BYU basketball: Previewing the Illinois State Redbirds
BYU basketball returns to the Marriott Center riding a three-game winning streak to take on the Illinois State Redbirds. Here’s what to know.
BYU basketball is coming off back-to-back-to-back wins away from the friendly confines of the Marriott Center. On Wednesday, December 6, the Cougars will finally play in Provo again.
They’ll be hosting the 4-4 Illinois State Redbirds, who have dropped two of their last three games. Here’s what to know for the matchup.
Who To Watch
For Illinois State, it all comes down to three players: Phil Fayne, Keyshawn Evans and Milik Yarbrough.
Fayne, a 6-foot-9 junior forward, is stuffing the stat sheet for the Redbirds. He’s currently averaging 16.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.5 steals per game. Fayne is also playing a team-high 32.5 minutes per game. Oh, and he’s also shooting 57 percent from the field.
In short, Yoeli Childs and Luke Worthington will have their hands full with him.
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Evans is currently the team’s leading scorer, posting 20.4 points per game. He’s scored in double figures in each game this season, but is just 15-of-42 (36 percent) over his last three games, which includes a 10-of-27 mark from 3-point range. He’s streaky as a scorer, but he’s still a talented guard that can get hot at any time.
Thirdly, the Redbirds rely on Yarbrough. Yarbrough led Illinois State in scoring last time out (a 65-58 victory over Tulsa), posting 22 points on 6-of-13 shooting. The 6-foot-6 forward does a little bit of everything for Illinois State, too. Every game in which he’s played at least 20 minutes, Yarbrough’s scored at least eight points, grabbed at least five rebounds and dished out at least four assists.
On The Road Again
The Redbirds have played in two true away contests this season – and are 0-2 in those games. That bodes well for the Cougars who will have the support of 19,000+ in the Marriott Center.
Illinois State dropped its season opener to Florida Gulf Coast 98-87, then fell to the Nevada Wolfpack 98-68 last week.
It’s worth noting that those two squads are a combined 14-3, so it’s not like Illinois State is losing to bottom feeders – but it still doesn’t bode well to come to Provo.