GAME NOTES: Two of the top teams in the Missouri Valley Conference hit the floor tonight at Redbird Arena, as Illinois State tries to remain perfect at home versus the Northern Iowa Panthers. UNI opened league play by taking out both Bradley and Evansville in back-to-back contests, but on Saturday the squad was upended by Indiana State on the road in a 74-56 decision. The loss snapped a two-game win streak for a team that has yet to drop back-to-back games in 2007-08. As for the Redbirds, they captured their sixth straight win over the weekend with a 56-47 triumph versus Southern Illinois. The victory pushed the team out to a 3-0 start in MVC play as it plays the second of four straight at home. Still remaining on the homestand are Evansville and Wichita State, with league-leader Drake on the horizon in Des Moines in 11 days. With respect to the all-time series between these two schools on the hardwood, Illinois State holds a 31-17 edge over the Panthers heading into this meeting. However, UNI has been very tough in recent years, winning six of the last seven encounters, including a 71-66 triumph in the most recent game a season ago after falling by three points in overtime in the first battle of the campaign. The squads will meet up again on January 30th in Cedar Falls.

Down by 18 points at the half and playing on the road, the Panthers gave themselves little chance of battling back versus Indiana State over the weekend. Eric Coleman came up as the top scorer for the visitors with his 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor, followed by Jon Montgomery and Adam Koch who tallied 12 points apiece, while Jordan Eglseder contributed 10 rebounds in the losing cause. Although he has started just one game this season, Coleman remains the top scorer for UNI with 12.4 ppg, on the strength of his 56.5 percent shooting from the field. He is also the top rebounder for the group with almost nine boards per game and has accounted for 25 blocked shots, two ahead of Eglseder (10.9 ppg) who is also second on the glass with 7.4 rpg. Defensively, the team is limiting foes to a mere 36.3 percent shooting from the field, resulting in just 56.4 ppg.

The Redbirds scored the first points of the game against Southern Illinois last weekend and never looked back, holding the visitors to a paltry 13 points in the first half on just 4-of-22 shooting from the floor. Overall, SIU made a mere 26 percent from the field and 4-of-20 beyond the arc on the night. Levi Dyer accounted for 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting behind the three-point line off the bench for Illinois State, while fellow reserve Osiris Eldridge contributed 13 points as the only other double-digit scorer for the group. Usually a starter, Eldridge is responsible for a team-high 15.3 ppg at the moment and is among the leaders with close to six rebounds per game. Dyer checks in with 11.0 ppg as a sizzling 50 percent shooter from three-point range. One of the best shooting defenses in the conference, ISU limits opponents to just 37.6 percent from the floor and 28.3 percent out on the perimeter, which leads to just 57.4 ppg.

The two toughest scoring defenses in the MVC lock up tonight, which means there's a good chance that one of the programs may not be breaking the 50- point barrier. Playing at home where they are undefeated thus far will certainly give the Redbirds a distinct advantage.