Men's Basketball Hosts I-74 Rival Bradley on Final Home Game of Season

NORMAL, Ill. - Wednesday night the Illinois State men's basketball team will host its I-74 rival Bradley, as each of the programs looks to gain momentum headed into next weeks' Arch Madness.

GAME INFORMATION
Illinois State Redbirds (9-19, 4-12 MVC) vs. Bradley Braves (19-10, 10-6 MVC)
When: Wednesday, February 26
Tip-Off: 6 p.m.
Location: Normal, Illinois
Arena: Redbird Arena
TV: CBS Sports Network
    Chris Hassel, play-by-play
    Tim Doyle, analyst
Radio: WJBC 93.7 & 1230 AM
    Dick Luedke, play-by-play
    Mike Matthews, analyst

QUICK HITTERS

• Illinois State senior Zach Copeland has made 75 three-point field goals this season, which is four away from climbing into the single-season top-10 in program history. His total is also the fourth-highest by a senior in ISU history.
• The Illinois State defense has forced its opponents to use on average 19.1 seconds per possession, which is the highest-such total in the country this season.
• Illinois State freshman DJ Horne has made 44-of-103 three-point field goals for a percentage of .427, which is the highest long-range field goal percentage in program history. His makes rank seventh among all Redbird freshmen, while Abdou Ndiaye's 28 blocked shots are sixth-best in school history among freshmen.
• In the team's first meeting with Drake, ISU senior Zach Copeland had a 32-point, 7-assist, 8-made three, 0-turnover game. It is one of 27 times this season where a player has scored 30 points with 7 assists, and one of just three to do it with no turnovers. 
• Illinois State has had eight different players lead the team in scoring, second-best in the MVC behind Bradley, while having eight different leading rebounders puts the Redbirds at the top of the list, and 10 leaders in assists is second-best.
• ISU head coach Dan Muller is one of 38 head coaches currently coaching at their alma maters, as his 148 wins has him with the eighth-most wins on that list. Highlighting the 38 are the top four of Jim Boeheim (Syracuse), Roy Williams (North Carolina), Matt Painter (Purdue), and Bob Huggins (West Virginia).
• Illinois State has used 11 different starting lineup combinations this season.
• When ISU head coach Dan Muller used the starting lineup group of DJ Horne, Zach Copeland, Ricky Torres, Keith Fisher III, and Rey Idowu, the combined jersey numbers added to 23, the lowest-such total in Muller's tenure as head coach.
• Illinois State has won its last seven overtime games, the second-longest such streak in the country. Only Florida State has won more consecutive overtime games with nine.
• ISU freshmen DJ Horne and Antonio Reeves have eight of the program's top 12 highest single-game scoring efforts by a freshman under current head coach Dan Muller.
• As a student-athlete, ISU head coach Dan Muller averaged 13.5 points and 4.6 rebounds in eight career games against the Braves.
• Illinois State is 19-11 all-time on February 26, and have a 12-1 record in those games when they are played at home.
• ISU's nine steals against Drake in the team's last game are tied for the second-most in a game this season by the Redbirds.

SCOUTING THE BRAVES

Bradley comes into the game having seen its four-game win streak snapped with a 90-78 loss at Valparaiso on Saturday evening. 

Leading the way for Bradley in the game was Elijah Childs who scored 19 points with seven rebounds, while Nate Kennell scored 16 points on 6-of-15 shooting from the field, while Darrell Brown added 14 points and four assists.

For the season Bradley has three players averaging in double-figure scoring, led by Childs' 15.1 points per game, while Brown averages 14.6 and Kennell 12.4. Ja'Shon Henry is just off of the double-figure pace, averaging 9.8 points per game. Childs pulls down 9.0 rebounds per game to lead the team, as Brown's 118 assists also mark a team-high. Ari Boya has a team-high 36 blocked shots, while Nate Kennell has pilfered 34 steals to pace the team.

NOT DOUBLING THE MASCOTS

This season of the 21 different opponents that Illinois State has faced, the 'Birds have faced off against 21 different mascots - and do not have a game against two schools with the same mascot. This season the Redbirds have played against 10 animals (Belmont Bruins, Cincinnati Bearcats, Grand Canyon Antelopes, TCU Horned Frogs, Morehead State Eagles, UTSA Roadrunners, UNI Panthers, Southern Illinois Salukis, Missouri State Bears, Drake Bulldogs, Loyola Ramblers), six types of people (Little Rock Trojans, UCF Knights, Northern Kentucky Norse, Bradley Braves, Evansville Aces, Valparaiso Crusaders), and four of inanimate objects (Western Kentucky Big Red, Illinois Springfield Prairie Stars, UIC Flames, Indiana State Sycamores).

LONG RANGE RECORDS

This season Zach Copeland has made 75 three-point field goals on 187 attempts. That makes total puts him four away from climbing into the program's single-season top-10 list, and has the fourth-most in a senior season in program history.

GETTING DEFENSIVE AT LENGTH

This season Illinois State opponents average an offensive possession length of 19.1 seconds. That time is the longest defensive possession length in the country. Below are the 10 longest defensive possession lengths in the country according to the basketball stat analysis site KenPom. The team's possession length is the third-longest in the NCAA since the 2015-16 season.

YOUNG STATS

This season, Illinois State freshmen DJ Horne and Abdou Ndiaye have climbed into the top-10 in program history in a trio of categories, as Horne has best single-season three-point percentage by a freshman, seventh-most three-point field goals by a freshman, and Abdou Ndiaye has the sixth-most blocked shots by a freshman.