Indiana State was projected to finish seventh in the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll, as compiled by league coaches, media and sports information directors. The Sycamores did not have a player named to the 2008 Preseason Missouri Valley All-Conference Team.
THIS IS A FIRST
For the first time this season, Illinois State enters a game coming off of a loss. After starting the season 14-0, the Redbirds suffered their first defeat, 56-52, at Bradley, Tuesday night. The good news is that in the Tim Jankovich-era, Illinois State is 8-2 when coming off a loss.
DOUBLING O-VER
Illinois State's Osiris Eldridge nearly single-handedly rallied the Redbirds in the loss at Bradley. The ISU junior finished the game with 17 points, on 5-for-11 (.455) shooting on threes, and 10 rebounds. The double-double was his second of the season and the fourth of his career.
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.
A WINNING TRADITION
In the 37 years of being an NCAA Division I program, the Redbirds have had just seven losing seasons.
VALLEY CHAMPS?
Sure, 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 Illinois State's 14-0 start 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.
DOMINATING DINMA
In the last two games, junior Dinma Odiakosa has really been a force inside offensively. Odiakosa is averaging 12.5 points per game during that span, while shooting 11-for-15 (.733) from the field.
BACKDRAFT
With senior Champ Oguchi battling back spasms the night before the game at Bradley, the Redbirds felt the effects and suffered their first loss of the 2008-09 season. Oguchi, who averaged 15.8 points per game prior to the defeat, played a season-low 16 minutes at Bradley and scored a season-low three points. He hit his first shot of the game and finished shooting 1-for-7 from the field. He is listed day-to-day.
2009 HAS BEEN ROUGH FROM THE LINE
After shooting 73.2 percent from the free throw this season in the first 13 games, which all occurred during the 2008 calendar year, the Redbirds are shooting 59.4 percent (19-for-32) from the charity stripe thus far in 2009.
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, before topping Creighton, 86-64.
SWISHING IN THE NEW YEAR
Junior Osiris Eldridge has picked up his game in 2009, and not that 2008 was a disappointment. In the two games since the ball dropped in Times Square, Eldridge is averaging a team-best 18.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. He is also shooting 48.1 percent from the field and 50 percent (9-for-18) on threes.
BOARDED UP
At Bradley, Illinois State grabbed 15 offensive rebounds. It marked the 10th game this season where the Redbirds have pulled down double-digit offensive rebounds. On the season, ISU is averaging 11.5 offensive rebounds per game.
JUST IMAGINE ...
If the three-point line was not moved back a foot. Through 15 games, the Redbirds are averaging a would-be school-record 9.5 made three-pointers per game. Also, ISU is shooting 39.3 percent from beyond the arc this season, after shooting 37.2 percent last year. In 15 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.
LET THE RECORD SHOW
Illinois State began the season 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. Prior to ISU's first loss, the Redbirds were one of only four teams in all of NCAA Division I basketball to be unbeaten.
ROAD WARRIORS
The Redbirds have had their share of luck away from Redbird Arena in the Tim Jankovich-era. ISU has posted a 11-6 (.648) 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 51?
With a victory at Indiana State, 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 51st 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 7.4 per game. Phillips is shooting 50.0 percent (36-for-72) in the second half, including 46.2 percent on threes (12-of-26).
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.
CRASHING THE BOARDS
Despite starting a four-guard lineup in 14 of the first 15 games, Illinois State has won the rebounding battle in 12 games this season and tied in one. On the year, the Redbirds own a +5.9 rebounding margin.
281-STRAIGHT GAMES WITH A TREY
After sinking six three-pointers at Bradley, ISU enters tonight's game at Indiana State with at least one made three in 281-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 48 offensive rebounds. Odiakosa has accumulated 139 offensive rebounds in his three seasons at Illinois State and his offensive boards have accounted for 41.9 percent of his total rebounds. This year, Odiakosa leads the Redbirds in total rebounding with 6.8 boards per game.
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 27 steals this season and now has 106 in his ISU career, which ranks tied for No. 16 in the Redbird record books.
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 1,088 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.
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 78.0 percent winning percentage (39-11) at Illinois State, which ranks third on the all-time coaching ledger in ISU's 111-year history.
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.
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