MACOMB, Ill. -Â Western Illinois continues Summit League action on the road this week, playing at IUPUI on Thursday (Jan. 30) before heading to Fort Wayne on Saturday for another league contest. Both games are slated to tip off at 6 p.m. CT.
UP NEXT?: After the Fighting Leathernecks continue their road swing by kicking off the second half of the league schedule at Omaha on February 8th, WIU returns to Macomb as a pair of conference foes come to town in North Dakota State (Feb. 13) and South Dakota State (Feb. 15).
ESPN3: This Thursday, Western's game at IUPUI will be aired live on ESPN3.com. Subscribers can visit the site and watch the Leathernecks play the Jaguars on the road.
300...MILESTONE REACHED: Western Illinois head coach Jim Molinari reached a career milestone versus South Dakota at home last week (Jan. 23), earning his 300th career victory as a head coach. The Leathernecks head coach is in his sixth year at Western, and 20th season as a NCAA Division I head coach. Molinari's career win totals look like this: 77 at Western Illinois, 7 at Minnesota, 174 at Bradley, and 42 at Northern Illinois.
SUMMIT LEAGUE GAMES: Since head coach Jim Molinari became the head coach at Western, WIU is 38-55 in Summit League action. Over the last three seasons, Molinari and the Leathernecks are 24-15 in conference play.
LAST TIME OUT: Western Illinois dropped a Summit League contest to the Denver Pioneers last Saturday evening (Jan. 25), 67-55, inside Western Hall. The Leathernecks committed 19 turnovers in the defeat, and were led by freshman guard Garret Covington who scored a team-best 12 points. The contest was a back-and-forth affair to begin, with three ties and four lead changes in the opening seven minutes of action. Denver then used a 6-0 to take the lead, and never surrendered it.Â
TEAM LEADERS: Freshman Garret Covington leads Western in games started (17), minutes per game (32.2), points per game (14.1), field goals (84), three-pointers (43), free throws (56), free throw percentage (81.2), and defensive rebounds (81). Senior Adam Link leads the team in field goal percentage (58.7). Senior Michael Ochereobia leads the team in blocks per game (1.4), rebounds per game (5.1), and offensive rebounds (30). Freshman Jabari Sandifer leads Western with 2.9 assists per game and 1.2 steals per game. Sophomore Jordan Foster is shooting a team-best 44.4% (12-of-27) from beyond the arc.
A LOOK AT IUPUI: The Jaguars enter Thursday's tilt with a 5-17 overall record and 0-5 Summit League mark. IUPUI was selected to finish last in the annual league poll, with center Mitch Patton being tabbed Preseason All-League Second Team. IUPUI is 4-6 this season at home, and 1-9 on the road. The Jaguars last victory came on January 2nd at home, their last nonconference contest of the season, to Judson (NAIA DII). Ian Chiles and Patton lead the Jaguars in points per game, averaging 15.9 and 12.6, respectively. Marcellus Barksdale (7.1) and Patton (6.0) lead IUPUI in rebounds per game. Barksdale, who is the only Jaguar to have started every contest this season, also leads the Jaguars in assists per game, averaging 3.5. Chiles has knocked down a team-best 25 three-pointers on the year. IUPUI ranks in the 'Top 50' of three national categories: #12 in free throw percentage (75.7), #21 personal fouls per game (16.5), and #53 in turnovers per game (10.9). Individually, Ian Chiles ranks #21 in field goal attempts (305) and #46 in field goals made (127). Barksdale also ranks #93 in total rebounds (157) nationally.
SERIES HISTORY WITH THE JAGUARS: IUPUI leads the all-time series 28-11. Prior to the Leathernecks winning the previous three meetings over the last two seasons, IUPUI won 26-of-27 from 2000 to 2011. Through the first nine meetings between the two programs, Western captured seven victories.
WESTERN IN THE NATION TOP 100 (Last Released 1/27): The Leathernecks ranks in the 'Top 100' of five NCAA statistical categories. Western ranks #17 in scoring defense (60.8), #60 in three-point field goal defense (31.3), #71 in field goal defense (40.7), #84 in personal fouls per game (18.0), and #86 in field goal percentage (46.2).
TV GAMES: Besides all Summit League tournament games being televised on Fox College Sports, the Leathernecks have one regular season league contest that will air nationally. Western at South Dakota is slated to air on Fox College Sports Central on February 22.Â
DOUBLE FIGURES: Nine Western Illinois men's basketball players have had at least one game this season with 10 or more points. The total numbers of 10-plus points games for WIU is 49 led by Garret Covington who has 13 games with 10 or more points. Adam Link ranks second on the team with nine contests, Tate Stensgaard has scored in double figures eight times, and Michael Ochereobia has seven games scoring in double figures. Jabari Sandifer has tallied double-digits in the scoring column five times, Jordan Foster three times, Mike Miklusak twice, and Remy Roberts-Burnett and Mohamed Conde have each scored 10 or more points in one game this season.
SANDIFER'S ASSISTS: Freshman guard Jabari Sandifer leads Western (10th in the league) in assists this season, averaging 2.9 per game. The Naperville, Ill. native dished out a career-high six assists in Western's game at North Dakota State (Jan. 18). He also dished out five helpers at UTEP (Dec. 21), and has recorded four assists twice, first versus Greenville (Nov. 30) and then again versus Alcorn State (Dec. 29). Sandifer also has 11 games this season with exactly three assists. Overall on the year, Sandifer has recorded three or more assists in 15-of-20 games.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Western Illinois freshman guard Garret Covington was named The Summit League's 'Player of the Week' after finishing the Fighting Leathernecks' final nonconference game of the season against William & Mary (Jan. 4) with a career-high 26 points. Covington also knocked down a career-best five three-pointers in the contest.
ALL-TOURNAMENT NOD: Western Illinois played in nonconference tournaments this season, the Basketball Travelers Classic at Utah State and the Don Haskins Sun Bowl Classic at UTEP. Adam Link was named to the all-tournament team at Utah State after averaging 14 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game in the invite. Link also shot 60% from the floor, and 66.7% from the free throw line. Mike Miklusak earned all-tournament honors at UTEP after averaging 9.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game in the two games. Miklusak also knocked down a team-best four three-pointers in the tournament.
DOUBLE TROUBLE: Newcomer Tate Stensgaard recorded the team's first double-double of the season versus Eureka (Nov. 21) at home by scoring a game-high 14 points and pulling down a game-high 11 rebounds. He then earned his second double-double of the season against Omaha (Jan. 11) when he recorded 12 points and 11 rebounds. On December 7th Garret Covington, who is the only other player to tally a double-double, totaled 15 points and a season-high 11 rebounds for Western in a win over Grace Bible.
HOME SWEET HOME: Western is 28-8 inside Western Hall since the beginning of the 2011-12 season. The Leathernecks went 10-4 during their 2011-12 campaign, 12-2 during last season's conference championship run, and are 6-2 so far this year.
SHUTTING DOWN EIU: The Leathernecks defeated the Panthers of Eastern Illinois 60-32 on December 4 this season. Eastern's 32 points was the lowest point total the Leathernecks have given up in their program's NCAA Division I history, and the lowest point total WIU has given up since January 10, 1948 when Western defeated Concordia-Missouri, 60-32. EIU's 32 points was also the Panthers' lowest point total since EIU became a Division I program in 1981.
BLOCK PARTY: Senior Michael Ochereobia tallied a career-high eight blocks for the Leathernecks on December 4 versus Eastern Illinois. As a team, WIU finished with 10 blocks.
RETURNING TO THE TEAM: Western has six players returning to the team this season in seniors Adam Link, Michael Ochereobia and Billy Molinari, junior Remy Roberts-Burnett, and sophomores Jordan Foster and Jason Hawthorne.
WELCOME TO WESTERN: Six newcomers joined the Leatherneck family prior to the 2013-14 season. Four freshmen begin their college playing careers this season in: Garret Covington, Jabari Sandifer, Mike Miklusak and Travis Barnes, while sophomore Tate Stensgaard and junior Mohamed Conde transferred to Western.
SUMMIT LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL: Western Illinois was projected to finish fourth in The Summit League this season according to the annual preseason poll of league coaches, SIDs and media. The Leathernecks, who shared the league's regular season championship last season, received a total of 161 points in the poll.
PRESEASON RECOGNITION: Senior Adam Link was tabbed Preseason All-Summit League Second Team by the league's coaches, SIDs and media. The Elbert, Colo. native finished last season third on the squad in points having averaged 9.9 per game, while also tied for second in rebounds having pulled down 4.1 per game. Link was one of two Leathernecks to start all 31 games last season. Link was also tabbed All-Summit League Second Team by College Sports Madness in September.
DIFFERENT AREA CODES:Â Western is slated to play 12 games on Waste Management Court inside Western Hall, and 17 games away from Macomb in 11 different states. The graphic below highlights each location WIU is slated to travel to.Â
