By Bryan Bloodworth
NORMAL – It’s time to get back on the winning track for Illinois State’s basketball team and what better game to do that in than the I-74 rivalry game with Bradley.
“It’s always going to be a rivalry,” said ISU coach Dan Muller ahead of tonight’s 7 o’clock Missouri Valley Conference game at Carver Arena in Peoria. “It’s an important game to our fans and our alumni. It’s bragging rights. It’s got a little bit extra to it, no doubt.”
The Redbirds will be out to snap a season-high three game losing streak and move their league record to 4-3 and even its overall mark at 10-10. ISU has won three straight in the series and 11 of the last 13 meetings.
Bradley, which is the youngest team in the country with 10 freshmen and one sophomore on its active roster, has a 3-16 overall record and a 1-5 Valley mark.
“Any team is going to play really hard. The biggest thing is he’s trying to teach a bunch of new guys how to play,” added Muller referring to first-year Bradley coach Brian Wardle. “You can see spurts of really good play and then you have times where inexperience shows itself.”
Muller was able to give the Redbirds some much needed rest following Friday’s loss to Evansville and it’s helped.
“Some guys got healthy and not just (with) injuries, but sickness,” he said. “We ran through a lot of guys last week and we’re just a little bit run down. I thought we played some very good basketball on the road, but did not finish and that was an issue of some fatigue and letting down.
“Our last game was probably our worst in awhile. I thought our approach to the game, our mindset and the way we played together offensively we really took a step back.”
With six games in 20 days since returning from the Christmas break on Dec. 27, the Redbirds had two days off after the Evansville game. And sophomore forward MiKyle McIntosh, who has put together three solid performances in the last three games, said the team appreciated it.
“Sometimes, I don’t want to say it becomes overwhelming, but it’s a lot to deal with,” continued McIntosh, who has averaged 18 points in the last three games. “Sometimes you step back, look at everything and re-evaluate, so you can get back out there and be fresh and be mentally ready for the rest of the season.”
Bryan Bloodworth can be reached at [email protected]
