vs Evansville (in St. Louis), 3/7, 8:30 PM, MVC-TV [FSMW+/NBCSC]

[ISU86]

Play-in Thursday. Not sure any of us thought this was a possibility back in November.

Having said that, the Purple Aces have been scuffling recently both on (losing seven of their last eight) and off (Shea Feehan dismissal) the court.

I do not think it is a game where we will ever feel totally "at ease" but we should keep them at arm's length most of the game.

Aces 58
'birds 68

 

[isuredbird_2015]

I agree we are never completely comfortable, but am hoping to maintain an 8-12 point lead most of the night. Time for the boys last stand!

Redbirds 64
Evansville 55

 

[RBFANTOO]

Please help my memory. Has ISU ever been in a Thursday MVC playoff game before?
I can't recall one.

 

[CaliRdBrd]

Yawn

 

[Redbirds4Life]

Please help my memory. Has ISU ever been in a Thursday MVC playoff game before?
I can't recall one.

1999
2000
2003
2004
2006
2007
2011
2019!!!!!

 

[Redbirds4Life]

Sucks they are in the play-in game. Hopefully they show up and get it done, and get to Friday night. I don't have high hopes for the weekend, but jeeze fellas, just don't lose on Thursday....this has already been a crap year, let's not make it worse.

Illinois State 71
Evansville 58

 

[ISU FAN 1]

Please help my memory. Has ISU ever been in a Thursday MVC playoff game before?
I can't recall one.

2010-11 was the last time.

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/mvc/2011.html

Also
2006-07
2005-06
2003-04
2002-03
1999-00
1998-99

 

[RedbirdSoxFan]

Please help my memory. Has ISU ever been in a Thursday MVC playoff game before?
I can't recall one.

1999
2000
2003
2004
2006
2007
2011
2019!!!!!

Two times in twelve years is really not that bad. Who in the MVC has not played a Thursday game, or only been in once, in the last twelve years?
And the Redbirds have played in Six (hopefully seven) Sunday games in the same twelve years!

 

[BTbird]

I think we get past EU and then lose to Drake.

 

[ISU FAN 1]

I embrace playing in the MVC version of the First 4, to get ISU ready for the NCAA First 4.

 

[topiarydan]

This is the show me DM that you can coach a team with a bunch of soft players tourney. Anything less of getting to the Championship game warrants real change exploration. He should win EU game. He should also win the DU game.
Winning four games if four days is near impossible so I give him a pass on that but if he can't rally this sad sack of a team to get to Sunday then I still think we make a change. What do we really have to lose? Do we really think a bunch of transfers from San Jose State and EKU who have a year off are going to change our lot?

 

[Flagship08]

I embrace playing in the MVC version of the First 4, to get ISU ready for the NCAA First 4.

There's some truth to this. Last year UMBC and Penn were given 16 seeds with RPI's of 150 and 151 respectively. We are currently 192 in NET ranking and unlikely to crack the top 150 with 4 straight wins. It really does look like a 16 seed if we win Arch Madness, the best we could hope for is not playing in the first 4.

 

[JHBird]

I don't care if we're in a tight game. He needs to spread the playing time around much as possible. You can't burn out Phil and Milik in this game. They have to be rested as much as possible this game if we have any chance of winning 4 in 4 days. I want Rey to play 15 minutes at least, hell even Hein should play 15.

 

[Redbird28]

I embrace playing in the MVC version of the First 4, to get ISU ready for the NCAA First 4.

There's some truth to this. Last year UMBC and Penn were given 16 seeds with RPI's of 150 and 151 respectively. We are currently 192 in NET ranking and unlikely to crack the top 150 with 4 straight wins. It really does look like a 16 seed if we win Arch Madness, the best we could hope for is not playing in the first 4.

I don't know. You may want to see ISU play in the First Four in that scenario if only to potentially keep the 11-0 MVC record the past 11 years in the first round streak alive. Go in to the NCAA as a 16 and that streak is likely to be snapped otherwise.

 

[The Legend]

This is the show me DM that you can coach a team with a bunch of soft players tourney. Anything less of getting to the Championship game warrants real change exploration. He should win EU game. He should also win the DU game.
Winning four games if four days is near impossible so I give him a pass on that but if he can't rally this sad sack of a team to get to Sunday then I still think we make a change. What do we really have to lose? Do we really think a bunch of transfers from San Jose State and EKU who have a year off are going to change our lot?

A) You’re basically saying if Dan can’t do what has never been done before, he should be fired?

B) Losing on Sunday is exactly the same as losing on Thursday, our season is over. Considering we made the title game last year, I don’t subscribe to it benefiting us going into next year. Personally I would prefer to watch as many games in St. Louis as possible, but if they lose on Saturday I’m not leading the “Fire Muller” chant.

C) A transfer from Fairleigh Dickenson just won the league MVP, yet we continue to disparage other programs despite our complete ineptitude the last 20 years.

:angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead:

 

[topiarydan]

No I said he doesn't have to win it (read)- rather I said he has to get to the Championship game - and if he can't do that then yes he should be canned - with thie number of players returning - with the weak butt conference we have - and yes if getting to the Championship game is such a stretch then he has already failed miserably. Hey who knows? I don't think its too crazy to ask that of a soft coach who lost his team (his recruits).

 

[jbird]

Before there was a play-in ROUND, ISU lost the league's first and only play-in GAME in 1991. There were 9 teams in the conference..........ISU and Drake were tied for 8th/9th and had to play each other to advance to the quarterfinal round. Drake won 57-55 (I knew that we lost but did not know the score without looking it up). That was the first year that the tournament was played in St. Louis and it was at the prehistoric, concrete Kiel Auditorium. That tournament was won by Tony Barone's Creighton team with Bob Harstat and Chad Gallagher who beat Charley Spoonhour's Southwest Missouri State team in the championship game. After that initial tournament at Kiel Auditorium, the tourney moved to the now-demolished St. Louis Arena for a few years before finally relocating to the Kiel/Savvis/Scottrade/Enterprise Center.

ISU has the distinction of having WON the last game played at a host school (the 1990 championship game at Redbird Arena in front of an SRO crowd of 10,625) and then LOST the first-ever game played at a neutral site in St. Louis.

 

[Redbirdwarrior]

EVille is 11-20 and are probably among the worst teams ISU has played at all in the last 5 years. This should be an absolute ass whopping. I stand by the whole get a BIG lead early and them sit all your starters so they can keep fresh legs for the weekend.

ISU- 71
Eville- 53

 

[ricohill]

Before there was a play-in ROUND, ISU lost the league's first and only play-in GAME in 1991. There were 9 teams in the conference..........ISU and Drake were tied for 8th/9th and had to play each other to advance to the quarterfinal round. Drake won 57-55 (I knew that we lost but did not know the score without looking it up). That was the first year that the tournament was played in St. Louis and it was at the prehistoric, concrete Kiel Auditorium. That tournament was won by Tony Barone's Creighton team with Bob Harstat and Chad Gallagher who beat Charley Spoonhour's Southwest Missouri State team in the championship game. After that initial tournament at Kiel Auditorium, the tourney moved to the now-demolished St. Louis Arena for a few years before finally relocating to the Kiel/Savvis/Scottrade/Enterprise Center.

ISU has the distinction of having WON the last game played at a host school (the 1990 championship game at Redbird Arena in front of an SRO crowd of 10,625) and then LOST the first-ever game played at a neutral site in St. Louis.

Only place I did not go was the Kiel Center because we had zero chance of doing anything that year. I loved the St. Louis Arena. It was a dump, but had character. Plus, the bats and birds flying around the arena added an extra element of entertainment.

 

[The Legend]

No I said he doesn't have to win it (read)- rather I said he has to get to the Championship game - and if he can't do that then yes he should be canned - with thie number of players returning - with the weak butt conference we have - and yes if getting to the Championship game is such a stretch then he has already failed miserably. Hey who knows? I don't think its too crazy to ask that of a soft coach who lost his team (his recruits).

I did read. Nobody has ever won Saturday after playing Thursday. That’s what you expect of him. You “don’t think it’s too crazy” to expect something that hasn’t happened in 21 years? I would love to see it, but I definitely don’t expect it.