Illinois State (14-1, 3-1 MVC) at Indiana State (3-12, 1-3 MVC)

January 10, 2009  ►  7:05 p.m. ET  ►  Terre Haute, Ind.  ►  Hulman Center (10,200)

Game Day Central   

Series:             Illinois State Leads 55-43

Streak:             Indiana State Has Won 4 of last 7

Television:       WTWO (NBC)

Play-By-Play:  Jason Penky

Analyst:           Jim Waugh

Radio:              The Crock 92.7 FM

Play-By-Play:  Brian Fritz

Analyst:           Matt Renn

Internet:           GoSycamores.com

Storylines     

            Indiana State will begin a two-game homestand on Saturday when the Sycamores (3-12, 1-3 MVC) welcome the Illinois State Redbirds (14-1, 3-1 MVC) to Hulman Center on SERVPRO Fan Appreciation Day.  Tip off is set for 7 p.m. on Nellie and John Wooden Court.

            The Sycamores are coming off a 69-50 defeat at the hands of the Drake Bulldogs on Wednesday night in Des Moines, Iowa, at the Knapp Center.  Indiana State out-rebounded Drake by a margin of 41-28 and poured in 15 second-chance points, but a 2-for-23 effort from three-point range and 16 turnovers helped the Bulldogs pick up their third conference win of the season.

            Sophomore Isiah Martin finished with a season-high 12 points to lead the way for the Sycamores, while freshman Carl Richard chipped in 11 points and eight rebounds.  Senior Jay Tunnell recorded his first double-digit rebounding effort of the season with 10 boards and just missed out on his fifth-career double-double by finishing with nine points.

            Illinois State is coming off a 56-52 loss to in-state rival Bradley on Tuesday night in Peoria, Ill., at Carver Arena.  The win snapped a perfect start to the season for the Redbirds, as the team started 14-0 for the best start in school history.

            Illinois State shot just 37.3 percent for the game, while Bradley connected on 42.3 percent of its shots from the field.

            The Redbirds were led in scoring by junior Osiris Eldridge, who recorded his second double-double of the season and just the fourth of his three-year career with 17 points and 10 rebounds against the Braves in the first of two rivalry games between the two schools.

            Illinois State leads the all-time series between the two schools 55-43, with the series dating back to the 1913-14 season.  Indiana State has won four out of the last seven contests between the two squads, including a 76-72 win over the Redbirds last year at Hulman Center.

About The Coaches

Kevin McKenna (Creighton ?93) is in his second season as the head coach at Indiana State (18-28).  In his first season with the Sycamores, McKenna led the team to its highest win total since the 2000-01 season and an impressive 12-2 record at home in the Hulman Center.  McKenna came to Indiana State after spending nine seasons as an assistant coach at Creighton under head coach Dana Altman, 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. 

Tim Jankovich (Kansas State ?82) is 142-82 (.634) in his eighth season as a head coach and 39-11 (.780) in his second season at Illinois State. In his first season as the Redbirds' head coach, Jankovich led the team to its highest win total in school history (25) and posted the most victories by any Illinois State first-year head coach.  He also helped the ?Birds to their first postseason victory since 1998, a 61-57 win at home over Utah State in the first round of the 2008 MasterCard National Invitation Tournament (NIT).  Prior to taking over as head coach at Illinois State, Jankovich spent five years as an assistant coach under Bill Self at Kansas (4 years and Illinois (1 year).

Scouting The Redbirds

►        Illinois State University is located in Normal, Ill., and has an enrollment of 20,450 students.  The Redbirds are members of the Missouri Valley Conference and play their home games at Redbird Arena (10,200).

►        The Redbirds finished with an overall record of 25-10 during the 2007-08 season.  In conference play, Illinois State posted a 13-5 record which placed the Redbirds 2nd in the league standings.  Their season ended with a 55-48 loss to Dayton in the second round of the 2008 MasterCard National Invitation Tournament (NIT).

►        Through 15 games, junior Osiris Eldridge (15.9 ppg.) and senior Champ Oguchi (14.9 ppg.) are leading the way on offense 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.

►        The Redbirds are coming off a disappointing 56-52 loss to in-state rival Bradley on Tuesday night in Peoria, Ill.  The loss was the first for the Redbirds this season, after starting the year 14-0 which marked the best start in school history.  Illinois State was led in that game by Eldridge, who posted a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Redbirds.

Last Time Against The Redbirds

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. ? The home crowd at the Hulman Center was 4,570 people strong on Saturday and Indiana State fed off their energy, as the Sycamores (12-13, 7-8 MVC) rallied late and earned a 76-72 win over Illinois State (18-8, 10-5-MVC) to improve their home record to 11-1 this season. 

            Illinois State jumped out to a quick 15-4 lead, highlighted by the play of Osiris Eldridge who hit three three-pointers and added a layup for 11 total points during the run.  The Redbirds maintained the 11-point advantage and went up 18-7 with 14:39 on the clock after Eldridge made a free throw to complete a three-point play. Eldridge continued his torrid shooting and put the Redbirds up 25-14 after another three-pointer. 

            However, Marico Stinson answered with a three of his own to cut the lead to eight for Indiana State.  After a Jay Tunnell jumper lessened the lead to seven points with 9:20 on the clock, Eldridge nailed another three to put Illinois State up 29-19.  The Redbirds controlled the game over the next six-plus minutes and eventually widened their lead to 13 points at 39-26 after two free throws by Anthony Slack with 2:55 left in the half.

            Indiana State did not go away, though, and finished the half on a 9-1 run to cut the Illinois State lead to five at the intermission.  The Sycamores scored the final points of the half, as Aaron Carter nailed a three-pointer with 31 seconds remaining to make the score 40-35 in favor of the Redbirds at the half.

            Indiana State came out of the locker room firing on a 10-3 run to take its first lead of the game.  The two teams then traded baskets to knot the score at 68-68, before a layup by Harry Marshall put Indiana State up 70-68.  After a free throw by Emmanuel Holloway cut the lead to one for the Redbirds, Gabe Moore hit two free throws to put the Sycamores up by three at 72-69 with 32 seconds remaining.  The Sycamores stayed cool and Moore hit two more free throws to ice the game and give ISU a 76-72 victory.

SERVPRO Steps Up

ISU alumni Chad ('96) and Natalie ('01) Overton, owners of Terre Haute's SERVPRO franchise, have purchased all unsold tickets for the today's Sycamore men's and women's basketball doubleheader against Illinois State and have donated these tickets to the Terre Haute community.  This year's SERVPRO Fan Appreciation Day marks the second consecutive season that the Overtons have purchased all unsold tickets to a Sycamore basketball doubleheader and donated them to the community.

500 Boards And Counting

Milestones are starting to mount up for senior forward Jay Tunnell this season and he added another to his trophy case against Drake.  The Topeka, Kan., native grabbed 10 rebounds to put him over 500 in his career at Indiana State (507).  Earlier this year, Tunnell appeared in his 100th career game as a Sycamore (now 105) and with a start today against the Redbirds, Tunnell will make his 100th appearance in the starting lineup.  In addition, Tunnell is just 73 points away from becoming the 31st player in school history to top the 1,000 point plateau.

Martin Takes A Bite Out Of The Bulldogs

Sophomore Isiah Martin has struggled at times offensively this season, but he showed his scoring ability on Wednesday against Drake.  Martin led the way for the Sycamores with a game-high 12 points, including a stretch in which he scored four consecutive buckets for the Sycamores.  His most impressive shot during that stretch was follow-up dunk that cut the score to 18-12 early in the first half.  His 12 points were just two shy of his career high of 14, which he set last season against the Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena.

Missed It By That Much

Senior Jay Tunnell has been one of the Sycamores most consistent scorers and rebounders this season, as he is averaging 10.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per contest.  On Wednesday against Drake, Tunnell just missed out on his fifth career double-double as he grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds but tallied just nine points for the Sycamores.  Tunnell had two double-double performances as a junior during the 2007-08 season and two during his sophomore campaign in 2006-07.

Crashing The Boards

The Sycamores have struggled getting rebounds at times throughout the season, but that was not the case on Wednesday at Drake.  Indiana State won the battle on the boards at the Knapp Center 41-28, which helped the team score 15 second-chance points.  ISU has now out-rebounded both of its Valley opponents on the road, after securing a 37-35 rebounding margin at UNI.  The Sycamores have now corralled 40 or more rebounds three times this season, grabbing 40 at DePaul and 42 at home against DePauw. 

Blocks-A-Plenty Against The Aces

The long arms of Indiana State's post defenders were busy on Sunday against Evansville, as the Sycamores racked up 11 blocked shots against their in-state rivals from the south.  The 11 blocks by the Sycamores were just one short of the team's single-game record of 12, which was set in 1984 against SIU-Edwardsville.  Forward Isiah Martin, who led the Missouri Valley Conference last season in blocked shots with 59, had a season-high five swats to lead the way while center Brant Leitnaker chipped in with two of his own.  Forward Jay Tunnell, center Josh Crawford and guards Rashad Reed and Jordan Printy each added a block apiece to round out the defensive effort for the Sycamores against the Aces.

Shutting Down The Three

Evansville came to the Hulman Center on Sunday averaging 71.2 points per game and nearly four three-pointer per contest.  However, the Sycamores shut down the Purple Aces' scoring from the perimeter, as Evansville finished 0-for-6 from three-point range against the Sycamores.  It marked the first time all season the Sycamores had held an opponent without a made three-pointer and it was the first time Evansville did not connect on a trey in 13 games this season.  Sharpshooter Jason Holsinger was 0-for-4 from three-point land for the Aces, while Shy Ely and Kaylon Williams each missed on their only attempts of the day.

The Marshall Plan Is In Effect

Junior guard Harry Marshall made his return to the Indiana State lineup against No. 14 Purdue on Dec. 13 and since that time his presence has been very welcome for the Sycamores.  In his first game back after sitting out the team's first eight games of the season, Marshall tallied 16 points and dished out six assists against the Boilermakers.  He followed that up by scoring a game-high 18 points, including a 10-for-13 effort from the free throw line, in the team's win over DePauw.  However, he saved his best performance for his fourth game of the year, as he scored a team-high 23 points against UNI to help the team to a thrilling double overtime victory.  In his seven games back, Marshall is averaging 14.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists per contest.

Richard Doubles Up

Freshman Carl Richard put together the best game of his young career at Indiana State when the Sycamores needed it the most.  In the Valley opener at UNI, the Chicago, Ill., native recorded the first double-double performance of his career with 15 points and a career-high 11 rebounds.  Richard's double-double was the first of the season for the Sycamores and the first for ISU since Feb. 27, 2008, when Jay Tunnell also posted a double-double against the Panthers at the McLeod Center with 12 points and 13 rebounds.

Leitnaker Earns First Career Start

Redshirt sophomore center Brant Leitnaker has battled injuries throughout his time at Indiana State and has played in just 18 games in three years on campus.  However, his size in the post was needed against Northern Iowa and the Lancaster, Ohio, native was put into the starting lineup for the first time in his career to match up with UNI big man Jordan Eglseder.  Leitnaker scored the team's first two points of the game, which turned out to be his only of the contest, and grabbed a rebound in 14 minutes of action.  In addition, he helped hold the 7-foot-1 Eglseder to just four points in 18 minutes of action after coming in averaging a team-high 12.6 per game.

McKenna Remains Unbeaten In Valley Openers

In each of his two seasons on the bench at Indiana State, head coach Kevin McKenna's teams have opened Missouri Valley Conference play on the road.  In those two contests, the Sycamores have earned big wins in both after the Sycamores defeated Northern Iowa in double overtime 85-84 on Sunday in Cedar Falls.  Last season, ISU opened Valley play with a 70-56 win at Evansville on Dec. 29 to pick up its lone conference road win of the season.

Double Overtime ... No Sweat

Indiana State's 85-84 double-overtime win at Northern Iowa was its second such win in two seasons.  Last year, the Sycamores defeated Southern Illinois 64-62 in double overtime on Jan. 12 at the Hulman Center thanks to a 3-pointer by Marico Stinson.

The Fantastic Four

The Sycamores have shared in the scoring duties through 13 games this season and that was very apparent in the team's double-overtime win at Northern Iowa.  Four Sycamores scored in double figures, led by junior Harry Marshall's 23 points.  Sophomore Aaron Carter chipped in 16 points, including two big 3-pointers in double overtime, while freshman Carl Richard recorded the first double-double of his career with 15 points and 11 rebounds.  Senior Jay Tunnell rounded out the balanced scoring effort with 14 points in the victory for ISU.  With those four players in double figures, it marked the fourth time this season that the Sycamores have achieved that feat.

JP For Three

Redshirt freshman Jordan Printy had a breakout day against IUPUI at Conseco Fieldhouse, connecting on a career-high five three pointers to finish with a new career-high of 15 points.  The Marion, Iowa, native was 5-for-7 from beyond the arch in the game and added two rebounds and a blocked shot in a career-high 25 minutes of action against the Jaguars.  Printy's previous career high was eight points, which he set earlier this season against Murray State.

Cutter Out With Ankle Injury

Freshman point guard Tyler Cutter will miss four to five weeks with a severe ankle sprain which he suffered in practice prior to the team's game against IUPUI.  The Murfreesboro, Tenn., native played in 10 games for the Sycamores, starting in two of those contests.  He was averaging 21.3 minutes per game for ISU and currently ranks second on the team with 28 assists.  Cutter played a strong game against No. 11 Louisville, as he scored a career-high eight points in 24 minutes and followed that up by dishing out a career-high eight assists against Lamar to help the team win its first game of the season.

Crawford Returns To Form

Junior transfer Josh Crawford averaged 14.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks in his first two games in an ISU uniform.  Over the next seven games, though, Crawford struggled to find his game and averaged just 2.6 points and 2.9 rebounds per game while blocking just eight shots.  However, he broke out of that funk against DePauw with 10 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots in 12 minutes of action to help the Sycamores to their second win of the season.  With that performance, Crawford is now averaging 5.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game while adding 18 blocked shots.

Coming Through In The Clutch

Rashad Reed was Indiana State's leading scorer heading into the team's game against Lamar at the Marques Maybin Classic at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Ky.  When the Sycamores needed a go-ahead basket late in the game against the Cardinals, they went to Reed who connected on a floater in the lane with 0.2 seconds to propel ISU to its first win of the season.  Reed finished the game with 15 points and six rebounds for the Sycamores in the game and now leads the team with an average of 12.9 points per game in seven starts.

Kentucky Brings Out The Best In Cutter, Leitnaker

Freshman point guard Tyler Cutter and sophomore center Brant Leitnaker enjoyed playing over the weekend at the Marques Maybin Classic, as both set new career highs on the historic floor of Freedom Hall.  Cutter played a strong game against No. 11 Louisville, as he scored a career-high eight points in 24 minutes of action.  He followed that up by dishing out a career-high eight assists against Lamar to help the team win its first game of the season.  Leitnaker also had a career effort against Louisville, as he scored a career-high nine points while tying his career high with five rebounds in 15 minutes of action against the Cardinals.