(Photo courtesy GoRedbirds.com)
By ISU Sports Information
ST. LOUIS – The Illinois State men’s basketball team will play at 2017 NCAA Tournament qualifier Nevada, Nov. 29 as part of the Challenge Series between the Missouri Valley Conference and the Mountain West Conference, the league office announced Wednesday.
It will take place at Lawlor Events Center in Reno, Nevada, with the game time yet to be determined.
Led by third-year head coach Eric Musselman, Nevada won the Mountain West regular season and tournament titles in 2016-17. The Wolf Pack went 28-7 to tie for the second-most wins in program history. Nevada advanced to the NCAA Tournament where the Wolf Pack bowed out in the first round.
Nevada returns three starters and seven letterwinners from the 2016-17 team, including junior forward Cameron Oliver who earned first-team honors from the Mountain West media and second-team honors from the conference coaches, plus fellow junior Jordan Caroline who earned second team honors in both 2017 polls. Illinois State and Nevada will meet for the first time in program history.
The Challenge Series features head-to-head competition between 10 Mountain West Conference and 10 Missouri Valley Conference teams annually, with each league hosting five games apiece each season. All 10 games during the 2017 Challenge Series will take place within a six-day span in late November and early December. The agreement between the Mountain West and Missouri Valley conferences is in the third year of a four-year term.
In 2016, the Mountain West and Missouri Valley split the 10-game series, 5-5, with Illinois State earning a 79-74 victory over New Mexico, Dec. 3, 2016, on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena. The MW has an all-time series edge of 3-1-2 in six previous Challenge seasons, which includes an overall advantage of 33-22 in games played in association with the series. ISU is 2-3 in the Challenge Series (2009-10: at Utah, W 73-63; 2010-11: vs. UNLV, L 82-51; 2011-12: No opponent; 2012-13: vs. Wyoming, L 81-67; 2015-16: at San Diego State, L 71-60; 2016-17: vs. New Mexico, W 79-74).
Annual matchups for teams in the Challenge Series are based upon factors including the previous year’s achievements, records and RPI rankings, as well as projected rankings/strength of teams in the upcoming season, based on composite sources. Each season is considered separately in terms of matchups; therefore, games from the previous year’s Challenge Series may not be returned.
