By WJBC Staff
NORMAL – Illinois State will host 2018 NCAA Tournament participant San Diego State in the 2018 Mountain West/Missouri Valley Challenge, announced by the MVC office on Thursday morning. The game will be played on Dec. 1 on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena.
The Challenge Series features head-to-head competition between 10 Mountain West and 10 Missouri Valley teams annually, with each conference hosting five games apiece each season. The 2018 edition of the Challenge Series is the eighth.
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 upon composite sources. Each season is considered separately in terms of matchups, therefore, games from the previous year’s Challenge Series may not be returned.
Television rights for each Challenge Series contest will be controlled by the home team’s conference television agreement, which will dictate the distribution of the game and all related matters, including tip times.
The all-time series between Illinois State and San Diego State is knotted at two wins apiece. Illinois State won the first two meetings between the teams, including a meeting in the NCAA College Division Quarterfinals in 1967.
Illinois State ended the 2017-18 season with an 18-15 overall record, falling in the championship game of the MVC Tournament to eventual NCAA Final Four participant Loyola. The team returns its top six scorers, and 95 percent of its overall scoring and 92.2 percent of its rebounding from a season ago.
Back for the Redbirds is 2018 MVC Newcomer of the Year Milik Yarbrough, who averaged 16.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game, as he was also named to the All-Conference First Team. Rising senior Phil Fayne was named to the All-MVC Second Team after averaging 15.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Keyshawn Evans also returns after averaging 15.2 points, dishing out 107 assists, and making 42 percent of his three-point shots, making three per contest.
San Diego State finished 22-11 last season, winning the MWC Tournament Title before falling to Houston in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The team returns three double-digit scorers from last season, including second-leading scorer Devin Watson who averaged 12.2 points while dishing out 124 assists. Matt Mitchell (10.5 ppg) and Jalen McDaniels (10.5 ppg) also return for the Aztecs.
Additionally, former San Diego State head coach, and 2017 Illinois State Hall of Fame inductee Steve Fisher is currently a special consultant within the Aztec development office.
The game is the fourth of the 2018-19 season that has be announced, as the Redbirds will also play three games at the Cayman Islands Classic College Basketball Invitational from November 19-21. Among the teams playing in the Cayman Islands that Illinois State could face includes Clemson, Creighton, Georgia State, St. Bonaventure, Akron, Boise State, and Georgia.
