Redbirds Travel to Terre Haute to Take on Sycamores

NORMAL, Ill. - The Illinois State Redbirds travel to Indiana State on Wednesday evening, as the squads battle in a 6 p.m. tip-off at the Hulman Center.

GAME INFORMATION
Illinois State Redbirds (14-13, 7-7 MVC) vs. Indiana State Sycamores (13-13, 5-9 MVC)
When: Wednesday, Feb. 20
Tip-Off: 6 p.m. (CT)
Location: Terre Haute, Ind.
Arena: Hulman Center
TV: The Valley on ESPN (ESPN+)
    Scott Warmann, play-by-play
    Rich Zvosec, analyst
Radio: WJBC (FM 93.7 and AM1230) / TuneIn Radio
    Dick Luedke, play-by-play
    Mike Matthews, analyst
Live Stats: Indiana State Live Stats

SETTING THE TABLE

•    Illinois State is 13-1 this season when going into halftime with a lead, and 6-1 in games in which it shoots over 50 percent from the field.
•    Illinois State senior Phil Fayne is nearly on pace to pull down 100 offensive rebounds during the season, and if he accomplishes that feat he will be the 13th MVC student-athlete since 1996-97 to do so.
•    There have been 10 home crowds this season hosted by MVC schools that have seen an attendance of over 6,000. Of those 10, five have been hosted by Illinois State, and two others have seen the Redbirds as the visitor.
•    Phil Fayne's 1,191 points put him as the third-highest active scorer in the MVC. He also has the second-most active career rebounds in the conference.
•    ISU senior Milik Yarbrough is 22 points away from becoming the 45th member of the program's 1,000-point club. If he gets it during this season, he will be the second person this season to reach the milestone, and he and Fayne will be the eighth tandem in school history to reach the 1,000-point club in the same season.
•    The game features the two leading scoring pairs in the MVC, as Yarbrough and Fayne combine to average 32.2 points, while Indiana State's Tyreke Key and Jordan Barnes also average the same total. 
•    Fayne (16.3) and Yarbrough (17.8) each average double-figures over their career against the Sycamores, while head coach Dan Muller averaged 10.6 in nine career games as a student-athlete against Indiana State.
•    Milik Yarbrough is on pace to become the first Redbird student-athlete to lead his team in points, rebounds, and assists since Tarise Bryson did it during the 1999-00 season.
•    Phil Fayne is one of just 18 student-athletes in the country who have blocked at least 20 shots and grabbed at least 20 steals in each of the last three seasons.
•    Fayne has climbed into 27th all-time in program history in points with 1,191, and is 34 points away from moving into 26th.
•    Illinois State's 136-93 record during head coach Dan Muller's tenure gives the Redbirds the most wins and top winning percentage in the state of Illinois.
•    Dan Muller is one of 30 coaches in the country to be leading his alma mater, and of those 30, he stands ninth on that list in career wins at his school.
•    Illinois State has won its last seven overtime games, the third-longest active overtime win streak in the country behind Marquette (10) and Harvard (8)
•    Illinois State is 19-17 all-time on February 20.

SCOUTING THE SYCAMORES

Indiana State heads into the meeting of the schools with an even 13-13 record while sporting a 5-9 conference record. 

In the Sycamore's last game, a 79-57 home loss to Southern Illinois, Cooper Neese scored a team-high 14 points, while Emondre Rickman scored 12 and Jordan Barnes 11. Indiana State was out-rebounded 40-to-30 in the game, while Neese and De'Avion Washington each pulled down five rebounds, while Neese dished out a team-best four assists.

For the season the Sycamores boast two of the top four scorers in the Missouri Valley Conference in Tyreke Key (16.9 ppg) and Barnes (15.3). Christian Williams averages 8.6 points per game while Neese pours in 7.4. 

Barnes has pulled down a team-best 110 rebounds while dishing out 87 assists and grabbing 30 steals - all team-highs. 

GETTING OFFENSIVE WITH THE REBOUNDS

This season Phil Fayne leads the Missouri Valley Conference in offensive rebounds with 84 (3.1 per game). If he keeps up his current average of 3.1 per game through the five guaranteed games remaining on this season's schedule, he will be within distance of becoming the 13th MVC student-athlete since 1996-97 to pull down 100 offensive rebounds in a single season. 

HOME COURT CROWD

Of the 10 highest attended basketball games within the MVC this season, Illinois State has been involved in seven of those games. Five Redbird home games stand in the top-10 in the conference this season for attendance, including 9,011 for ISU's rivalry game against Bradley. Additionally, Illinois State's 5,524 average attendance is the highest among the 10 MVC schools this season.

ACTIVE CAREERS IN THE MVC

Illinois State has a trio of seniors - Phil Fayne, Milik Yarbrough, and Keyshawn Evans - that rank highly among the Missouri Valley Conference active career leaders. Among that list includes Fayne, who ranks third among active players in career points, second in career rebounds, and first in offensive rebounds. Yarbrough ranks ninth among active players in career points, and fifth in assists, while Evans ranks second in career three-point baskets, and sixth in assists.

MULTIPLE OF 1,000

ISU senior Milik Yarbrough stands 22 points away from becoming the 45th member of the program's 1,000-point club. If he joins the club, he will be the second Redbird this season to accomplish the feat, joining Phil Fayne who made the list earlier this year. Additionally, it will be the eighth time in program history that Illinois State has had multiple 1,000-point scoring marks achieve in the same season.