Redbirds Host Preseason Favorite in 2020 Home Opener

NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State hosts 2019-20 Missouri Valley Conference preseason favorite Missouri State on Tuesday evening, as the pair are one of eight teams currently in a tie for second place in the conference standings.

GAME INFORMATION
Illinois State Redbirds (6-8, 1-1 MVC) vs. Missouri State Bears (7-8, 1-1 MVC)
When: Tuesday, Jan. 7
Tip-Off: 7 p.m.
Location: Normal, Illinois
Arena: Redbird Arena
TV: ESPN+
    Tom Ackerman, play-by-play
    Kelby Stuckey, analyst
Radio: WJBC 93.7 & 1230 AM
    Dick Luedke, play-by-play
    Mike Matthews, analyst

QUICK HITTERS

• Illinois State has had seven different players lead the team in scoring this season, which is the highest such total in the MVC.
• Illinois State's win after trailing by 15 in the MVC opener against UNI stands tied for the 11th-largest single-game comeback in program history.
• The team in the win over UNI trailed at the halftime break by 10 points. Coming back for the win, it was the 10th-largest halftime deficit overcome in Illinois State history.
• Missouri State head coach Dana Ford is a 2006 graduate of Illinois State, while he also spent two seasons as Associate Head Coach on Dan Muller's staff.
• This season the Illinois State defense forces opponents to use 19 seconds per possession, the third-longest total in the country.
• Illinois State and Redbird head coach Dan Muller has a 48-29 record over his career in games that are within five points at the end of regulation, and are 27-11 in those games over the last three seasons.
• When DJ Horne scored 22 points against UNI, it was the highest total ever scored by a freshman in head coach Dan Muller's tenure as head coach, topping the 20 points that Taylor Bruninga scored against BYU on Dec. 6, 2017.
• When the Redbirds topped Morehead State earlier this season, it kept the Eagles from having a player reach double-figure scoring, the first time that ISU has held an opponent without a double-figure scorer since November, 2008.
• Illinois State head coach Dan Muller is one of 38 coaches currently leading their alma maters. He stands eighth in wins among that group, which is led by Syracuse's Jim Boeheim.
• According to the statistical website KenPom.com that predicts home court advantages based off of an algorithm, Redbird Arena is the fifth-toughest place to play in the country.
• Illinois State has won its last seven overtime games, the third-longest such streak in the country behind Marquette (10) and Harvard (9).
• Since Dan Muller has taken over as head coach, Illinois State has the best winning percentage within the state of Illinois (145-104).
• This season Illinois State has faced seven schools that entered the season picked third or better in their respective conference's preseason polls.
• Illinois State has won five of the last six games in the series between the two teams, the only Missouri State win in that stretch came last season when the Bears used a last-second half court shot to pick up the victory.

SCOUTING THE BEARS

Missouri State comes into the game after splitting its first two conference games of the season, and is in an eight-way tie for second place in the conference standings. In the most recent game, a 62-58 loss at Loyola Chicago, the Bears got a team-high 14 points from Gaige Prim off of the bench. 

Isiaih Mosley scored 12 points, while Keandre Cook added 10. Tulio Da Silva - last season's MVC Newcomer of the Year - pulled down a game-high nine rebounds, as the Bears out-rebounded the Ramblers 34-to-25. Two players, Da Silva and Tyrik Dixon, each dished out three assists in the loss.

This season the team has three players averaging in double-figures, led by Cook's 14.4 scoring average. Prim averaged 13.2 points, while Da Silva pours in 10.2 points per game. Lamont West is just off of the double-figure scoring pace at 9.9 points per game, while Dixon averages 7.9. 

Da Silva leads the team with 116 rebounds (7.7 per game), as Cook pulls down 5.4 rebounds per game. Seven players have double-digit assists, led by Dixon's 50, as Dixon also leads the team with 19 steals. Prim has blocked 10 shots to pace the Bears this season.

SPREADING OUT THE LEADING SCORERS

This year through 14 games of the season, Illinois State has had seven different players lead the team in scoring (Zach Copeland, Dedric Boyd, Ricky Torres, Rey Idowu, Keith Fisher III, DJ Horne, and Jaycee Hillsman), which is the highest-such total in the MVC this season. Below are the teams in the MVC and the total number of different leading scorers each has had this season.

DON'T CALL IT A COMEBACK

Or do call it a comeback, we're just taking the advice of LL Cool J. On Dec. 31, Illinois State rallied from a 15-point first-half deficit to secure a 76-70 win over UNI. It was the 11th-best comeback in program history. Below are the 11 largest comebacks in a game in Illinois State basketball history.

In the same game against UNI, Illinois State trailed by 10 at the halftime break, which is tied for the 10th-largest halftime deficit overcome.

FAMILIAR FACE

When Missouri State comes to town for the Tuesday evening match-up, it will bring with it head coach Dana Ford, who not only graduated from ISU, but also spent two seasons on the coaching staff with current Redbird head coach Dan Muller.

GETTING DEFENSIVE AT LENGTH

This season Illinois State opponents average an offensive possession length of 19.0 seconds. That time is the third-longest defensive possession length in the country, behind only Navy (19.6 seconds per possession) and Washington (19.1). Below are the 10 longest defensive possession lengths in the country according to the basketball stat analysis site KenPom.