Men's Basketball Set For Clash With Redbirds

This Weeks Action:

Tuesday, January 8 – Normal, Illinois (Redbird Arena)
UNI @ Illinois State 7 pm
ESPN+ | Audio | Stats

Full Game Notes

THE PANTHERS
• The Panthers move to 6-9 on the season at 1-1 in the MVC after falling to Southern Illinois in the McLeod Center on Saturday night.

• The Panthers take on the Redbirds of Illinois State in Redbird Arena on Tuesday. The Redbirds hold the series lead 42-34.

• Head Coach Ben Jacobson is 18-11 against the Redbirds and holds a 5-7 record on the road.

• UNI has made at least one 3-Pointer in 609 straight games – the longest active streak in the Missouri Valley Conference.

• Trae Berhow finished with a double-double in the Panthers loss to the Salukis of Southern Illinois. Berhow ended the night with eleven points and eleven rebounds.

• Freshman AJ Green leads all Panthers in scoring, averaging 14.9 points per game.

• Sophomore Trae Berhow leads the Panthers in rebounds and has averaged 12.3 points per game over the last three games.

• Making 7 of his 13 three-point attempts, Berhow ranks second in the league in 3 point field goal percentage.

• The Panthers have given up the second-fewest points in the MVC after two league games. Defensively the Panthers have given up 105 points, only Illinois State has given up fewer.

• Four Panthers rank in the top 30 in the conference in three-pointers per game. Freshman AJ Green ranks 7th (2.2), Wyatt Lohaus ranks 16th (1.6), Trae Berhow ranks 21st (1.5), and Spencer Haldeman ranks 30th (1.0).

• Fifteen games in freshman guard, AJ Green, has gone 38-44 from the line for a .864 free throw percentage, the mark ranks third in the league behind Drake's Nick Norton and Indiana State's Jordan Barnes.

• Luke McDonnell ranks 4th in the league, bringing in 2.2 offensive rebounds per game while Trae Berhow hauls in 5.5 defensive rebounds per game, ranking him 5th in that category.

THE REDBIRDS
• The Redbirds are 8-7 so far this season and 1-1 in Missouri Valley Conference play.

• The Redbirds have a 6-2 record at home and a 0-4 record on the road in 2018-19.

• Illinois State went 2-1 in George Town, Grand Cayman. After a loss to Georgia, the Redbirds responded by defeating Akron and Boise State.

• The Redbirds lead the MVC in total rebounds this season. Collectively the squad as recorded 549 rebounds, averaging 36.6 per game.

• Milik Yarbrough leads the Redbird offense, averaging 16.3 points per game. A dynamic player, Yarbrough also leads the team in rebounding with 122 total rebounds, second-most in the MVC.

• Phil Fayne is the only Redbird to start all 15 games this season, averaging 15.6 points per game he also leads the team with 13 steals and 22 blocks.

• The Redbirds are led by seventh-year Head Coach Dan Muller. After his sixth year as Illinois State's head coach, Muller has led the Redbirds to a share of the MVC regular-season title (2017), which was the program's first since he helped ISU win the Valley championship as a player in 1998, and has led the program to three MVC Tournament Championship Game appearances.

• Muller was named the 19th men's basketball coach in school history May 8, 2012, and since then, he has led Illinois State to a better MVC record and higher conference finish each year.

• In 2016-17, Muller guided the Redbirds to program bests in MVC wins (17-1, en route to the Valley title), regular-season victories (25) and overall triumphs (28).

STANDOUT PERFORMANCE
Sophomore Trae Berhow has been the Panthers rebounding leader all season long. Berhow has averaged 12.3 points per game over the last three games. Berhow dropped 14 points in the MVC opener against Bradley and recorded his first double-double of the year against the Salukis in the McLeod Center on Saturday. The Pepperdine transfer has averaged 6.5 rebounds per game while averaging 8.2 points per game.

TOUGH D
The Panthers have given up the second-fewest points in the MVC after two league games. Defensively the Panthers have given up 105 points, only Illinois State have given up fewer.
1. Illinois State 52.0
2. UNI 52.2
3. Loyola 59.0
4. Southern Ill. 60.5
5. Valparaiso 61.0

SHOOTERS
The Panthers have been successful from beyond the arc this season. Four Panthers rank in the top 30 in the conference in three-pointers per game. Freshman AJ Green ranks 7th (2.2), Wyatt Lohaus ranks 16th (1.6), Trae Berhow ranks 21st (1.5), and Spencer Haldeman ranks 30th (1.0). Trae Berhow is 7-13 from three in league play, ranking second in the league.

THE STREAK
UNI has made at least one 3-Pointer in 609 straight games – the longest active streak in the Missouri Valley Conference. The last time UNI failed to make a 3-Point basket came Feb. 3, 2000, vs. Southern Illinois in a 72-58 Panther victory in the UNI-Dome. UNI went 0-for-4 from 3-Point land vs. the Salukis in that contest.

MVC GAMES THIS WEEK
Tue., Jan 8
Bradley vs Valparaiso
Missouri State vs Indiana State
Southern Illinois vs Drake
UNI vs Illinois State
Loyola vs Evansville
Sat.,Jan 13
Valparaiso vs Southern Illinois
Indiana State vs Evansville
Illinois State vs Loyola
Missouri State vs Bradley

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Men's Basketball Set For Clash With Redbirds

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Players Mentioned

Trae Berhow

AJ Green

Spencer Haldeman

Wyatt Lohaus

Luke McDonnell

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