Illinois State Set for Battle with I-74 Rival Bradley

PEORIA, Ill. - Illinois State kicks off a three-game stint in which they stay within a 50 mile radius of Normal with a trip over I-74 to face off against the Bradley Braves in a 7 p.m. tip-off at Carver Arena

GAME INFORMATION
Illinois State Redbirds (6-12, 1-5 MVC) vs. Bradley Braves (13-6, 4-2 MVC)
When: Wednesday, Jan. 22
Tip-Off: 7 p.m.
Location: Peoria, Illinois
Arena: Carver Arena
TV: ESPN+
    Dan McLaughlin, play-by-play
    David Kaplan, analyst
Radio: WJBC 93.7 & 1230 AM
    Dick Luedke, play-by-play
    Mike Matthews, analyst

QUICK HITTERS

• When he scored 32 points with seven assists against Drake on Jan. 16, Illinois State senior became one of 11 student-athletes this season to put together a 30-point, 7-assist game this season, and one of two to do it with no turnovers.
• In the same game against Drake, Copeland tied an Illinois State school record with eight three-point baskets, adding his name to the five others that had previously had eight in a game.
• Redbird opponents use 19.2 seconds per possession while on offense, which is the second-longest defensive possession length in the country, behind only Washington's 19.3 seconds.
• Copeland's 32-point, 7-assist effort was Illinois State's first 30-point, 7-assist game since Tarise Bryson accomplished the feat against Miami on Dec. 22, 1999.
• Illinois State freshman DJ Horne's 22 points against UNI are the most by a Redbird freshman under head coach Dan Muller.
• The Redbirds have had eight different players lead the team in scoring, the most in the MVC this season. The next-highest total in the conference is Bradley with seven different players.
• Dan Muller is one of just 38 head coaches in NCAA Division I basketball to be coaching at his alma mater, as he has the eighth-most wins among that group. At the top of the list in that fraternity is Jim Boeheim (Syracuse), Roy Williams (North Carolina), Matt Painter (Purdue), and Bob Huggins (West Virginia).
• Illinois State has used nine different starting lineups this season.
• Illinois State has the third-longest active overtime win streak in the country, having won its last seven games during extra time. Harvard has won its last 10 overtime games - most in the country - while Florida State is second with nine consecutive overtime wins.
• The Redbirds got just two points from its bench in the team's loss to Loyola, which is by far the lowest this season, as the previous low for a game was 11 points against Southern Illinois.
• In addition to have eight different leading scorers, the Redbirds have eight different players to lead the team in assists and seven different players to lead in rebounding.
• Illinois State is 16-12 all-time on January 22
• As a student-athlete, current Illinois State head coach Dan Muller averaged 12.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game against Bradley.
• Illinois State's 145 wins and .573 win percentage under Dan Muller is the second-highest total in each during that time span.

SCOUTING THE BRAVES

Bradley comes into the rivalry game having seen a three game win streak and a 14-game home win streak snapped by the UNI Panthers by an 86-71 final score.

In the loss, Danya Kingsby scored a career-high 28 points en route to being named the MVC's Newcomer of the Week. Darrell Brown added 18 points for the Braves, as Ville Tahvanainen scored seven points off of the bench. Koch Bar pulled down eight rebounds, while Kingsby dished out a team-best five assists.

Of the Bradley student-athletes that are expected to be active for the game, Brown leads the team in scoring at 14.2 points per game while Nate Kennell averages 12.7 and Ja'Shon Henry 9.7. Bar leads the group in rebounding, averaging 8.3 boards per contest, while Brown has dished out a team-best 92 assists, 53 more than the next highest total on the team. Bar has a team-best 25 blocked shots, while Kennell leads the team with 54 made three-pointers and 24 steals.

BIG PRODUCTION

On the road at Drake, Illinois State senior Zach Copeland put up quite the stats line in which he scored 32 points, dished out seven assists, and had zero turnovers. This season there have been just 11 players in NCAA Division I that have scored at least 30 points with seven assists in a game, and just two of those did it with no turnovers.

SCHOOL RECORD FROM DISTANCE

With his eight three-point baskets against Drake, Illinois State senior Zach Copeland made eight three-point baskets, which ties the Illinois State single-game record, and is tied for the 10th-most in a game in MVC history. Below is the three-point single-game record list for makes in a game.

GETTING DEFENSIVE AT LENGTH

This season Illinois State opponents average an offensive possession length of 19.2 seconds. That time is the second-longest defensive possession length in the country. The Redbirds trail just Washington (19.3). Below are the 10 longest defensive possession lengths in the country according to the basketball stat analysis site KenPom.