Date: February 16, 2008
Location: Terre Haute, Ind.
Site: Hulman Center (10,200)
Tip-off: 2:05 p.m. EST
Radio: The Crock 92.7 FM
Talent: Brian Fritz & Matt Renn
Television: WTWO NBC Ch. 2
Talent: Jason Pensky and Jim Waugh
Series: Illinois State leads 55-42
Last Time: ILS 65, INS 62 (1/27/08)
Indiana State battled Illinois State all the way to the end in their first matchup of the year, but eventually suffered a 65-62 loss in Normal, Ill., on Jan. 27. Today, the Sycamores will be looking for revenge against the Redbirds on their home court, where they have posted a 10-1 record this season.
The Sycamores are coming off a big home win against Bradley on Tuesday night. The 76-66 win over the Braves snapped a five-game losing skid for the Sycamores, but improved their record at home to 10-1 this season, with the only loss coming at the hands of No. 14 ranked Drake.
Senior point guard Gabe Moore took over down the stretch, as he finished with a season-high 27 points, including a perfect 14-for-14 performance from the free throw line, to lead teh way for ISU. Sophomore Marico Stinson chipped in 14 points and a career-high eight rebounds in the win as well while freshman Isiah Martin tallied 10 points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked three shots to give ISU its first win in six games.
The Redbirds head into the Hulman Center as winners of two-straight games, most recently a 69-57 win over Missouri State on Wednesday night. Eldridge led the way for the Redbirds with 24 points while senior Anthony Slack recorded his third double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Illinois State leads the all-time series 55-42 between the two schools. The teams split the series in the regular season last year before the Sycamores picked up a win over the Redbirds in the first round of the Valley tournament.
► Indiana State's Kevin McKenna is in his first season at the helm of the Sycamores program, after completing his ninth season at Creighton as an assistant coach, where he helped the Bluejays advance to four NCAA tournament appearances. From 2001-05, McKenna spent four years as the head coach (89-33) at NCAA Division II Nebraska-Omaha, where he guided the Mavericks to four consecutive 20-win seasons and three appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament. He is assisted by Greg Lansing, Stan Gouard and Lou Gudino.
► Illinois State's Tim Jankovich is in his first season as the head coach of the Redbirds. Prior to taking over at Illinois State, Jankovich spent the past five seasons as an assistant coach at Kansas and Illinois under Bill Self. During that time, Jankovich helped his teams to five-straight NCAA Tournament appearances and to two Elite Eights. He is assisted by Rob Judson, Anthony Beane and Paris Parham.
Redbirds
► Illinois State University is located in Normal, Ill., and has an enrollment of 20,104. The Redbirds are members of the Missouri Valley Conference and play their home games on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena (10,200).
► The Redbirds are led by first year head coach Tim Jankovich. Jankovich (14-5 at ILS) took over as the head coach at Illinois State after spending the past five years as an assistant coach at Kansas and at Illinois under Bill Self. During that time, Jankovich helped his teams to five-straight NCAA Tournament appearances and two trips to the Elite Eight. He was also the head coach at Hutchinson Community College from 1997-99 and the head coach at North Texas from 1994-97.
► Illinois State returns four starters and 10 letterwinners from last year's team that went 15-16 overall and 6-12 in the Missouri Valley Conference. ISU's season ended in the first round of the Valley tournament, when the Sycamores defeated the Redbirds 68-65 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis.
► With their win over Missouri State, Illinois State now has 18 wins for the first time since the 2000-01 season. The Redbirds' 10 wins in Valley play are also the most since the 2001-02 Redbirds finished the season with a 12-6 MVC mark.
► The Redbirds are led on offense by sophomore Osiris Eldridge. The Chicago, Ill., native leads the team with 16.0 points per game, a team-high 50 three pointers and averages 30.2 minutes per game. On Wednesday against Missouri State, Eldridge scored a game-high 24 points.
Not only was Tuesday night's win a big one for the Sycamores, but it was also a big one in the career of head coach Kevin McKenna. The team's 76-66 win gave McKenna 100 for his career as a head coach during his time spent at Nebraska-Omaha and Indiana State. McKenna posted an 89-33 overall mark in four seasons at UNO and is now 11-13 in his first season at ISU, for a career mark of 100-46 in five seasons.
Defending the three-pointer has been a strong point for Indiana State this season, as they are allowing opponents to shoot just .344 from beyond the arc on the season and have allowed a league-low 143 treys. That defensive effort shone through on Tuesday as Bradley, which entered the game seventh nationally with 233 three pointers this season, made just 4-of-27 (.148) attempts from behind the arc against the Sycamores. That helped the Sycamores to a 10-point victory and snapped a five-game losing skid.
The Sycamores were ecstatic to return home on Tuesday night, after losing five straight games in row with four of those happening on the road. They returned triumphantly and earned a 76-66 win over Bradley. The court at Hulman Center has been extremely comforting for ISU this season, as the team has posted a 10-1 record with the only loss coming to No. 14 Drake. In those 11 games at home, the Sycamores are averaging 69.3 points per game and are shooting 45.6 percent from the field while forcing 28 more turnovers than their opponents. Compare that to the road, where the team is averaging just 59.3 points and shooting just 38.4 percent from the field.
As Gabe Moore prepares to play the last few games of his career at Indiana State, his name continues to climb several career lists. Moore's season-high 27 points on Tuesday against Bradley raised his career total to 1,122 points, which puts him in 23rd place on the all-time scoring list at ISU. The Little Rock, Ark., also passed former Sycamore great Michael Menser last weekend on the all-time steals list, as he now has 191, good for third place all-time. He is also in the top 10 on the assists list with 412, which currently ranks 7th behind Menser's 426 in 6th place.
During the 2006-07 season, the Sycamores blocked just 42 shots as a team. This season, the team has improved that mark to almost double at 78, thanks to freshman Isiah Martin. Martin has 46 blocks in his first season at ISU, breaking the freshman single-season record and besting the entire team's mark from last season. Those 46 blocks and his average of 1.92 per game also rank first overall in the Missouri Valley Conference, ahead of Illinois State's Anthony Slack (35/1.52 bpg).
Senior guard Gabe Moore is known for being a solid all-around player, as he is at or near the top of several offensive and defensive categories for the Sycamores this season. However, his steal numbers have put him among the best in the Missouri Valley Conference. Moore's 53 swipes are tops in the Valley, just ahead of SIU's Bryan Mullins. His average of 2.21 per game also ranks first in the league list, just ahead of Mullins' mark of 2.08 per game. Moore also has 26 steals in conference games for an average of 1.86 per game, both of which rank first in the conference.
The Sycamores have turned up their defense in conference games and it has helped the team to the best turnover margin in league play. The Sycamores have 104 steals in 14 league games, for an average of 7.43 per game. Both of those marks currently rank second among all teams in conference games, just behind Bradley, who the Sycamores defeated on Tuesday by a score of 76-66.
Gabe Moore took the ball to the hoop more than usual on Tuesday night against Bradley and the formula seemed to work out well for the senior point guard. Moore scored a game-high 27 points, just two shy of his career-high, including a perfect 14-for-14 performance from the free throw line. That mark ties teammate Harry Marshall for the most made by a Sycamores this season, as Marshall posted a 14-for-19 performance in the team's double-overtime win over SIU.
The Sycamores are still in hunt for a top-six seed in the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, thanks to limiting their own turnovers and forcing more from their opponents. During conference play, ISU has a turnover margin of +2.00, which ranks second in the conference behing league-leading and No. 14 ranked Drake. ISU is forcing an average of 14.5 turnovers from their conference counterparts, but have only been turning the ball over an average of 12.5 times per game.
In 31 games as a freshman last season, Marico Stinson scored over 20 points just twice. He scored 24 points against Purdue (12/28/06) and then followed that up with a career-high 37 points against Drake (12/30/06). However, he's bested that mark with three 20+ point games this season, all of which have come in the team's last eight games. He scored 20 points in the team's double overtime win over Southern Illinois at home, scored 23 at Creighton and most recently scored 22 points at Illinois State.
When teams face off against the Sycamores, one thing will be constant: Gabe Moore will be in the starting lineup. On against Saturday at Wichita State, Moore started his 107th consecutive game in an Indiana State uniform. The Little Rock, Ark., native started the final 23 games of his freshman career and has not missed a start since, for a total of 84 straight games. In his career to date, Moore has scored 1,122 points, grabbed 300 rebounds, dished out 412 assists and collected 191 steals.
It's not coincidence that one of the quietest members on the Sycamores roster is quietly having a very impressive season. Sophomore Marico Stinson has been on a roll as of late for ISU, as he has scored in double figures in 14 out of his last 17 games including the last six in a row. On the season, Stinson leads the Sycamores in points (315), points per game (13.1), field goals (116) and three-pointers (58).
The Sycamores did everything they could to try to upset then No. 16 Drake two weeks ago at the Hulman Center, including shooting a season high 55.6 percent from the field. ISU jumped out to a 35-30 halftime lead, thanks to a shooting percentage of 65.2 in the first half, also a season high. However, they could not hold on in the second half and Bulldogs continued their winning way and earned a 83-77 win over ISU, breaking the Sycamores' perfect 9-0 record at home this season.
Senior Todd McCoy flirted with a couple of double-double performances earlier in the season, but fell just short of the achievement. However, he got the job done in the team's win at home against Evansville and recorded the first double-double of his two-year career at ISU with 12 points and 12 rebounds against the Purple Aces. The Philadelphia, Pa., native's 12 boards set a new career high and his two blocks also set a new career standard. McCoy's double-double is the second of the season by an ISU player.
ISU's win over in-state rival Evansville on Jan. 23 completed the season sweep for the Sycamores over the Purple Aces. ISU won the first contest 70-56 in the team's Valley opener on the road (the team's only road win of the season) and then wrapped it up with the 30-point win at the Hulman Center by a score of 72-42. That win was the largest margin of victory for the team since a 36-point victory over Evansville on Feb. 21, 2001. It was also ISU's first regular season sweep of any Missouri Valley Conference opponent since it swept Evansville during the 2004 season.
One advantage to head coach Kevin McKenna's new offensive system is that multiple players will have a chance to score. That's exactly what the Sycamores last Tuesday at Southern Illinois, as four players finished the game in double figures. Marico Stinson (18), Gabe Moore (15), Jay Tunnell (13) and Harry Marshall (11) each shared in the scoring duties to help ISU lead the game at halftime and keep it close late in the second half. With their performance against the Salukis, the squad has had four players score in double figures in back-to-back games and seven times this season overall, including both games against Evansville, on the road at Tulane, in back-to-back games at home early in the season against Northern Illinois and IPFW and against No. 16 Drake.
Senior Gabe Moore joined a very exclusive club at in the team's Jan. 9 game at Drake, as he scored eight points to take him over 1,000 in his career, becoming just the 30th player in Indiana State history to achieve that milestone. Moore headed into the game with 995 career points, but his eight points against the Bulldogs put him over the top and give him 1,003 in his four-year career at ISU. Moore now has 1,122 points in his career, which puts him in 23rd place on the all-time scoring list.
When the Sycamores earned a 74-56 victory over UNI at the Hulman Center on Jan. 5, it marked the first time since the 2000-01 season that ISU started Missouri Valley Conference play with a 3-0 record. During that season, the Sycamores started conference play with a 3-0 record, after beating Bradley (79-70), Northern Iowa (69-57) and Illinois State (78-71) before falling to Creighton in their fourth game. The result has been the same this year, as the Sycamores started the season 3-0 before losing at Drake. ISU went on to finish the 2000-01 season with a 22-12 overall record and won the MVC Tournament championship to earn an automatic birth in the NCAA Tournament.
