Men's Basketball Set for Battle with Drake at Arch Madness

ST. LOUIS - The Illinois State Redbirds are set to take on the Drake Bulldogs in the first round of the 2020 MVC Tournament, hosted at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

GAME INFORMATION
Illinois State Redbirds (10-20, 5-13 MVC) vs. Drake Bulldogs (18-13, 8-10 MVC)
When: Thursday, March 5
Tip-Off: 6:05 p.m.
Location: St. Louis, Missouri
Arena: Enterprise Center
TV: MVC TV // Will be broadcast in Illinois and Indiana on ESPN+
    Mitch Holthus, play-by-play
    Kevin Lehman, analyst
Radio: WJBC 93.7 & 1230 AM
    Dick Luedke, play-by-play
    Mike Matthews, analyst

QUICK HITTERS

• In the 23 seasons of the MVC tournament having 10 teams, the No. 9 seed has a 14-9 record over the No. 8 seed. 
• Illinois State senior Zach Copeland's 79 three-pointers made this season are tied for the 10th most made three-pointers in a season in school history, and is the fourth-most in a season by a senior.
• Illinois State's opponents use an average of 19.1 seconds per possession, which is the longest-such length in the country this season - and is the third-highest in the NCAA since 2015-16.
• Illinois State has had eight different players lead the team in scoring, which is tied for the second-highest such total this season in the MVC. The Redbirds also have had nine different players lead the team in rebounding (most in the MVC) and 10th in assists (second-most in the MVC).
• Illinois State's Zach Copeland is one of three student-athletes in the country this season to have had a game of 30+ points, 7+ assists and no turnovers.
• Of the 25 schools inside of the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25, Illinois State has faced off against five different schools, and have a 4-4 record in those games (UNI, Belmont, Little Rock, Loyola Chicago, and Indiana State).
• Illinois State head coach Dan Muller is one of 38 head coaches across NCAA Division I who is currently leading his alma mater. Of that group, his 149 career wins are the eighth-most of a list that is headed by Jim Boeheim (Syracuse), Roy Williams (North Carolina), Matt Painter (Purdue), and Bob Huggins (West Virginia).
• Through 30 games this season Illinois State has used 12 different starting lineup combinations.
• Illinois State head coach Dan Muller and Drake head coach Darian DeVries faced off against each other nine times in their playing careers. Over their four years - which match up perfectly with each other - the schools played 10 times, with DeVries missing the opening game at the Big Island Invitational in Hilo, Hawai'i. Muller averaged 12.7 in his career against UNI, while DeVries averaged 11.8.
• In four of the team's last seven games the Redbirds have had at least 30 minutes of possession time.
• Illinois State is 8-5 all-time on March 5.
• Illinois State is 28-24 all-time at the Enterprise Center, and have a 4-4 record in first-round games. In MVC Tournament play the Redbirds are 8-3 against Drake.
• DJ Horne and Antonio Reeves have combined to score 9 of the top 14 single-game highs as a freshman under Dan Muller.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS

Drake enters the opening round of the MVC Tournament looking to snap out of its current three-game losing skid with losses to Illinois State, Loyola Chicago, and UNI.

In the team's last game, a 70-43 loss at home against UNI, Roman Penn scored a team-high 17 points while pulling down seven rebounds. Liam Robbins scored eight points, as the Bulldogs got scoring from six different players. Robbins pulled down 10 rebounds and blocked four shots to lead the team, while five different players had an assist.

For the year, the team is led in scoring by Robbins who averages 13.8 points per game, with Penn pouring in 11.7 points with an MVC-high 172 assists on the season. D.J. Wilkins and Anthony Murphy each average 9.1 points - just off of the double-figure pace. Robbins' 90 blocked shots this season are the seventh-most blocked shots in a season in MVC history. Penn's 42 steals are also the highest total on the team.

NINE SEEDED NUMBERS

In 1997 the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament expanded to include 10 schools, and rearranging the weekend to have a first round where the lowest four seeds play. In the 23 seasons since, the No. 9 seed (where the Redbirds stand) have a 14-9 overall record in the first round. Of the eight times Illinois State has played on Thursday, the team 4-4 overall, including 2-1 as the No. 7 seed, 0-1 as the No. 8 seed, 1-1 as the No. 9 seed, and 1-1 as the No. 10 seed. 

LONG RANGE RECORDS

This season Zach Copeland has made 79 three-point field goals on 206 attempts. He now stands in a tie with the 10th-most single-season three-point field goals in school history, and the fourth-most by a senior in school history. With two more makes he will climb twp spots on each list into eighth in single-season makes and second in makes by a senior.

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, Antonio Reeves, and Abdou Ndiaye have climbed into the top-10 in program history in a trio of categories, as Horne has the third-best single-season three-point percentage by a freshman and seventh-most three-point field goals by a freshman, Abdou Ndiaye has the sixth-most blocked shots by a freshman, and Reeves is two three-point makes away from climbing into the top-10 by a freshman.