Redbirds Finally Taking Flight?

(St. Louis, MO) – Ever since Dan Muller was standing alone voting for his team to win the Missouri Valley Conference title, we’ve been waiting for Illinois State to assert itself, and maybe that time has finally arrived.

The Redbirds have had some outstanding moments, but injuries have hindered the continuity and growth of Muller’s young team. They seem to be firing on all cylinders now.

Tuesday’s drubbing of Evansville (77-51) pushed the Birds into a third place tie with Indiana State (11-12)(7-4) and produced their third straight win. ISU (15-8)(7-4) dominated from start to finish and their deep, talented, athletic team was on full display for the 4,352 at Redbird Arena and on ESPN3.

Ten Redbirds scored, four reached double figures and they shot nearly 50% from the field. The four in double figures were two freshmen and two sophomores. This team is good, balanced and young.

Freshman forward Deontae “Teddy” Hawkins is just rounding into shape after a leg injury. In this, his second game back, he scored 12 points and grabbed four rebounds. Muller told me before the game, one surprising thing the 6’8” forward brings is outside shooting.

 

 

Sophomore center Reggie Lynch led the Redbirds with 16 points and five blocked shots. When he is active on both ends of the floor, he is a unique talent for the Valley. Fellow sophomore, point guard Paris Lee added 11 points, seven assists and three steals.

Freshman MiKyle McIntosh scored 13 points on a 5 of six shooting night.

That’s right, none of Illinois State’s top three scorers on the season (Daishon Knight, DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell and Bobby Hunter) were in the top four during this key win.

This is a team with a very bright February and March to experience. Six of the Redbirds’ eight losses have come by five or fewer points and they actually play really well (5-3) on the road.

The next 10 days will tell us a lot about this team. They travel to Southern Illinois on Saturday and then play at nationally ranked Northern Iowa (2/11) and host nationally ranked Wichita State (2/14). Should they survive in Carbondale they will take their run at the MVC giants.

Muller has taught his team to win the ‘mini-battles’ within the game. The Redbirds lead the Valley in rebounding margin, blocked shots and steals. Those are the kinds of things that can push a team past the league favorites in Cedar Falls and Wichita.

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