Five things to know before Illinois State heads to Arch Madness

Finishing tenth in the Missouri Valley Conference leads Illinois State into a Thursday play-in game against Northern Iowa. After getting swept by the Panthers this past weekend, the two teams square off again for a chance to run the table to Sunday.

This is the first time since 1919-1920 that two Missouri Valley teams have faced off at least three consecutive times.

With only one team making the run from Thursday to Sunday’s championship in the Valley’s history, the Redbirds have a tough road ahead. Here are five things to know regarding the Redbirds trip to St. Louis:

10/10, yet Redbirds still failed midterms

In most circumstances, a 10 out of 10 would result in a 100%, but this is certainly not the case for the Redbirds. Finishing the Missouri Valley Conference in tenth at 4-14 equals last place, something Illinois State has not done since 2010-11.

Led at the time by Tim Jankovich, that season appeared as an outlier as the four other season Jankovich coached ended with a .500 record or above.

Scoring a team-high 15.3 points per game, DJ Horne proved to be the Redbirds best player on the court throughout the year. Fighting an ankle injury at times, Horne missed one game all season long, but started on the bench in three contests.

Alongside Horne is his sophomore guard counterpart Antonio Reeves. Reeves showed burst of how talented he could be down the line this season, closing a few games for ISU with his hot shooting. Reeves tallied 12.3 points per outing, and played in all of the Redbirds games. Reeves shortcomings came with inconsistent shooting stretches, especially from beyond the arc. 

Hoisting the second-most shots on the team, Reeves shot a lackluster 31% from 3PT, which on a struggling Redbirds team, ranks fourth.

The young and the rested

The Redbirds enter Arch Madness as a Thursday participant, much due to the youth and inexperience on the team. But the very thing that caused problems for ISU could lead to a solution. 

Playing four consecutive days is going to wear the legs of any collegiate competitor, but being the youngest team in the Valley might give ISU an advantage if they get hot. Six of the nine players that have played in at least 20 games for the Redbirds are a sophomore or younger. Although youth has plagued the team thus far this season, one final surprising push could come at the hands of an energized young rotation.

Probing the Panthers

Northern Iowa journeys to St. Louis winners of three out of their last four and are heating up at the right time. Although led behind Trae Berhow and Austin Phyfe, the Panthers have shown that they are much deeper than two of their starters. Losing A.J. Green after three games due to a hip injury, other players have had to step up in his place. Noah Carter and Bowen Born have done just that, pushing each of their scoring averages into double figures. Born was recently named the MVC Freshman of the Year earlier this week, and has come up big for the Panthers since Green’s sideline.

Consistency creates credibility

Despite making things interesting in a double overtime thriller on Saturday, Northern Iowa swept past the Redbirds last Friday and Saturday. The weekend sweep was the Panthers first of the season, struggling to stay consistent in the annual weekly back-to-backs. Illinois State did not fair any better. The Redbirds were unable to win both games of a back-to-back all season long, suffering from the newly adjusted schedule implemented by the MVC due to COVID-19. The Redbirds could only sweep the Bradley Braves, the second time coming when Bradley was missing three key players.

Neither team has shown that it can win at a consistent rate, which creates much doubt surrounding both programs chances heading into Arch Madness.  

How to follow

Illinois State’s game against Northern Iowa 8:08 p.m. on Thursday. If the Redbirds are able to win, their second round matchup against Drake would begin at 5:08 p.m. Friday. Both games will be aired on MVC TV Network. Fans can also listen live on WJBC FM 93.7 AM 1230. Follow along at @Vidette_Sports on Twitter for live updates.

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