College basketball took a backseat to football yesterday as roundball made the wise decision not to compete with a full slate of bowl games. There was one game worth noting, however, and it came from a conference without any football teams doing battle. The Missouri Valley is all about basketball and they continued conference play with Illinois State traveling to Wichita and beating the Shockers 49-46.There wasn't much buzz around the Redbirds before the season for a couple of reasons. They were just 15-16 last season and brought in Tim Jankovich to replace former coach Porter Moser. With Southern Illinois, Bradley and Wichita State making the Sweet Sixteen in the last two years, ISU got lost in the shuffle but people ignored some important facts when making predictions. Jankovich inherited a squad with four returning starters and several key reserves and that's paid off in a quick turnaround.
Illinois State has won five in a row, including two MVC road wins in two tries, and are doing it with a stout defense. They hold opponents to 39% shooting and 59 points per game, both well below national averages, and a key in a good defensive conference. Offensively, their experience has made them an efficient offensive team that picks up more than one assist per turnover.
