ISU Hosts Missouri State in MVC Opener for Each Program

NORMAL, Ill. - In each programs MVC opener, the Illinois State Redbirds will welcome back former student-athlete and assistant coach Dana Ford and his Missouri State Bears in a 7 p.m. tip-off at Redbird Arena.

QUICK HITTERS

• The game is a return to Redbird Arena for former ISU student-athlete and assistant coach Dana Ford. ** Fun Fact - Dana Ford holds the unofficial school record for the amount of different jersey numbers worn during a playing career with three, as he wore jersey numbers 3 (2002-04), 31 (2004-05), and 43 (2005-06). **
• Against Purdue Northwest Illinois State committed just seven fouls, which ties an ISU school record for fewest fouls in a game. The fewest fouls in a game this season in the NCAA is four, and the lowest in the MVC is six when Evansville committed just a half-dozen in their win over NCAA Division III DePauw.
• Wednesday night's game features five of the top six scoring pairs in the MVC, as Antonio Reeves and Sy Chatman combine to average 38.6 points per game to lead all scoring pairs in the conference this season, but are chased closely by the Missouri State duo of Isiaih Mosley and Gaige Prim who average 38.1
• With Antonio Reeves' four 20+ point scoring games, and Sy Chatman's three, the Redbirds are one of three schools in the country with two players with three or more 20+ point scoring games, and are joined by Nevada and Missouri State.
• Of the seven highest scoring individual games in the MVC this season, four have been recorded by Redbird student-athletes, including Mark Freeman's 34 points against Bucknell and Antonio Reeves' 32 points against Eastern Michigan which are the second and third-most points in a game in the MVC this season.
• Illinois State is one of just six schools in the NCAA this season to have two different student-athletes score at least 30 points in a game this year (along with Illinois, Colorado State, Winthrop, Loyola (Md.) and Iowa State, and the only school where both scored at least 32 points.
• Illinois State has four different student-athletes who have scored at least 20 points in a game this season, a total that leads the MVC.
• With his game of 34 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists, ISU junior guard Mark Freeman became one of just 39 players in the NCAA since 2010-11 to put up similar numbers.
• Illinois State junior guard Antonio Reeves - who had spent time atop the NCAA individual scoring leaderboard this season - remains inside of the top-20 in the country in scoring, standing in 17th place.

SCOUTING THE BEARS

Missouri State comes into the earliest MVC game in its program history after going 2-1 at the Naples Invitational with wins over Long Beach State and George Washington, and a loss to East Tennessee State. 

In the team's most recent game, a 72-54 win over George Washington, Gaige Prim scored a game-high 20 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the field, while Jaylen Minnett scored 16 including four made three-pointers. Ja'Monta Black added 14 points in the 18-point win.

For the year, the Bears have three players averaging in double-figure scoring, with two just off of the pace. Isiaih Mosley leads the team with a scoring average of 19.3 points per game, while Prim averages 18.8 as the pair are the second and third highest scorers in the MVC this season, behind only Antonio Reeves of Illinois State. Minnett also averages in double-figures at 13.8 points per game while Black (9.3) and Donovan Clay (9.2) come in just under the double-figure average. 

Prim pulls down a MVC-leading 10.3 rebounds per game, while Demarcus Sharp's 4.8 assists per game put him in the top spot in that category in the MVC. Minnett also has the high-mark in the MVC in three-point field goals made per game (3.8), and three-point field goal percentage (57.7 percent). Prim leads the team with 11 blocked shots, while Clay's seven steals are the top mark on the team. 

FREE OF FOULING

Against Purdue Northwest, Illinois State was whistled for just seven personal fouls in the game, which ties a program record, previously set against Green Bay on Nov. 29, 1986. ISU has 14 games - including the game on November 27th against the Pride - which ISU committed fewer than 10 fouls in a game. 

DYNAMIC SCORING DUOS

Illinois State has two of the top three highest scoring duos in the Missouri Valley Conference this season, and Antonio Reeves and Sy Chatman, Antonio Reeves and Mark Freeman, and Sy Chatman and Mark Freeman, have three of the top eight highest combined scoring averages in the conference. 

BIG SCORING GAMES

Of the seven highest scoring individual games in the MVC this season, four have been completed by Illinois State players. Mark Freeman's 34 points against Bucknell and Antonio Reeves' 32 points against Eastern Michigan are the second- and third- highest scoring games, while Reeves' 29 against UNCW and Sy Chatman's 29 against Eastern Michigan are tied for the sixth-highest scoring game in the conference this season.

MULTIPLE 20'S

This season Antonio Reeves has scored 20 or more points four times, and Sy Chatman has reached the 20-point plateau three times. Only two other schools in the country have two players who have scored 20 or more points three times - Nevada and Missouri State.

UNUSUAL COMBINATION

With his opening-night game with 29 points, five three-point baskets, and three blocked shots, Illinois State junior guard Antonio Reeves became just the 38th player in NCAA Division I since the 2010-11 season to record those numbers in a single game, and the only one to do it on opening night.

HIGH GAME TOTALS

Illinois State is one of just six schools in NCAA Division I this season to have two different student-athletes that have scored at least 30 points in a game. With Antonio Reeves and Mark Freeman each having reached the 30-point plateau, the Redbirds join Illinois, Colorado State, Winthrop, Loyola (Md.), and Iowa State as the only schools in the country this season with two different players with 30+ points in a single game. ISU remains the only school with two different student-athletes to score at least 32 points in a game.

SPECIAL GAME

With his game of 34 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists against Bucknell on Nov. 20,  Illinois State junior guard Mark Freeman is one of just 39 players since 2010-11 to put up similar numbers, and just one of 28 to do it while committing four or fewer turnovers in the same game. Among the notable other student-athletes to accomplish the feat include Buddy Hield, Trae Young, Ben Simmons, and Ja Morant.

THE THREE AMIGOS

We're not talking about the legendary trio of Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, and Martin Short, but Illinois State's group of three are just as good. Later in the notes we talk about where Illinois State's top two scorers are the best pair of scorers in the Missouri Valley Conference. In addition to that, the three-headed monster of Antonio Reeves, Sy Chatman, and Mark Freeman combine to average 52.2 points per game. Not only is that the highest trio scoring in the Missouri Valley Conference this season, it currently stands as the fourth-highest in Missouri Valley conference history. The same trio's scoring average stands as the seventh-highest in Illinois State history. The three-person school scoring record is currently held by two different groups, the 1971-72 trio of Doug Collins, Ron deVries, and Jim Smith; and the 1973-74 group of Rick Whitlow, Robert Hawkins, and Ron deVries. 

LOTS OF SCORERS

This season Illinois State has had four different players: Sy Chatman, Mark Freeman, Kendall Lewis, and Antonio Reeves, score 20+ points in a game this season. That number is the most in the MVC this season.

COACHING THE ALMA MATER

There are currently 44 NCAA Division I head coaches that are leading their alma maters - up from 35 a season ago - including Illinois State's Dan Muller. Muller stands sixth of those coaches in total wins with 158 in his 10th season with the program. Of that group, Jim Boeheim leads the select fraternity with 984 victories - and there are an eye popping 12 new coaches leading their alma maters for the 2021-22 season.