Illinois St. looks for home win vs Drake
February 27, 2021 GMT
Redbird Arena, Normal, Illinois; Saturday, 1 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Illinois State looks for its eighth straight win over Drake at Redbird Arena. The last victory for the Bulldogs at Illinois State was an 82-77 win on Jan. 12, 2013.
TEAM LEADERSHIP: The Bulldogs have been led by Tremell Murphy and Joseph Yesufu. Murphy is averaging 9.7 points and 5.2 rebounds while Yesufu is putting up 11.2 points per game. The Redbirds have been led by sophomores DJ Horne and Antonio Reeves, who are scoring 14.5 and 12.6 per game, respectively.
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CREATING OFFENSE: Yesufu has been directly responsible for 43 percent of all Drake field goals over the last three games. The sophomore guard has 28 field goals and 10 assists in those games.
Illinois St. looks to sweep S. Illinois
February 14, 2021 GMT
Banterra Center, Carbondale, Illinois; Sunday, 4 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Illinois State goes for the season sweep over Southern Illinois after winning the previous matchup in Carbondale. The teams last played on Feb. 13, when the Redbirds outshot Southern Illinois from the field 44.8 percent to 38.2 percent and had six fewer turnovers en route to an 80-55 victory.
TEAM LEADERSHIP: Southern Illinois’ Lance Jones has averaged 12.5 points while Ben Harvey has put up 10.3 points and 4.1 rebounds. For the Redbirds, DJ Horne has averaged 15.1 points while Antonio Reeves has put up 12.9 points.DOMINANT DJ: Horne has connected on 45.7 percent of the 116 3-pointers he’s attempted and has made 10 of 20 over his last three games. He’s also made 83.9 percent of his foul shots this season.
Missouri State (11-5, 7-5) vs. Illinois State (5-14, 2-11) Redbird Arena, Normal, Illinois; Wednesday, 1 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Missouri State looks for its third straight win over.
Krikke carries Valparaiso past Illinois State 70-66
January 25, 2021 GMT
NORMAL, Ill. (AP) Ben Krikke scored a career-high 25 points plus 15 rebounds as Valparaiso rallied past Illinois State 70-66 on Sunday.
Krikke and Daniel Sackey scored back-to-back layups around an Illinois State miss, pushing Valparaiso into the lead for good, 67-64 with 1:17 to play. The Crusaders outscored the Redbirds 7-2 in the final 99 seconds.
Sackey had 16 points and eight assists for Valparaiso (5-9, 2-3 Missouri Valley Conference). Eron Gordon and Donovan Clay scored nine points apiece.
DJ Horne had 20 points and five steals for the Redbirds (5-10, 2-7). Antonio Reeves added 18 points. Howard Fleming Jr. scored nine.
Illinois State (3-6, 0-3) vs. Evansville (6-5, 4-1) Ford Center, Evansville, Indiana; Sunday, 2 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Evansville looks for its fifth straight conference win against.