Illinois St

Today's Game Predictions: NIT & CBI

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 09:45:59 -0700

Dayton (22-10) at Illinois State (25-9)

7:00 PM ESPNU

Was the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament not enough for you? If that's the case.. the NIT picks up the slack tonight with multiple televised second round games. Dayton got an unfair shake by getting a 3 seed and having to go on the road for this second round game. Illinois State struggled against Utah State, a notoriously poor away team, which is a bad sign against a better Flyers squad. The Redbirds are favored by 6.5 which seems like a bit much to me. I'll go with the road dog here, especially against the spread.

Prediction: Dayton

Utah (21-13) at Tulsa (18-14)

9:00 PM

I'm not a fan of the CBI, but this should be more competitive than the rest of the NIT games. Tulsa's been playing well of late, and I underestimated them in both the CUSA Tournament and against Miami in their opening round game. In the last 14 games, their only losses are two Memphis twice and UAB. I won't make the mistake of underestimating them again, though I'm certain Utah would win on a neutral court or at home.

Prediction: Tulsa

UAB (23-10) at Virginia Tech (20-13)

9:00 PM ESPN

The Hokies are 8 point favorites, which seems like an appropriate total. Still, I think the Blazers have a better shot at the road upset compared to Cal at Ohio State and Nebraska at Ole Miss. Va Tech is 12-2 in home games, with losses to just Miami and Duke, so you'd be foolish not to pick them to win. The spread though is enticing.

Prediction: Virginia Tech

Previous Game of the Night (Predictions, 105-66)

March 23rd - Davidson vs Georgetown (2-1)

March 21st - Davidson vs Gonzaga (0-3)

March 19th - New Mexico at California (1-2)

March 18th - Mt St Mary's vs Coppin State (2-1)

March 14th - Kansas vs Texas (2-1)

March 14th - St. Joseph's vs Temple (1-2)

March 13th - Ohio State vs Michigan State (2-1)

March 12th - Arizona State at USC (2-1)

March 12th - Syracuse vs Villanova (2-1)

March 11th - IUPUI at Oral Roberts (3-0)

March 10th - Gonzaga at San Diego (1-2)

March 9th - Florida at Kentucky (1-2)

March 8th - UNC at Duke (2-1)

March 5th - Tennessee at Florida (2-1)

March 4th - UNLV at New Mexico (3-0)

March 3rd - Texas Tech at Kansas (3-0)

March 2nd - Clemson at Maryland (1-2)

2008 NIT Capsule: Illinois State

Joel Welser — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 07:07:03 -0700

Illinois State Redbirds

Missouri Valley Conference (24-9, 13-5)

Seed: #2

RPI: 32

Big Wins: 12/29 at Creighton (80-67), 2/27 Creighton (68-54), 3/1 at Southern Illinois (57-49)

Bad Losses: 12/4 at Eastern Michigan (63-72), 1/30 at Northern Iowa (61-69), at Indiana State (72-76)

Coach: Tim Jankovich

Probable Starters:

Boo Richardson, Senior, Guard, 6.9 ppg, 3.8 apg, 1.5 spg

Dom Johnson, Senior, Guard, 8.6 ppg, 3.2 apg

Osiris Eldridge, Sophomore, Guard, 16.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.4 spg

Anthony Slack, Senior, Forward, 9.6 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.4 bpg

Dinma Odiakosa, Sophomore, Forward, 6.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg

Key Roleplayers:

Emmanuel Holloway, Junior, Guard, 5.4 ppg, 1.5 apg

Brandon Sampay, Junior, Center, 4.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg

Levi Dyer, Senior, Center, 6.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg

Why They Can Surprise:

New head coach Tim Jankovich has quickly built a balanced offensive system. Illinois State does not depend on the three-ball, but they can certainly hit it when they need it. The frontcourt can carry the team offensively one day and the backcourt the next day. Usually it is a gimmicky offense that the opposition has trouble game planning for, but it can also be really tough to prepare for a team that is as balanced as Illinois State.

Guard Osiris Eldridge and forward Anthony Slack will do a large chunk of the scoring, but the Redbirds have a couple ball handlers on the perimeter who can put up some points. Dom Johnson, who missed the end of the season due to a tonsillectomy, is a capable long range shooter and will occasionally use his speed to get to the basket. Boo Richardson has done a solid job keeping the turnover numbers down and his senior leadership will go a long way in March.

Why They Can Disappoint:

Slack is a good scorer and a great rebounder, but his inability to hit a free-throw will keep him on the bench at the end of a game. Slack and fellow forward Dinma Odiakosa certainly bring the free-throw percentage down, but the team as a whole only shoots about 64 percent. Foul trouble will also send Slack and Odiakosa to the bench, but luckily Illinois State has an answer. Levi Dyer and Brandon Sampay are both capable big men who can actually hit free throws. Dyer is 6-11 and will spend a majority of his time hanging around the perimeter when the Redbirds have the ball. He will not replace the rebounding of Slack or Odiakosa, but he can stretch out the defense and at least provide another big body.

Who To Watch:

Eldridge is the Redbirds leading scorer, averaging over 16 points per game. He is a solid three-point shooter and quick enough and strong enough to finish above the rim. The 6-3 sophomore has been pretty inconsistent this year, but he can explode for over 30 points and will take control when necessary.

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 66.0 (226^th in nation, 5^th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 59.5 (11, 1)

Field-Goal Percentage: 45.9 (82, 1)

Field-Goal Defense: 40.3 (32, 2)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.4 (100, 4)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 37.9 (58, 2)

Free-Throw Percentage: 63.8 (302, 10)

Rebound Margin: 0.8 (150, 7)

Assists Per Game: 14.8 (82, 2)

Turnovers Per Game: 12.8 (57, 4)

Joel’s Bracket Says: First Round loss to Utah State

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Today's Poll: Which Mid-Major Has the Best Shot of Making the Dance?

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 09:35:23 -0700

In or Out: CHN Bubble Predictions

CHN — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 10:20:17 -0700

Much to Joe Lunardi's chagrin.. everyone thinks they're a bracketologist this time of year. So we asked 7 CHN writers which bubble teams will end up in the field or out.

	JB	RC	JF	RJ	SS	JT	JW
Arizona St	Out	In	In	In	Out	Out	In
Dayton	Out	In	Out	Out	In	Out	Out
Illinois St	Out	Out	In	In	Out	In	In
Ohio St	In	Out	In	In	In	In	In
Oregon	Out	In	Out	Out	In	In	Out
Syracuse	In	In	Out	Out	Out	Out	Out
UAB	Out	Out	In	Out	Out	In	Out
Villanova	Out	Out	Out	In	In	Out	Out

Our Consensus:

Arizona State - In
Dayton - Out
Illinois State - In
Ohio State - In
Oregon - Out
Syracuse - Out
UAB - Out
Villanova - Out

Our Guarantees:

Jason Brubaker's Guarantee: I'll 100% guarantee Syracuse will make the Tournament this year, for two reasons. They've shown they have the talent to beat good teams (Georgetown, marquette), and there's no way the committee wants to listen to another off-season of pleading from Jim Boeheim to expand the field to 128 teams.

Rob Carpentier's Guarantee: The Pac-10 will get 7 teams in because Oregon will beat Washington State, ASU will beat USC and Arizona will win two.

Jeff Fox's Guarantee: Dayton will not make the NCAA tournament - 7th place in the A-10 doesn't cut it, plus they peaked too early - the tournament committee likes teams that get hot late.

Raphielle Johnson's Guarantee: I guarantee that Oregon will be left out of the tournament due to early losses to Nebraska and Oakland. (and that Boeheim will rant about the system when he's once again sent to the NIT)

Shawn Siegels's Guarantee: Its a moral certainty that UAB will not make it.. they haven't won a Top 50 game all year and won't do so in the CUSA tournament.

Jon Teitel's Guarantee: I'm 100% certain that the loser of the Big East Tournament 1st round game between Villanova and Syracuse will not make it, as no conference is getting 9 teams into the NCAA Tournament this year.

Joel Welser's Guarantee: Jim Boeheim will be mad, but losses to Cincinnati and South Florida have doomed the Orange.

Picture of the Day: Illinois State

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 08:17:57 -0800

Thanks to our friends over at Icon Sports Media, we now have access to thousands of great college basketball photos to use on the site. Each day, CHN will feature a Picture of the Day, which might include a newsworthy, funny, or simply interesting subject. At the bottom will be a caption or headline that might be informative or amusing. The possibilities are endless!

Illinois State

Illinois State starters Boo Richardson and Anthony Slack (the guy you can barely see) fight for the loose ball against Creighton. Last night the Redbirds won 68-54 to improve to 21-8 and 12-5 in MVC play. Outside of Drake, no one gets any respect in the MVC.. but ISU is quietly having a nice season. With an impressive RPI of 36, they're ahead of such "name" teams like USC, Kansas State, Texas A&M, and Syracuse. Eventually someone will take notice.

- Check out recent Pictures of the Day!

- Also check out the Cheerleader of the Day!

Daily Poll: Who is the Best Team in the MVC?

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 13:32:17 -0800

Games of the Night: Illinois State at Drake

Shawn Siegel — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 11:10:25 -0800

Games of the Night

A companion to our daily Three Stars of the Day, we present the top three Games of the Night.

Illinois State (14-3) at Drake (15-1)

8:05 PM

No Top 25 teams here, and just about no one will be able to see this game outside of those in attendance. But no matter, two unbeaten (6-0) Valley teams getting together is a big deal. The voters might not give these teams any respect, but the computers do as Drake is 17th and Illinois State is 34th. The Bulldogs are favored by 4 or 5 depending on who you ask, but I expect this game to come down to the wire.

Prediction: Drake

#23 Clemson (14-3) at #5 Duke (14-1)

6:00 PM ESPN

You might think a nationally televised game featuring the only matchup between Top 25 teams would be my Game of the Night. But not so fast. The Tigers are 9 point dogs.. similar to Notre Dame's chances at Georgetown (and the Irish are getting killed as I write this). Clemson hasn't come close to proving they can win a game of this magnitude away from home.

Prediction: Duke

USC (10-6) at #4 UCLA (16-1)

3:30 PM CBS

The Trojans are 1-3 in Pac-10 play while UCLA is 4-0. The Trojans are 11 point dogs and have a worse RPI than powerhouses like CS Northridge. So why am I giving this game any respect? Just call it a hunch. I'm definitely not going on a limb and predicting a USC win.. but I expect a little something special this afternoon out of Mr Mayo, and the score might be a bit closer than the pundits expect.

Prediction: UCLA

Previous Game of the Night (Predictions)

January 17th - Vanderbilt at Tennessee (2-1)

January 14th - Georgetown at Pittsburgh (2-1)

January 12th - Stanford at Oregon (3-0)

January 9th - Rhode Island at Dayton (2-1)

January 8th - Florida at Alabama (2-1)

January 7th - Robert Morris at Boston College (1-2)

January 6th - North Carolina at Clemson (2-1)

January 5th - Western Kentucky at South Alabama (3-0)

January 4th - American at Brown (0-3)

January 3rd - UCLA at Stanford (3-0)

January 2nd - Houston at UMASS (2-1)

Three Stars of the Day: November 19th

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 07:33:38 -0800

Three Stars of The Day

Continuing a new daily feature on Collegehoops.net, the Three Stars of the day. We handpick the best performances of the day, whether it be stat lines that make you drool, or clutch performances. Either way, its our way of showing the love:

TJ Worley - New Orleans

10 points might not seem special, but Worley's 3 with 1.7 left on the clock gave New Orleans an upset victory over ranked NC State

Osiris Eldridge - Illinois State

Coming off a quality 27 point game, Eldridge scored a career-best 30 in the Redbirds win over UNCW

Chris Gaynor - Winthrop

The senior's 13 points, 8 boards, 8 assists and solid all-around point guard helped Winthrop beat Georgia Tech by six.

Other Top Performers

Kentrell Gransberry - South Florida - His 21 and 8 boards helped the Bulls surpass a struggling Florida State squad

JJ Hickson - NC State - Even though they lost, Hickson continues to be a beast with 22 and 13 in his 2nd game

Rob McKiver - Houston - The senior guard exploded for 37 points in a 15-point win over Charleston

Previous Stars of the Day

November 15th - Jon Brockman, Washington

November 16th - JJ Hickson, NC State

November 17th - Chris Douglas-Roberts, Memphis

November 18th - Daniel Hackett, USC

Complete Top 144 Ranking | 2007-08 Preview & Awards | Interviews | Discuss the Preview

Illinois State Adds Hill, Robinson, Smith

Press Release — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0800

NORMAL, Ill. – After verbally committing to Illinois State and first-year head coach Tim Jankovich over the summer, former Redbird guard and current Lincoln College star Bobby Hill, Decatur Eisenhower forward Jeremy Robinson and Chicago Simeon point guard Kenyon Smith made it official Wednesday, signing their respective National Letters of Intent to continue their education and basketball careers at ISU. All three players will begin their eligibility in the 2008-09 campaign.

Hill transferred to Lincoln College from ISU in August. He averaged 2.2 points and 1.3 rebounds per game at ISU last season, but was mainly used as a defensive specialist. The St. Louis native started eight of the last nine games of the season, and averaged 11.1 minutes-per-contest.

“Our entire team and staff is elated that Bobby (Hill) will be coming back into our program, but no one is happier than I am,” said Jankovich. “I love him as a player and as a person. We have big plans for him and it is good to get our family back intact.”

This season, Hill is averaging 16.6 points, six rebounds and two assists-per-game through five contests at Lincoln. Hill has also improved his scoring efficiency, shooting at a 45 percent clip from the field, including a 43 percent mark from beyond the three-point arc. Hill did not attempt a three-point field goal last season as a Redbird.

“Socially, and as a person, Bobby has been incredible to work with,” said Lincoln head coach B.J. McCallum. “He is one of the most responsible young men that I have ever coached. Other than the day that he made his official visit to Illinois State (Oct. 11), Bobby has not missed a class. He has completed every assignment, and his focus academically has been incredible. It’s just been great to see.

“Basketball-wise, as most Illinois State fans know, Bobby is a great defender, and we’ve seen more of that early this season. We have used him on some great opposing players. But offensively is where Bobby has made the most strides. He has worked very hard at expanding his game. His biggest improvements need to come with dribbling and ball handling in general, but his work ethic is good, and he has been a very physical and intelligent player for us.”

Hill is happy to return to Illinois State for his junior season.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to return to Illinois State and rejoin my teammates next season,” said Hill. “They are going to have a great team this year, and I hope to add to that when I come back.

“I think my game has really improved since I’ve been here (at Lincoln). I’ve put on about 20 pounds, and my focus now is much more similar to what it was coming out of high school. I’m approaching games as a scorer rather than just a defender. I still want to continue to improve my power and scoring ability.”

Robinson, a 6-foot-8, 210-pound forward, became Jankovich’s first verbal commitment in mid-July. As a junior (2006-07), he averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds-per-game as the Panthers advanced to the Illinois Class AA super-sectional before losing to O’Fallon, which went on to finish second in the state tournament. Following the season, Robinson was named to the All-Big 12 Conference First Team. With Robinson and teammate Lewis Jackson returning, Eisenhower is slated to be one of the state’s top teams this season.

Robinson transferred to Eisenhower from Oxford High School (Mississippi) in the middle of his sophomore year.

“Jeremy (Robinson) was our first commitment, and what a great one he was,” said Jankovich. “He has all the tools to be an outstanding player. It will be great to work with a long, tall, bouncy athlete who has a great love for the game.”

With the Panthers, Robinson has been coached by Jeremy Moore.

“Jeremy has great size, and has the frame to be to be able to put on about 20-25 more pounds of muscle when he gets into a more established weight program,” said Moore. “He is very athletic, but Jeremy’s strongest physical attributes are rebounding, and the ability to put the ball in the basket. He also has a great willingness to learn. He has been an absolute sponge ever since he joined our program as a junior.”

Robinson saw Illinois State as a great fit, due both to the style of play and the cohesiveness of the coaching staff.

“Illinois State was a great choice for me, because the coaches were around since day one,” said Robinson. “We developed a great relationship during the recruiting process, and it became a great fit.”

“I just want to find my role, and add to what Illinois State already has, which is a very talented team. I am excited about playing in an up-tempo, transition style of play. I’ve been playing like that since eighth grade, so I see it being a fairly smooth transition.”

Smith, a 6-foot guard, verbally committed to Illinois State in early September. Last season, he was the back-up point guard behind Derrick Rose, who was highly regarded as one of the nation’s top players by various recruiting services. Smith averaged 4.3 points and 2.0 assists per game while shooting 46 percent from three-point range last season, as Simeon won its second-consecutive Class AA state championship.

“People will love Kenyon (Smith),” said Jankovich. “He is an exciting, tough, versatile player that cares only about winning. Every coach would like to have an entire team of guys like him. Kenyon comes from one of the top high school programs in the country at Simeon.”

Chicago Simeon head coach Robert Smith praised Kenyon Smith’s ability to play both the point guard and shooting guard positions.

“Kenyon played major minutes last year, but he played more off the ball at the two-guard position,” said Smith. “He definitely knows how to play the point guard position. It was beneficial for Kenyon to play at the two guard spot last year because it helped him focus on his perimeter jump shot. He has a great understanding of the game and knows where the basketball needs to be on the floor at the right time. Kenyon is going to be an absolute asset to our program this season, and I think he is going to be key in helping Illinois State get to the next level.”

Smith was attracted to ISU due to its offensive system, and the fact that he would be given the opportunity to play both the one and two-guard positions.

“I’ve played both the one and two-guard positions here (Chicago Simeon), so I feel comfortable in both roles. The main thing that stuck out to me about Illinois State in the recruiting process was their style of play. They set a lot of ball screens, and that is something I love to do. They find ways to create offense in their system.”

Chamberlain Oguchi Transfering to Illinois State

Press Release — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 07:40:50 -0700

NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State head coach Tim Jankovich added an explosive scorer to his backcourt Wednesday with the announcement that 6-foot-5 guard Chamberlain Oguchi will transfer to ISU from Oregon. Oguchi was a fixture in the Ducks lineup the past three years, and helped them reach the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament last season. He will sit out this year due to NCAA transfer rules, but will have one season of eligibility with the Redbirds beginning in the 2008-09 campaign.

Illinois State head coach Tim Jankovich was pleased with his recent addition to the ISU roster.

“Needless to say, we are very excited that Chamberlain will be joining our program,” said Jankovich. “His talent and experience will be a welcomed addition.”

Oguchi was one of the Pac-10 Conference’s most dangerous three-point threats during his time at Oregon. For his three-year career, Oguchi made 115 three-pointers and shot 31.9 percent from beyond the arc.

Oguchi appeared in 32 games last season, tallying 10 starts. The Houston native recorded six double-digit scoring efforts, including a season-high 25 points against Cal-Irvine (Nov. 17, 2006). He sprained his left ankle in a 57-50 upset over No. 18 Georgetown (Nov. 29, 2006), forcing him to miss the ensuing five games. Oguchi played in all four of Oregon’s 2007 NCAA Tournament games when the Ducks made a run to the Elite Eight.

In 2005-06, Oguchi ended the season on an offensive tear, netting 40 if his team-best 68 three-pointers in the final month of the season. Averaging 9.6 points-per-game, nine of his 13 double-figure scoring outputs came in the team’s last 10 contests. Oguchi was named to the Pac-10 all-tournament team after hitting a tournament record 14 three-pointers over a three-game stretch, including a career-high 26 points against Washington State in the tourney opener. He ended the campaign ranked fifth in the league at 2.1 three-pointers per-game. Oguchi was also an active rebounder in 2005-06, twice tying his career-high with eight caroms (Feb. 26 at UCLA and March 10 versus Cal).

In the 2004-05 campaign, Oguchi’s freshman year, he played in 22 games, but saw much more time in the second half of the season. Five of his six double-figure scoring games came during the last 10 games of the season. He ranked sixth on the team in scoring with 110 total points.

Coming out of George W. Bush High School in 2004, Oguchi was rated as the nation’s 74th best player by Rivals. That service also ranked him as the No. 16 shooting guard. He averaged 20 points and six rebounds per game as a senior, and scored 24.3 point s-per- game as a junior, hitting 124 three-pointers.