Creighton opened Missouri Valley Conference play with a win on the road against Illinois State. There were a lot of questions heading into that game, seeing as the Redbirds had the Bluejay’s number the past three seasons since Tim Jankovich took over the program. The Bluejays went on the road and got a monkey off their back with a win in Normal. Antoine Young showed what kind of point guard he was going to be for Creighton and we saw the Valley debut of Gregory Echenique; he dominated the inside with 14 points and 7 boards.
This season has been different for Illinois State with a lot of new players on the court and Jankovich now mostly playing with players he recruited to the Redbird program. Jim Benson from the Pantagraph told us it would be transition year for the program as they try to replace Osiris Eldridge and the other Redbirds that poked and prodded the Bluejays. But I don’t know that anyone expected an 0-8 start and a 3-12 conference record heading into the last couple weeks of conference season.
This is an important game for the Bluejays to start the run to St. Louis. And before this contest, we get a fan’s perspective of the Redbirds from Mike (otherwise known as isuquinndog) who runs the Illinois State message board Redbirdfan.net. Here is what he had to say before Wednesday’s 7:05 tip.
White & Blue Review: How are fans handling the Illinois State basketball season after contending for conference titles the past few seasons?
Redbirdfan.net: I think most fans expected a lower finish, but not to the bottom of the league. After losing Osiris Eldridge and Dimna Odiakosa to graduation and having 8 newcomers, a drop of was expected, but not a complete crash.
WBR: During the initial losing streak to start the conference season, what were the main reasons the Redbirds struggled so much?
RBF: There are a couple of reasons:
- This team does not have a “go to” type player. There is no more Osiris to bail us out at the end of a shot clock, or put the team on their back.
- Point guard play has been shaky. Kenyon Smith was supposed to come in and help right away, but he got hurt, then had family problems and has not played much. Anthony Cousin has been a nice surprise, but he is only a sophomore.
- They have not been playing as a team. I don’t know if it’s because they are young and inexperienced or it’s some thing else. But they are not playing together.
WBR: Who has turned out to be the surprise this season for Illinois State? Who has been disappointing?
RBF: I think Jon Ekey has been a surprise, especially on the defensive end. He currently has tied the ISU record for blocks by a freshman (Jackie Carmichael last year). His length and jumping ability has really been a surprise.
As far as a disappointment, I would have to go with Justin Clark. I think a lot of fans were hoping he would make a pretty large jump this year and he just hasn’t. His shooting has not been good and his minutes continue to go down.
WBR: How do people perceive the non-conference scheduling of the Redbirds? Does it really prepare them for conference season?
RBF: The fans on my message board are not happy with the schedule this year or in the last couple of years. I think there was some acceptance that it wouldn’t be overly tough, but it’s down right laughable this year. It in no way prepared them for the MVC season.
Next season is shaping up to be a touch better, but fans want to see a name opponent come to Redbird Arena. I don’t know if it’s going to happen. Coach Jankovich has said he doesn’t believe in 2 for 1’s or buy games so that makes it really tough for ISU to play a team from a power conference. He wants an equal return to ISU. While I admire his passion for this equal footing, it’s just not realistic.
WBR: Illinois State has seemed to have Creighton’s number since Tim Jankovich took over the program. What has made the Redbirds so tough to beat when playing the Bluejays?
RBF: I’m not really sure of the answer to that. I think we’ve been able to neutralize Creighton’s inside game to a degree with Odiakosa in the past, which I think played a large part in that. Also, for some reason, the large and loud crowds at the Q haven’t rattled the team. I think that will change this season with such a young team. They really let it affect them at Wichita State this year.
WBR: What is your final prediction? Can the Redbirds break their current four game losing streak and steal a win in Omaha?
RBF: This team is so hard to figure out. They have played very well for stretches, and then it’s like they forget who they are and play awful. We had Missouri State right where we wanted them, yet we committed 21 turnovers at home and gave up back to back 3 pointers with about 7 minutes left to seal the game. We even let a lead get away at Missouri State this year. We played well at Southern Illinois, but lost a late lead. So it depends on which team shows up and for how long.
Like I said before, I think the loud crowd at Creighton will rattle our team a little bit and the Bluejays keep ISU’s losing streak alive with a 56-50 win.
