Redbirds Look to Snap Skid on Saturday Against Salukis

NORMAL, Ill. - The Illinois State Redbirds return home to Redbird Arena for the first of two consecutive home games on Saturday afternoon, hosting the Southern Illinois Salukis, following a stretch of four road games in the past six contests.

GAME INFORMATION
Illinois State Redbirds (6-13, 1-6 MVC) vs. Southern Illinois Salukis (10-10, 4-3 MVC)
When: Saturday, Jan. 25
Tip-Off: 2 p.m.
Location: Normal, Illinois
Arena: Redbird Arena
TV: ESPN+
    Kurt Pegler, play-by-play
    Bob Morris, 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 Zach Copeland became one of 13 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 19.1 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. Of the top-14 single-game scoring efforts by a freshman under Muller, Horne has three and Antonio Reeves has two.
• 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.
• 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 16-11 all-time on January 22
• As a student-athlete, current Illinois State head coach Dan Muller averaged 10.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game against Southern Illinois, while three others - Jaycee Hillsman, Zach Copeland, and DJ Horne, average in double-figures in their careers against the Salukis.

SCOUTING THE SALUKIS

Southern Illinois is riding a two-game win streak with home victories over Drake and UNI. In the last game, a 68-66 win over the Panthers, Southern Illinois got a career-high 20 points from freshman guard Lance Jones, as he made 7-of-13 shots from the field and 4-of-7 from long range, and 2-of-9 on his free throw tries. Graduate transfer center Barret Benson scored 13 points with nine rebounds, while freshman Marcus Domask scored 11 points with nine rebounds and six assists.

Of the players that are expected to play in the game for the Salukis, Domask leads the team in scoring, averaging 13.9 points per game, while Eric McGill averages 10.1 points per game on the season. Benson is just off of the double-figure pace at 9.9 points per game, as Jones is averaging 7.1 per contest.

Benson pulls down a team-best 5.5 rebounds per game, while Jones holds a narrow lead on the team with 56 assists while Domask (55) and McGill (54) are just behind.

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 19.1 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.

FIRST TIME IN TWO DECADES

When Zach Copeland had a 32-point, 7-assist game against Drake, it was the first time for Illinois State that a student-athlete had at least 30-points and 7 assists since Tarise Bryson had a 40-point, 8-assist game against the Miami Hurricanes in the final game of San Juan Shootout on Dec. 22, 1999. Bryson, like Copeland, also made eight three-point field goals as the Redbirds picked up an 87-78 win over the Hurricanes. 

LOW TURNOVERS

On Thursday, Jan. 16, the Illinois State Redbirds committed just six turnovers in an 84-74 loss at Drake. That was the fewest turnovers in a game since the 'Birds had just six in the championship game of the 2018 MVC Tournament. To find a game with a lower ISU turnover total you have to go back to Jan. 3, 2016 when the team committed just four turnovers - also in a game on the road in Des Moines against the Drake Bulldogs.

FAMILIAR FACES

When Southern Illinois gets two town to face off against the Redbirds, ISU fans will recognize two faces sitting on the Saluki bench. Former assistant coach Brendan Mullins is an assistant on his younger brother's staff, while former Redbird standout Tony Wills is a graduate assistant with the program.

FRESHMAN SCORING

This season Illinois State has a pair of freshmen 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 10th-best single-game scoring total under head coach Dan Muller, and his 16 against Missouri State stands eighth. Horne's 22 points against UNI is the most that a freshman has scored that many points in a game under Muller, while his 18 against Indiana State stands third and his 17th against Bradley is sixth.