Creighton was projected to win the league in the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll, as compiled by league coaches, media and sports information directors. Sophomore guard P'Allen Stinnett was named to the preseason all-conference team.
AND THEN, THERE WERE SIX
Illinois State is one of just six NCAA Division I basketball programs that are still undefeated. The Redbirds (13-0) are joined by Clemson (13-0), North Carolina (13-0), Pittsburgh (13-0), Wake Forest (12-0) and Stanford (10-0).
VALLEY CHAMPS?
With only two Valley wins for Illinois State, it's a little early to be talking about a conference championship. However, in the history of the conference, 17 teams have started a season 13-0 or better, including ISU this season, and 14 of those teams went on to win the Valley championship. Only Bradley in 1951 and Indiana State in 1978 did not win the championship after starting the season with 13-plus wins. Illinois State's fate this season is still to be determined.
IN-SEASON MEDIA CONFERENCES
ISU Athletics Media Relations will host seven in-season media conferences during the 2008-09 season. Each conference will feature head coach Tim Jankovich and a member of the ISU basketball team. The media conferences will start at 1 p.m., and be held in the Redbird Arena Media Room, which is just off the southwest loading dock. The scheduled dates are: Jan. 5, Jan. 23, Jan. 29, Feb. 23 and March 3.
VALLEY TELECONFERENCES
Teleconferences with The Valley head coaches will be conducted each Tuesday throughout the season. The first teleconference is slated for Dec. 16, followed by every Tuesday from Jan. 6 to March 3. The conferences begin at 10 a.m. CT. To participate in the conference calls, call 913.981.5517. Illinois State head coach Tim Jankovich will participate at 10:30 a.m.
AN ALL-AROUND GAME
After collecting a pair of steals against Evansville, Osiris Eldridge now has 101 steals in his Illinois State career to go along with his 1,051 career points and 419 career rebounds. With the two steals, Eldridge became the seventh Redbird all-time to collect 1,000 career points, 400 career rebounds and 100 career steals, joining Tony Holifield, Rickie Johnson, Rick Lamb, Dan Muller, Mike VandeGarde and LeRoy Watkins.
THE BIG VALLEY WIN
Illinois State's 80-50 victory over Evansville Wednesday was ISU's largest margin of victory (30 points) in a conference matchup in six seasons. Coincidentally, the last time the Redbirds won a Valley game by 30 or more points was by the same exact score (80-50) against the league's other team from the state of Indiana (Indiana State) March 1, 2003.
THREECOLA!
With 14 made three-pointers against Evansville, the Redbirds dropped in 14 treys in a single game for the third time this season. Heading into this season, Illinois State had only made 14 or more three-pointers in three games in the history of the program since the three-point line was instituted for the 1986-87 season.
FOR THE RECORD
Illinois State enters Saturday's game against Creighton with a 13-0 record, the best start in school history. The previous mark was set in 1977-78, when the Redbirds won their first 12 games to open the campaign.
THE DYNAMIC DUO
Through 13 games, both Champ Oguchi (15.9 ppg.) and Osiris Eldridge (15.5 ppg.) are averaging 15 points per game for the Redbirds. The last time Illinois State had two players average 15 or more points in a season was in 1988-89, when Jarod Coleman (16.0 ppg.) and Rickey Jackson (15.8 ppg.) equaled the feat.
CREATING THE SECOND CHANCE
Junior Dinma Odiakosa is all about giving his teammates a second chance, and as a result, is leading the team with 42 offensive rebounds. Odiakosa has accumulated 133 offensive rebounds in his three seasons at Illinois State and his offensive boards have accounted for 41.2 percent of his total rebounds. This year, Odiakosa leads the Redbirds in total rebounding with 7.2 boards per game.
HOME SWEET HOME
Illinois State is in its 21st season of basketball action on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena. In the Tim Jankovich-era, the Redbirds have posted a 23-2 (.920) mark at home. Overall, ISU owns a 207-78 all-time record on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena, and boasts a 72.6-percent winning percentage.
THREE-PEAT
With a win tonight, Illinois State would start Missouri Valley Conference play with a 3-0 record for the second-straight season. The last time ISU put back-to-back Valley starts together was in 1982-83 (9-0) and 1983-84 (5-0).
PHILLIN' IT UP IN THE SECOND HALF
Junior Lloyd Phillips has been coming up big in the game's final 20 minutes for the Redbirds this season. In fact, he leads the team in second-half points with 7.4 per game. Phillips is shooting 51.7 percent (31-for-60) in the second half, including 45.5 percent on threes (10-of-22).
JOINING THE CLUB
With his 18 points at Central Michigan, Illinois State junior Osiris Eldridge became the 39th member of the Redbirds' 1,000-point club. Eldridge, who is the first addition to the 1,000-point club since 2005, currently has 1,051 career points.
BALANCED SCORING
For only the third time in the last 25 seasons, Illinois State has six players averaging eight points or better per game. Champ Oguchi leads the team with 15.9 points per game and is followed by Osiris Eldridge (15.5 ppg.), Lloyd Phillips (12.2 ppg.), Emmanuel Holloway (9.6 ppg.), Dinma Odiakosa (9.1 ppg.) and Brandon Sampay (8.0 ppg.). The other two seasons when ISU had six players averaging eight points or more per game were 2006-07 and 1994-95.
FRANKLY, LLOYD's RIGHT ON TARGET
With a well-architect jump shot, junior-college transfer Lloyd Phillips is displaying a knack for sinking baskets. Through 13 games, Phillips is shooting 48.1 percent from the field, which is the best field-goal percentage by a Redbird guard since Vince Greene shot 51 percent during the 2002-03 season. Phillips is also shooting 46.8 percent on three-point field goals, which if the season ended today, would rank No. 5 in Illinois State history.
OFFENSE, OFFENSE, GET YOUR OFFENSE
Entering tonight's game against Creighton, the Redbirds have scored 997 points on the season. Assuming that ISU will score at least three points, the Redbirds will reach the 1,000-point total after 14 games for the first time since the 2000-01 season, when ISU scored 1,044 points in its first 13 games.
SUPER-SUB SAMPAY
Senior Brandon Sampay has come off the bench in 12-of-13 games this season and is the only Redbird reserve to score in every game. Sampay is averaging 8.0 points per game this year and has scored double-figures off the bench four times this season, including a career-best 14 points at Missouri State. Sampay scored six of his 14 points in the overtime period to spark the Redbird win.
JUST IMAGINE ...
If the three-point line was not moved back a foot. Through 13 games, the Redbirds are averaging a would-be school-record 9.7 made three-pointers per game. Also, ISU is shooting 39.9 percent from beyond the arc this season, after shooting 37.2 percent last year. In 13 games this season, the Redbirds have already made double-digit three-pointers in six games, one better than the entire season last year.
RARE COMPANY
After being named the Valley's Preseason Player of the Year, junior Osiris Eldridge appears to have an inside track to join a select group. Eldridge won the conference's freshman of the year award in 2007. If he ends his Illinois State career with the Larry Bird MVC Player of the Year Award, which he finished runner-up for last season, Eldridge would become only the second player in league history to win both the freshman of the year and player of the year award, joining Southern Illinois' Ashraf Amaya.
CRASHING THE BOARDS
Despite starting a four-guard lineup in 12 of the first 13 games, Illinois State has won the rebounding battle in 11 games this season. On the year, the Redbirds own a +5.5 rebounding margin.
279 GAMES WITH A TREY
After sinking 14 three-pointers in the victory against Evansville, ISU enters tonight's game at Creighton with at least one made three in 279-straight games. The last time ISU didn't sink a trey was an 82-43 loss at Creighton Dec. 12, 1999.
BACK ON TRACK
With the 25-10 overall record in 2007-08, the Redbirds ended a string of two-straight losing seasons. Non-winning seasons are not common around Illinois State basketball. In the 37 years of being an NCAA Division I program, the Redbirds have had just seven losing seasons.
JANKOVICH'S ENCORE
Head coach Tim Jankovich's first season at Illinois State was a memorable one, not only for him, but for the program. With a 25-10 record, Jankovich guided the Redbirds to a school-record-tying 25 wins and he posted the most single-season wins for a first-year coach in program history. Currently he holds a 79.2 percent winning percentage (38-10) at Illinois State, which ranks second on the all-time coaching ledger in ISU's 111-year history. He only trails ISU first-ever head coach B.C. Edwards, who posted a 14-2 mark (.875) in four seasons from 1899-1902.
SIXTH CENTURY
In the history of the world, the sixth century was deemed as the start of the dark ages. However in Redbird basketball, players who score their 100th point of the season through the first six games has been anything but dark. ISU's Champ Oguchi scored 104 points through the first six games for the Redbirds. The last player at ISU to surpass the 100-point plateau through six games was Lorenzo Gordon in the 2004-05 season. The 2005 Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Year had 107 points after six games.
more videos
