Men's Basketball Travels to Battle Crusaders

NORMAL, Ill. - After snapping its losing skid, the Illinois State Redbirds take to the road to face off against the Valparaiso Crusaders in a 7 p.m. tip-off.

GAME INFORMATION
Illinois State Redbirds (7-14, 2-7 MVC) vs. Valparaiso Crusaders (11-11, 4-5 MVC)
When: Saturday, Feb. 1
Tip-Off: 7 p.m.
Location: Valparaiso, Indiana
Arena: Athletics-Recreation Center
TV: ESPN3
    Todd Ickow, play-by-play
    Dave Huseman, analyst
Radio: WJBC 93.7 & 1230 AM
    Dick Luedke, play-by-play
    Mike Matthews, analyst

QUICK HITTERS

• Over the last five games, Illinois State senior Zach Copeland has been averaging 19.4 points per game, and has hit 23-of-45 from beyond the arc (51.1%) over that span.
• Against Evansville on Wednesday night, Illinois State had a +12 assist/turnover ratio, the sixth-best ratio by a Redbird team this century.
• The team's six turnovers against Evansville are the third-fewest turnovers in a game under Illinois State head coach Dan Muller.
• With his 32-point, 7-assist, 8-three-point field goal, 0-turnover game against Drake, he is one of just three NCAA Division I student-athletes to reach those numbers since 2010-11.
• Illinois State head Southern Illinois to just 17 points in a home loss on Jan. 25. The 17 points are the 15th fewest in a half that the Redbird defense has allowed this century.
• Zach Copeland's eight three-point baskets against Drake tied an ISU school record, and are tied for the 10th-most in a game in MVC history.
• This season, Copeland is one of just three student-athletes in Division I to have games of at least 30 points, 7 assist, and no turnovers.
• Illinois State opponents use up an average of 19.3 seconds while the Redbirds are on defense, which is the longest defensive possession length in Division I basketball this season.
• Illinois State has had eight different student-athletes lead the team in scoring, which is tied for the most in the MVC this season.
• Illinois State head coach Dan Muller is one of 38 coaches in the country to be leading his alma mater. Of those 38, his 146 victories at his alma mater places him eighth on the list, which is headed by Jim Boeheim (Syracuse), Roy Williams (North Carolina), Matt Painter (Purdue), and Bob Huggins (285).
• Illinois State has used nine different lineup combinations this season.
• Illinois State freshman DJ Horne scored 22 points against UNI on Dec. 31, which is the highest single-game scoring effort by a freshman in the Dan Muller era.
• Illinois State's 146-110 record under Dan Muller gives the Redbirds the second-most wins and second-best winning percentage in the state of Illinois.
• Illinois State has won its last seven overtime games, which is the third-longest active streak in the country behind only Harvard (10) and Florida State (9).
• ISU senior Zach Copeland averaged 19.0 points per game in two games against Valparaiso last season.

SCOUTING THE CRUSADERS

Valparaiso enters the Saturday evening game having split its last four games, and brings an 11-11 overall record with a 4-5 mark in MVC action. In the team's last game, an 80-69 loss to the Bradley Braves, Javon Freeman-Liberty led the team in points (21), rebounds (7), and assists (4). Donovan Clay scored 15 points in the loss, while Ryan Fazekas scored 14 points, making 4-of-11 shots from the long range.

Freeman-Liberty is the leading scorer in the MVC averaging 20.3 points per game, while also leading the team by pulling down 5.7 rebounds per game. Fazekas, who missed a big portion of the season due to injury but has played in the team's last three games, averages 10.8 points, with Mileek McMillan averaging 9.0.

Daniel Sackey has dished out a team-best 84 assists with Freeman-Liberty second on the squad with 72 helpers. Freeman-Liberty also leads the team with 49 steals, as he has just over one third of the team's steals this season. Clay has a team-best 22 blocks in 22 games of the season, as McMillan has 14 blocks this season

TWO AND A HALF WEEKS

Over the last five games, Illinois State senior Zach Copeland has been on fire, averaging 19.4 points per game, and even more impressive has made 23-of-45 shots from long range over the past five games. That is a percentage of 51.1. Immediately before breaking out against Drake, Copeland ranked 219th in the country in three-point makes per game and was unranked on three-point field goal percentage. Over the course of the five games he has risen to 59th in NCAA Division I basketball in makes per game, and 28th in three-point percentage.

BIG RATIO

Against Evansville on Jan. 29, Illinois State has a +12 assist-to-turnover ratio, which is tied - along with its +12 margin against Drake earlier this season - for the sixth-best such ratio in the last 20 years. 

LOW TURNOVERS

For a second time this season, Illinois State committed just six turnovers in a game, the second time on Wednesday, Jan. 29 against Evansville. The two games are tied for the third-fewest turnovers in a game under head coach Dan Muller. The Muller-era-low for turnovers in a game is four against Drake on Jan. 3, 2016.

RARE AIR

When Zach Copeland had his big game against Drake (32 points, seven assists, eight three-point field goals, and no turnovers), he became one of just three NCAA Division I student-athletes since 2010-11 to have similar numbers.

LOW HALF SCORING

When Illinois State held Southern Illinois to just 17 first-half points, it was tied for the third-lowest scoring half for an MVC opponent this season. Only Missouri State has given up fewer points in a half when they held both Arkansas State and Valparaiso to 16 points in games this season.

Over the last 20 seasons, there have been 48 instances in which the Redbirds held an opponent to fewer than 20 points in a half, including 11 points in the first half against Indiana State during the 2003-04 season. Below are the 15 lowest single-half scores since the turn of the century.

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. 

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 17 players in NCAA Division I that have scored at least 30 points with seven assists in a game, and just three of those did it with no turnovers.

GETTING DEFENSIVE AT LENGTH

This season Illinois State opponents average an offensive possession length of 19.3 seconds. That time is the 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.