 129-96. (as of games on Jan. 30)