Bradley was projected to finish fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll, as compiled by league coaches, media and sports information directors. The Braves did not have a player named to the 2008 Preseason Missouri Valley All-Conference Team.
AND THEN, THERE WERE FOUR
Illinois State is one of just four NCAA Division I basketball programs that are still undefeated. The Redbirds (14-0) are joined by Clemson (14-0), Pittsburgh (14-0) and Wake Forest (13-0).
20/20
For the first time since joining the Missouri Valley Conference in 1982, Illinois State posted back-to-back 20-plus-point wins over league foes. ISU downed Evansville, 80-50, last week before topping Creighton, 86-64.
UNBEATEN AGAIN?
Illinois State will have its fourth-straight opportunity Tuesday to hand a team its first Missouri Valley Conference defeat of the season. The Redbirds handed Missouri State its first league loss, 72-69 (OT), Dec. 28, defeated Evansville, 80-50, Dec. 31 and gave Creighton its first conference defeat, 86-64, Jan. 3.
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. 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.
VALLEY CHAMPS?
With only three 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.
BOARDED UP
Against Creighton, Illinois State grabbed a season-best 17 offensive rebounds. It marked the ninth game this season where the Redbirds have pulled down double-digit offensive rebounds. On the season, ISU is averaging 11.3 offensive rebounds per game.
JUST IMAGINE ...
If the three-point line was not moved back a foot. Through 14 games, the Redbirds are averaging a would-be school-record 9.8 made three-pointers per game. Also, ISU is shooting 40.5 percent from beyond the arc this season, after shooting 37.2 percent last year. In 14 games this season, the Redbirds have already made double-digit three-pointers in seven games, two better than the entire season last year.
THREECOLA!
With 14 made three-pointers against Evansville, Dec. 31, ISU 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.
GIMMIE FIVE
On Saturday against Creighton, the Redbirds had all five starters score in double-figures for the fourth time this season. The Redbirds accomplished the feat in three of the first four games of the season, but had not equaled the effort since the Nov. 23 game at SMU. Osiris Eldridge led the Redbirds against Creighton with 20 points, while Champ Oguchi chipped in 14. Dinma Odiakosa and Lloyd Phillips each scored 13 points and Emmanuel Holloway added 11.
FOR THE RECORD
Illinois State enters Tuesday's game at Bradley with a 14-0 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.
ROAD WARRIORS
The Redbirds have had their share of luck away from Redbird Arena in the Tim Jankovich-era. ISU has posted a 11-5 (.688) mark away from home during that span and has added a 4-3 record in games played on neutral floors. Illinois State already has wins at Wright State (Nov. 15), SMU (Nov. 23), Central Michigan (Dec. 17) and Missouri State (Dec. 28) this season.
FORTY IN FIFTY
With a victory at Bradley, Illinois State head coach Tim Jankovich would become ISU's fastest men's basketball coach to win 40 games for the Redbirds. Jankovich could capture his 40th victory at ISU in his 50th game on the bench. Former head coach Gene Smithson won his 40th game at ISU in his 53rd try.
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 7.6 per game. Phillips is shooting 53.0 percent (35-for-66) in the second half, including 50.0 percent on threes (12-of-24).
AN ALL-AROUND GAME
This season Osiris Eldridge eclipsed a trio of milestones with 1,000 career points, 400 career rebounds and 100 career steals. In doing so, Eldridge became the seventh Redbird all-time to accomplish the feat, joining Tony Holifield, Rickie Johnson, Rick Lamb, Dan Muller, Mike VandeGarde and LeRoy Watkins.
THE DYNAMIC DUO
Through 14 games, both Osiris Eldridge (15.9 ppg.) and Champ Oguchi (15.8 ppg.) are averaging 15 points per game for the 'Birds. The last time ISU 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.
CRASHING THE BOARDS
Despite starting a four-guard lineup in 13 of the first 14 games, Illinois State has won the rebounding battle in 12 games this season. On the year, the Redbirds own a +6.4 rebounding margin.
280-STRAIGHT GAMES WITH A TREY
After sinking 11 three-pointers in the victory against Creighton, ISU enters tonight's game at Bradley with at least one made three in 280-straight games. The last time ISU didn't sink a trey was an 82-43 loss at Creighton Dec. 12, 1999.
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 45 offensive rebounds. Odiakosa has accumulated 136 offensive rebounds in his three seasons at Illinois State and his offensive boards have accounted for 41.3 percent of his total rebounds. This year, Odiakosa leads the Redbirds in total rebounding with 7.1 boards per game.
NOTHING ATTRACTS A CROWD LIKE A CROWD
In response to Illinois State's good start, the Bloomington-Normal community responded with a sellout crowd for Saturday's game against Creighton on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena. The 10,200 attendance was the highest all-time for an ISU-Creighton game in the facility. It was also the first capacity crowd at Redbird Arena for a non-Bradley game since Feb. 22, 1992, when 10,239 fans saw the Redbirds host Indiana State.
O, SHALL HE STEAL
It has been an unofficial commandment of Illinois State basketball since his arrival, and Osiris Eldridge is back at it again this year. Eldridge leads the Redbirds with 26 steals this season and now has 105 in his ISU career, which ranks tied for No. 17 in the Redbird record books.
FOUR-PEAT
With a win tonight, ISU would start Valley play with a 4-0 record for the second-straight season. The last time ISU put back-to-back 4-0 Valley starts together was in 1982-83 (9-0) and 1983-84 (5-0).
JOINING THE CLUB
With his 18 points at Central Michigan, Osiris Eldridge became the 39th member of ISU's 1,000-point club. Eldridge, who is the first addition to the 1,000-point club since 2005, currently has 1,071 career points.
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.
A WINNING TRADITION
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 79.6 percent winning percentage (39-10) at Illinois State, which ranks second on the all-time coaching ledger in ISU's 111-year history. He only trails ISU's 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
