The summer months are important ones for college programs, and not only because of the skill development of players in the program and the need to hit the recruiting trail.
There’s also the act of completing the non-conference schedule for the upcoming season, a task that can be tougher for some schools than others. Wednesday evening Illinois State announced that the school has reached an agreement with VCU for a home-and-home series, with the first game being played in Richmond on Friday, November 8, 2013.
The Redbirds will host the Rams during the 2014-15 season, but a date for that matchup has not been determined.
“I am very excited about starting this series with VCU,” Illinois State head coach Dan Muller said in a statement released by the school. “They are well-coached, play extremely hard and have had a lot of success recently.
“Playing at VCU gives us a chance to play in a hostile environment this year, which is a goal for me in scheduling. (VCU head coach) Shaka Smart’s teams are always going to compete and be prepared, and bringing them back the following year should be very exciting for our fan base.”
An interesting fact about this series is that Muller played in last two meetings between the programs, with VCU currently holding a 3-1 edge.
Last season Illinois State did a solid job of taking care of the basketball, as they averaged just over 13 turnovers per game. That will be a key for the Redbirds at the Siegel Center in November, as VCU forced an average of 19.7 turnovers per game in 2012-13.
Raphielle can be followed on Twitter at @raphiellej.
