Customer Service Place an Ad Become a Carrier Contact Us About Us Mobile Edition E-Mail Updates Report Cancellation
| Subscribe Now Customer Service Place an Ad Become a Carrier Contact Us About Us Mobile Edition E-Mail Updates Report Cancellation
|
 |
 |
|
Weather  Calendar Obituaries Classifieds Jobs Autos Homes Rentals Coupons Ad Center |
Bloomington-Normal, Illinois
|
Home News Sports
Free Time Life Money Nation/World Opinion Blogs/Columns Archives Site Map |
| SportsTuesday, November 27, 2007 11:56 PM CST |
 Comments (6) |  E-mail this page |  Print this page |  Enlarge type |  Reduce type |  Search archives |  RSS feeds |  Add to My Yahoo! |
ISU back home today to face Chicago State
NORMAL -- Tim Jankovich hasn’t been around these parts long. Still, the sight of Redbird Arena is comforting to Illinois State’s first-year basketball coach. Playing three of its next four games at home could help ISU’s record. The Redbirds have won nine straight nonconference games at Redbird Arena. Yet Jankovich’s goals in the next two weeks stretch far beyond wins and losses. Indiana and Kent State exposed some Redbird flaws in the Chicago Invitational Challenge last weekend that might not have been evident while winning the first three games by an average of 22.6 points. ISU (3-2) tries to get back to basics when it entertains Chicago State (2-4) at 7:05 p.m. today at Redbird Arena. “Our guys seem to like it here. I know I like it, but if we get caught up and our whole focus is just to win the game, I think that’s how you get misdirected,” said Jankovich before Monday’s practice. “We have to be, daily as a group, our team has to constantly focus on how they can improve. What small thing can they do each day and week to be a little bit better and get this team a little more solid.” Some of the areas where ISU needs to shore up: -- Rebounding. Opponents are outrebounding the Redbirds by an average of 34.8 to 33.6. Indiana grabbed 15 more rebounds than ISU. -- Free throws. The Redbirds are shooting 62.2 percent at the line, which ranks last (by a wide margin) among Missouri Valley Conference teams. -- End of games. ISU had a chance to upset Indiana and beat Kent State, but couldn’t make enough plays offensively or get crucial defensive stops in the closing stretch. “We have to stay with principles and be a little more disciplined and realize it’s very important to be extra solid going into the last four or five minutes because we don’t have as much time to recover,” said Jankovich. The Redbirds didn’t fare well in close games last season. They were 4-10 in games decided by nine points or less, which amounts to three possessions. “It’s like we beat ourselves sometimes with turnovers and careless mistakes,” said sophomore guard Osiris Eldridge. “If we cut that down to a minimum, single digits, we’ll win all our games.” Senior guard Boo Richardson realizes ISU must get things straightened out soon. The Valley season begins in late December. He doesn’t want a repeat of last season. “We have to change little stuff we’re doing wrong now, stupid stuff like fouling or a couple turnovers,” he said. “We have to be solid at both ends, and we have to be hungry.” Jankovich said he has a “better idea” of how his rotation is shaping up, but is still several games away from getting it set. ISU has used the same starting lineup in all five games. Slow starts have plagued the Redbirds, but Jankovich isn’t planning a change in the starters right now. “We’ve been a so much better second-half team than a first-half team. We have to rectify that,” he said. “Whether that’s the starting lineup or just our mindset or wearing people down, I don’t know. I wish I had the answer to that.” Junior forward Mike Vandello is questionable for today’s game after tendinitis flared up in his knee against Kent State Saturday. Around the Valley -- Southern Illinois’ Randal Falker was named Player of the Week after averaging 20.3 points and 7.7 rebounds. The Salukis went 2-1 in the Anaheim Classic, losing the championship game to Southern California. -- Creighton’s 3-0 start is nothing unusual. The Bluejays have started off 3-0 or better in nine of the last 10 seasons. Thursday’s game against Savannah State will be the 316th straight Creighton has played with a .500 or better record, dating back to 1997. -- League members have started out a combined 31-15 (.674), which ranks fourth best in the last 25 years. Chicago State vs. Illinois StateTime: 7:05 p.m. Site: Redbird Arena, Normal Radio: WJBC-AM (1230), WJEZ-FM (98.9) Records: Chicago State 2-4, ISU 3-2 Series history/last meeting: ISU leads 18-1 (ISU won 88-64 on Nov. 25, 2000) Coaches: Chicago State’s Benjy Taylor is in his first season with the Cougars and has a 30-50 record in four seasons as a head coach. Illinois State’s Tim Jankovich is in his first season at ISU and has a 106-73 record in seven seasons as a head coach. About the Cougars: Chicago State, an independent, went 9-20 last season. David Holston has been a one-man wrecking crew for the Cougars. The junior guard is tied for third in the country in scoring at 27.0 points per game and No. 1 in 3-point percentage shooting at .587 (37 of 63). He sank 11 3-pointers, the 13th best in NCAA history, in an 89-50 victory over Northern Michigan. The only time Holston has been held under 20 points was in an 86-53 loss at Michigan State when he scored 18. Benjy Taylor served as coach at North Central for three seasons from 2001-04. He also was an assistant coach at Indiana State in the 2004-05 season. Next up: Illinois State meets Illinois-Chicago at 7:05 p.m. Saturday at Redbird Arena. Probable startersCHICAGO STATE Player......Pos....Ht....PPG...RPG Carl Montgomery...F...6-7...7.8...6.3 Tawrence Walton...F...6-5...4.3...3.3 Chidozie Chukwumah...C...6-11...5.5...4.7 David Holston...G...5-8...27.0...3.5 John Cantrell...G...6-2...17.7...6.2 ILLINOIS STATE Player......Pos....Ht....PPG...RPG Anthony Slack......F...6-7...13.0...7.8 Dinma Odiakosa...F...6-8...5.8...5.0 Osiris Eldridge...G...6-3...16.6...4.0 Boo Richardson...G...5-8...3.2...2.2 Dom Johnson...G...6-0...7.8...2.6 Get area high school sports scores and statistics at Varsity Sports. E-mail this story | Print this story | Search archives | RSS Show comments |  Hide comments | Hide comments on all stories |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
Top of Page | Home | News | Sports | Free Time | Life | Money | Nation/World | Opinion | Blogs/Columns | Archives | Site Map | RSS
Customer Service | 301 W. Washington St., PO Box 2907, Bloomington, IL 61701-2907 | Ph. 309-829-9000 | 800-747-7323
Copyright © 2008, Pantagraph Publishing Co. and Lee Enterprises. All rights reserved. | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
|
Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.
realist wrote on Nov 27, 2007 4:31 PM:
Nathan wrote on Nov 27, 2007 3:00 PM:
ballboy wrote on Nov 27, 2007 11:57 AM:
a strange year wrote on Nov 27, 2007 10:24 AM:
Hopefully wrote on Nov 27, 2007 9:39 AM:
lets go birds wrote on Nov 27, 2007 8:18 AM:
Please read the rules before posting comments.
You must be logged in to leave comments.
If you don't have a member ID, please register.