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High-powered Indiana gunning for spot in tournament final

Nov 23, 2007 - 4:10 PM Illinois St (3-0) vs. No. 8 Indiana (3-0) 8:30 pm EST

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Illinois (Ticker) -- A spot in the championship game of the Chicago Invitational Challenge will be at stake Friday when No. 8 Indiana faces Illinois State in a matchup of unbeatens.

The Hoosiers have yet to be challenged in the regular season, winning by an average margin of 32.3 points. Indiana is 3-0 all-time in the series, but the two teams haven't faced each other since 1988.

Indiana is coming off a 95-71 victory over UNC-Wilmington, which actually represented the Hoosiers' season low for points.

It was the third time in as many games that Indiana had at least five players in double figures. Freshman guard Eric Gordon had 30 points and a career-high six assists.

The Redbirds, under first-year coach Tim Jankovich, are unbeaten through three games for the fist time since the 1996-97 season.

Sophomore guard Osiris Eldridge scored a career-high 30 points in Illinois State's last game, an 89-73 victory over UNC-Wilmington.

The winner of the Indiana-Illinois State game will face the winner of the Xavier-Kent State contest in the championship game on Saturday.