Redbirds face Stanford on Monday in second round of NIT
Illinois State coach Tim Jankovich can only hope his Redbirds become successful night owls Monday.
That's because impervious ISU will take its unexpected strain of late-season momentum to Stanford for a second-round NIT game that tips at 10:30 p.m, CDT.
"The good news is that I think the best hours of our guys' lives are from 10:30 on," Jankovich said. "It's the coaches that we're worried about. We're all going to have to take our little naps to make sure that we're alert."
Alertness was no problem for No. 7 seed Illinois State (21-13) Wednesday during a 96-93 overtime upset of host Mississippi. The Redbirds made a school-record 17 of 23 3-pointers in bombarding a Rebels brigade that was 51-2 at home against non-SEC opponents since 2006.
Leading the way were Tyler Brown, who was 8-for-9 deep before fouling out with 26 points in 23 minutes, and freshman Nic Moore, a perfect 5-for-5 with 24 points and 10 assists.
"We're just playing basketball together now and it's clicking," said Brown, a 6-4 junior transfer from Marshalltown (Iowa) Community College. "It's been starting to click all along as a bunch of new guys have been getting to know each other this season."
Added Moore: "Since the (Missouri) Valley tournament, our confidence level has just kept going up and up, and there's no reason to think it's going to stop now."
ISU blew a 13-point second-half lead in a notorious cotton pit and still came back to win at Ole Miss. The Redbirds also overcame 15 turnovers.
Under fourth-year coach Johnny Dawkins, No. 3 seed Stanford (22-11) will continue to aim for the future opposite ISU. Dawkins has used no fewer than 15 different starting lineups this season, all centered around freshman guard Chasson Randle (13.8 ppg), the Rock Island High star who was co-Mr. Basketball in Illinois last season.
"We've had a good season and could have had a great season," said Dawkins, whose Cardinal finished seventh in a notably tepidPac-12. "We're 6-3 over the last month and our overall chemistry has finally gained consistency."
During a 76-65 NIT win over visiting Cleveland State last week, sixth man Aaron Bright scored all 17 of his points in the second half in front of a sparse crowd announced at 1,339 inside Maples Pavilion.
If ISU beats the Cardinal, the Normal night owls will merely have to float across the Cal-Neva state line for a Wednesday night NIT quarterfinal vs. No. 5 seed Nevada (28-6), a 75-67 winner over No. 8 Bucknell on Sunday.
Illinois State coach Tim Jankovich can only hope his Redbirds become successful night owls Monday.
That's because impervious ISU will take its unexpected strain of late-season momentum to Stanford for a second-round NIT game that tips at 10:30 p.m, CDT.
"The good news is that I think the best hours of our guys' lives are from 10:30 on," Jankovich said. "It's the coaches that we're worried about. We're all going to have to take our little naps to make sure that we're alert."
Alertness was no problem for No. 7 seed Illinois State (21-13) Wednesday during a 96-93 overtime upset of host Mississippi. The Redbirds made a school-record 17 of 23 3-pointers in bombarding a Rebels brigade that was 51-2 at home against non-SEC opponents since 2006.
Leading the way were Tyler Brown, who was 8-for-9 deep before fouling out with 26 points in 23 minutes, and freshman Nic Moore, a perfect 5-for-5 with 24 points and 10 assists.
"We're just playing basketball together now and it's clicking," said Brown, a 6-4 junior transfer from Marshalltown (Iowa) Community College. "It's been starting to click all along as a bunch of new guys have been getting to know each other this season."
Added Moore: "Since the (Missouri) Valley tournament, our confidence level has just kept going up and up, and there's no reason to think it's going to stop now."
ISU blew a 13-point second-half lead in a notorious cotton pit and still came back to win at Ole Miss. The Redbirds also overcame 15 turnovers.
Under fourth-year coach Johnny Dawkins, No. 3 seed Stanford (22-11) will continue to aim for the future opposite ISU. Dawkins has used no fewer than 15 different starting lineups this season, all centered around freshman guard Chasson Randle (13.8 ppg), the Rock Island High star who was co-Mr. Basketball in Illinois last season.
"We've had a good season and could have had a great season," said Dawkins, whose Cardinal finished seventh in a notably tepidPac-12. "We're 6-3 over the last month and our overall chemistry has finally gained consistency."
During a 76-65 NIT win over visiting Cleveland State last week, sixth man Aaron Bright scored all 17 of his points in the second half in front of a sparse crowd announced at 1,339 inside Maples Pavilion.
If ISU beats the Cardinal, the Normal night owls will merely have to float across the Cal-Neva state line for a Wednesday night NIT quarterfinal vs. No. 5 seed Nevada (28-6), a 75-67 winner over No. 8 Bucknell on Sunday.
