Illinois State Basketball: Redbirds pose real threat to win MVC
Illinois State basketball has taken over the Missouri Valley Conference after beating preseason conference favorite Wichita State, 76-62, on Saturday.
After starting the season 14-4 and 6-0 in conference play, the Illinois State Redbirds have the same conference record as when they last made the NCAA Tournament in 1998.
Related Story: Can anyone shock Wichita State in the MVC?
The team also improved to 9-0 at home with their most recent win over Wichita State this past weekend.
ISU's 76-62 win over Wichita State puts the Redbirds in sole possession of first in the MVC for the first time since 1998.
— Kurt Pegler (@KurtPegler) January 15, 2017
The Redbirds have made postseason tournaments twice under 5th year head coach Dan Muller. They made the CBI semifinals in 2012 and the NIT second round the following year, but now, the Redbirds are ready for a conference tournament championship and NCAA Tournament berth.
The Redbirds began the season unofficially ranked No. 18 in NBC Sports’ Mid-Major Power Rankings, behind conference rivals Wichita State and Northern Iowa.
The Redbirds returned four starters though. Among the returning starters is Paris Lee, one of Muller’s first recruits. He ranks second all-time in career steals (active players only), as well as second in school history. His tough defense creates fast break opportunities and he thrives in high pressure situations.
He is averaging 5.3 assists and 2.0 steals per game, both in the top 50 for individual players in the NCAA. He is also averaging 13.1 points per game, which is third on the team.
Lee has great help from MiKyle McIntosh and Deontae Hawkins. They have nearly identical numbers as McIntosh averages 14.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Hawkins averages 14.5 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.
The MVC has produced good tournament squads recently by putting four different teams in the Big Dance in the last six years. ISU has been in the MVC championship game three times during that span, taking the game to overtime twice, but was never able to come out on top.
Next: Five critical takeaways from this past weekend's action
The Redbirds have an RPI ranking of 26 and have won seven straight games. They have senior leadership and two preseason all-conference players, Lee and McIntosh, that are hungry for a tournament appearance. The team has the second longest tournament drought in the conference, but this is the year that Illinois State basketball will finally break it.