Redbirds Look to Carry Momentum Against Crusaders

NORMAL, Ill. - After a 15-point win over I-74 rival Bradley on Wednesday evening, the Illinois State Redbirds look to keep their momentum going as the squad hosts the Valparaiso Crusaders in a two-game series at Redbird Arena on Saturday and Sunday.

QUICK HITTERS

• Twice this season an Illinois State men's basketball squad has held an opponent to two or fewer free throws made in a game, the second time coming on Wednesday against Bradley when the Redbirds held the Braves to just two made free throw tries, which is tied for the fourth-fewest in a game allowed in program history.
• This season Illinois State has had 12 players score in double figures at least once, which is the second-highest current total in the country, trailing only Murray State's 13. The Redbird double-figure total is also the most in a season by an ISU team since at least 1966-67. 
• ISU has had five players score at least 20 points in a game this season, which is the top mark in the MVC this season, and is tied for the sixth-most in a season for Illinois State since 1966-67. The school record for total amount of 20+ point scorers in a season is seven held by the 1968-69 squad.
• Illinois State is in the middle of a stretch of five consecutive games at home (all within a nine-day period). The last time a Redbird squad has played in five consecutive home games was during the 2009-10 season when ISU hosted Norfolk State, SEMO, St. Bonaventure, Central Michigan, and Niagara between November 27 and December 13.
• Illinois State tied a school record against Chicago State with 17 made three-point baskets, which are also tied for the 29th-most in a game in NCAA Division I this season.
• In Illinois State's win over Greenville, the Redbirds set new NCAA Division I records in field goal percentage (84.3%) and total assists (57). The program also scored the fourth-most points, had the fourth-highest single-half scoring output, and the had the sixth-highest combined score total in NCAA Division I history.
• The Redbirds have no seniors on this season's team, the seventh time in program history an ISU squad had no seniors. Of the six previous occurrences, four times the team made a postseason (NCAA or NIT) the following season. ISU is one of 10 NCAA Division I schools with no seniors on its roster this year.
• Along with having no seniors and just four juniors, the team's average athletic year is 1.71 (freshmen = 1, senior  = 4), which is the least experienced team in program history.
• Illinois State has four players from outside of the United States, the most foreign players on a Redbird team in program history. The previous most was from the 1996-97, 2012-13, and 2013-14 seasons that had three players each from outside of the USA.
• There are 11 current NCAA Division I head coaches that either played or coached at Illinois State, including two other head coaches in the Missouri Valley Conference (Porter Moser and Dana Ford).
• Illinois State head coach Dan Muller is one of 35 head coaches in the country who is coaching at his alma mater. Of that group, he has the seventh-most victories.

SCOUTING THE CRUSADERS

Valparaiso enters the weekend two-game series looking to snap out of its five-game losing streak, while also looking for the team's first win of the 2021 calendar year.

In the Crusaders' last game, a 75-39 loss at home to the Loyola Ramblers, Valparaiso managed just 16 first-half points and the 39 team points are the fewest points by a Missouri Valley Conference team this season. Eron Gordon scored a team-best 14 points in the loss, while Ben Krikke scored a dozen. Gordon pulled down a team-high five rebounds, as the hosts were out-rebounded by Loyola 39-to-26. Donovan Clay and Daniel Sackey each had three assists, while Sackey also led the team with two steals.

For the season, Krikke leads the team in scoring, averaging 11.7 points per game, with Clay averaging 10.8. The team's third-leading scorer, Nick Robinson at 9.1 points per game, announced on Thursday that he is opting out of the season for COVID-19 reasons. 

Clay, a native of Alton, Illinois, leads the team in rebounding, pulling down 4.6 boards per game, while Gordon averages 4.3 from his guard spot and Krikke 4.0. Sackey has dished out just shy of 4.0 assists per game this season (47 assists in 12 games), and leads the team with 15 steals.  Clay and Krikke each have double-figure blocked shot totals, Clay leading the team with 19, while Krikke has 10.

FREE OF FOULING

Twice this season the Illinois State Redbirds held an opponent to two of fewer free throws made in a game, with one made free throw allowed on January 10 against Evansville (on one attempt) and two made free throws allowed on January 20 against Bradley (on eight attempts). The one free throw made by an opponent is tied for the program record for fewest free throw makes, while the two against Bradley is tied for fourth.
 

DOUBLE-FIGURE SCORERS

This season through 11 games, Illinois State has had 12 different players score in double figures in at least one game. That is the second-highest total in the country, behind only the 13 double-figure scorers from Murray State this season.

HOME FOR A LONG TIME SINCE A LONG TIME

Illinois State is currently in the middle of a stretch of five consecutive home games (all played within a nine day period). The last time a Redbird squad has played in five consecutive home games was during the 2009-10 season when ISU hosted Norfolk State, SEMO, St. Bonaventure, Central Michigan, and Niagara between November 27 and December 13.

YOUNG STARTS

In the second of the two games against the Loyola Ramblers, Illinois State started three freshman: Howard Fleming Jr., Alston Andrews, and Harouna Sissoko. It was the first time since March 1, 1991 in the MVC Tournament against Drake where the Redbirds had started three freshmen in a game (Charles Barnes, Mike VandeGarde, and Scott Taylor).

LONG RANGE RECORDS

Against Chicago State, the Redbirds made a school-record-tying 17 three-point baskets on 36 attempts. The makes also set a Redbird Arena record and tied with two other times in school history in the ISU record books.

UNCOMMONLY COMMON

When the Illinois State Redbirds faced off against the Loyola Ramblers in back-to-back days, it was something that has happened at ISU, but is relatively rare. The last time previous to the 2020-21 MVC opener where Illinois State has played the same school in back-to-back days was on February 9 and 10, 1979 when the Redbirds faced off against Hawai'i in Honolulu. In all, there are seven previous occurrences of back-to-back games against the same opponent, seven of those coming from the 1967-68 season when as part of the IIAC (Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) the teams played the same opponent twice on a conference weekend.

NOT FROM AROUND HERE

The first Redbird student-athlete to come from outside of the United States was Roy Herald, a native of Finland, that played for Illinois State from 1977 through 1981. Since then 16 foreign-native student-athletes have played for the Redbirds. This season's team has four foreign-born student-athletes, the most on a single team in program history. The previous high mark for foreign players was three, set three times, the first in 1996-97, along with 2012-13 and 2013-14. 

MORE DOUBLE-FIGURE INFO

With Illinois State's dozen players that have scored double-figures at least once this season, it represents the most double-figure scorers by a Redbird basketball team since at least 1966-67. The team has also had five different student-athletes score at least 20 points in a game, which is tied for the sixth-most in a season in program history. The top mark for most different 20+ point games in a season for ISU is seven, set by the 1968-69 squad which had Jerry Crabtree, Tom Cirks, Mike Green, Dave Handy, Bob Rath, Blaine Royer, and Tom Taulbee all reach the scoring plateau.