GAME 26
Missouri State Bears (19-6, 11-3 MVC)
at
Illinois State Redbirds (11-14, 3-11 MVC)
_______________________________________________Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011 (7:05 p.m., Central)
Redbird Arena, Normal, Ill.
TV - KCZ, Ozarks CW (and Missouri State TV Network)RADIO - MSU Radio Network (KTXR and www.RadioSpringfield.com)_______________________________________________ The Game:
After sweeping a two-game conference home stand, Missouri State (19-6, 11-3 MVC) returns to the road on Saturday night (7:05 p.m.) when it takes on Illinois State (11-14, 3-11 MVC) in a key Missouri Valley Conference contest. The game will be televised on KCZ, The Ozarks CW and the MSU Television Network with Ned Reynolds and Kelby Stuckey calling the action.
 After slipping from the top of The Valley standings for the first time on Feb. 2, Missouri State got back to the top of the heap Wednesday by knocking down a season-high 13 three-pointers in a hard-fought 77-69 win over visiting Bradley, just one trey shy of a school record. The Bears got a game-high 27 points from Kyle Weems (Jr., F, Topeka, Kan.) who was 7-for-10 from the field, 6-for-7 from three-point range and a perfect 7-for-7 at the line with two blocks and six rebounds. Will Creekmore (Sr., C, Tulsa, Okla.) and Jermaine Mallett (Sr., G, Jackson, Miss.) added 16 and 11 points, respectively in the winning cause.
 The Bears are looking for their 20th victory of the season and have their eyes on back-to-back 20-win campaigns for the first time since 2005-06. MSU is also seeking a record seventh MVC road win after winning five of their first seven away from JQH.
 Despite three straight MVC losses, the Redbirds lead the conference in blocked shots (4.1) in league games and have won three straight against Missouri State at Redbird Arena. ISU leads the all-time series, which dates to 1967, by a 32-24 margin.
The Game:
Missouri State head coach Cuonzo Martin (Purdue, 2000) is 54-38 (.587) in his third season at MSU and overall. In Missouri Valley Conference games, he is 22-28 (.440) in his tenure, including an 16-9 league record at JQH Arena (7-2 last season and 6-1 this season) and 6-19 mark in road games (5-2 this season). Martin is also 2-3 against Illinois State, 8-12 in February, 18-9 on Saturdays, 40-11 at JQH Arena and 11-25 on the road.
 Originally from East St. Louis, Ill., he spent eight seasons as an assistant coach and associate head coach at Purdue (2000-08) where he was a standout player for coach Gene Keady from 1991-95. Martin, 39, became MSU’s 16th head basketball coach on April 1, 2008.
Quick Links:
- 2010-11 Media Guide
- Missouri State Tickets
- Listen Live
- Live Stats
- ISU Ticketing
- Game Notes 26
