ISU Hosts Southern Illinois on Taste of Redbirds Night

NORMAL, Ill. - After playing seven of its last 10 games on the road, the Illinois State Redbirds return home for back-to-back games inside Redbird Arena for the first time since December 18 and 21.

QUICK HITTERS

• Antonio Reeves has scored 997 career points, and is three points away from becoming the 46th member of ISU's 1,000-point club.
• In Illinois State's one-point overtime loss to Drake there were 23 lead changes, which is tied for the most in an ISU game since the 2003-04 season, and the 22 times the score was tied during that same span is the highest during that same time frame.
• Tonight's game features two of the 44 head coaches in NCAA Division I who are leading their alma maters. Additionally, just four times since 1994 has a player won back-to-back MVC Defensive Player of the Year, and half of those four are head coaches in this game.
• After a poor shooting contest against Northern Iowa, Illinois State's Josiah Strong recovered with a 3-for-6 game in the next outing against Loyola Chicago. With his performance, he is one of just four players over the last two seasons to have a similar poor shooting game, and came back with at least three three-pointers and making half of their attempts.
• According to the statistical analysis site KenPom, Illinois State has two of its games that rank in the top-10 for most exciting games.
• Dishing out 10 assists in a reserve role, Illinois State guard Mark Freeman is now one of 11 players to have dished out double-digit assists as a non-starter.
• Kendall Lewis is one of 16 student-athletes in the country to have at least 25 blocks and 25 steals this season.
• Josiah Strong (62) and Antonio Reeves (57) have combined to make 119 three-point field goals this year, which is tied for the 26th-highest two-person total in school history.
• Antonio Reeves' 13 20+ point games are tied for the seventh-most in the country this season and tied for 16th-most in program history.
• ISU has played in five overtime games this season, which is tied for the most in the country. That is also tied for the fourth-most in a season in program history.
• Illinois State is three made three-pointers from guard Antonio Reeves to reach the 60 three-pointers, joining teammate Josiah Strong on the 60-make plateau. It will also make Illinois State the only school in the country with two players at the 60-make mark. (as of games played on Feb. 3)
 

SCOUTING THE SALUKIS

Southern Illinois comes into the weekend meeting with the Redbirds having dropped four of their last five games, with the one win coming at home against Valparaiso last Sunday.

In the team's last game, a 69-54 home loss to Missouri State, Lance Jones scored a team-high 14 points while Marcus Domask and Dalton Banks each scored nine points. All nine Salukis who saw action in the game reached the scoring column, while Jones also led the team with four assists and two steals.

For the year SIU has three players averaging in double-figures, led by Domask and Banks who average 14.5 and 14.0 points per game, respectively. Ben Coupet Jr. averages 10.3 points, while Steven Verplancken is fourth-highest on the team with a scoring average of 7.2 points per game.

Domask, who averages 5.2 rebounds per game, leads the team in the category, as he also leads the team with a dozen blocked shots and 91 assists. Jones has a team-best 39 steals, while making 39 three-point field goals. 

STRONG RECOVERY

Against UNI on Saturday, January 29, Illinois State's Josiah Strong had his worst collegiate shooting game from long distance, going 0-9 against the Panthers. The incredible part was his recovery, as he came back the next game and made 3-of-6 from beyond the arc against Loyola on February 2. Over the last two seasons just four players in NCAA Division I have had a similar shooting and a game later recovered with at least three three-pointers, while making at least half of their attempts. 

BACK-AND-FORTH HIGHS

Against Drake on January 26, the Bulldogs and Redbirds traded the lead 23 times in the 45 minutes of game play time, and had 22 tie scores. The 23 lead changes are tied for the most by an ISU team since 2003-04, and the 22 tie scores are the most during that same time frame.

DIMES OFF THE BENCH

With his 10 assist effort coming off the bench against Drake, Mark Freeman is one of 11 players in NCAA Division I basketball this season to have double-digit assists in a non-starting role.

DEFENSIVE 20-20 CLUB

Illinois State forward Kendall Lewis is one of three members of the MVC's defensive 20-20 club, and is joined by Valparaiso's Sheldon Edwards and Drake's Tremell Murphy as the only players in the conference with at least 20 blocks and 20 steals. With 26 blocked shots and 25 steals, Lewis is one of just 16 student-athletes in the country - and the only one in the MVC - with 25 in each category. He is the first Redbird player since Phil Fayne during the 2018-19 season to be a part of the 20-20 club, as Fayne had 40 blocked shots and 36 steals during that year. He is the 31st Redbird since 1992-93 to be a part of that grouping - one of which includes current Director of Player Personnel Tony Wills from the 2016-17 season.

PAIRING UP FROM DISTANCE

In the history of the collegiate three-point basket (starting in the 1985-86 season), there have been 72 pair of Redbird student-athletes to team up to make a combined 100 three-point baskets in a single season. One of those pairs is ISU guards Josiah Strong (62) and Antonio Reeves (57) who have combined 119 three-point baskets, tied for the 26th-most by a pair for a single season in program history. The two-person school record is 162 from Champ Oguchi (90) and Osiris Eldridge (72) from the 2008-09 season.

PAIR OF 60'S

Illinois State is three made three-pointers from guard Antonio Reeves to reach the 60 three-pointers, joining teammate Josiah Strong on the 60-make plateau. It will also make Illinois State the only school in the country with two players at the 60-make mark. (as of games played on Feb. 3)

MANY 20'S

This season in 23 games, Illinois State guard Antonio Reeves has scored 20+ points 13 times. That total is tied for the seventh-most such games in the country this season, and is the 16th-most in a season in school history.

EXTRA TIME

This season across NCAA Division I basketball there have been 191 games that have needed at least one extra period. Illinois State has taken part in five of those games, tied the most in the country this season alongside UT Arlington. With its double-overtime game against Eastern Michigan, ISU has played in six overtime periods, which is tied for the second-most this season, along with Eastern Michigan; and trailing only UT Arlington's seven overtime periods. (as of games played on Feb. 3).

MILESTONE WATCH

Now 23 games into the 2021-22 season, Antonio Reeves is rising through the Illinois State career record book. Reeves is just three points away from becoming Illinois State's 46th member of the 1,000-point club.

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 166 in his 10th season with the program. Of that group, Jim Boeheim leads the select fraternity with 993 victories - and there are an eye popping 12 new coaches leading their alma maters for the 2021-22 season. (as of games on Jan. 31, 2021)

EXCITING GAMES

The stat analysis website KenPom has a listing of the season's most exciting games based on categories including excitement, tension, and dominance, and have 100 games ranked this season. The Redbirds have two games inside of the top-10 in the metric, and three inside of the top-38. Illinois State's overtime win over Bucknell on November 20 is rated the top game in terms of excitement, while the team's recent overtime loss against Drake on January 26 is rated as the 9th-most exciting game in the country this season.

FUN TEAM COMBINATION

Against Drake on Wednesday, January 26, the Redbirds got 25 points from Antonio Reeves, 11 rebounds from Kendall Lewis, and 10 assists from Mark Freeman. ISU has had just seven games since the 1980-81 season where the Redbirds had three different individuals accumulate 25 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. The last time that mark has been hit by ISU was on March 14, 2012 when Tyler Brown scored 26 points, Jackie Carmichael pulled down 10 rebounds, and Nic Moore dished out 10 assists against Ole Miss.

HIGH PERCENTAGE

Against Evansville on Friday, January 21, Illinois State converted on 70.2 percent of its field goal tries, which is the second-highest single-game percentage in school history, behind only the NCAA-record 84.3 percent a season ago against NCAA Division III Greenville. It is the best mark in program history against a NCAA Division I opponent, and the first time since February 27 of last season that a NCAA Division I school made at least 70 percent of its field goals against another Division I school. Since 2010-11, 67 Division I schools have made at least 70 percent of its field goals in a game, just 41 of those coming against Division I schools.

BIG NUMBERS

With 22 games played into the 2021-22 season, Illinois State's Antonio Reeves ranks 20th in NCAA Division I in points per game, averaging 20.2 per contest. 

FREE OF FOULING

Twice this season - against Purdue Northwest on Nov. 27 and against Evansville on Jan. 21, the Illinois State Redbirds were whistled for seven and eight fouls, respectively, which are tied for the first- and third-lowest single-game foul totals in a game in program history.

BIG MARGIN

With Illinois State's 38-point win against Evansville, it was ISU's largest win in a conference game since the school topped Indiana State by 43 on January 16, 1997. It is tied for the 46th-largest win margin in MVC history. The last time an MVC school won by at least 38 points was on February 16, 2008 when Missouri State topped Evansville 73-38 - also by 38 points.It is also the largest margin of victory in the entire Illinois State / Evansville series, topping the previous high mark of 31 in an Evansville win on February 11, 2004.

BEST 23-GAMES SCORING START

Through 23 games in school history, Redbird legend Doug Collins has the three highest scoring efforts, including 746 points in 1971-72, an average of 32.4 points per game. Antonio Reeves' 464 points this season puts him in 10th on that list.