SETTING THE STAGE
Indiana State Basketball hits the road for the final time in non-conference play on Saturday, December 16 when they travel to Western Kentucky. Tip-off is set for Noon (ET) from E.A. Diddle Arena and will be televised live worldwide on Fox College Sports. The game will also be broadcast on WIBQ 97.9 FM as well as streamed (audio) on GoSycamores.com. Indiana State is 5-5 on the season and are riding a two-game winning streak into Saturday's contest. Jordan Barnes leads the Sycamores with a 17.5 ppg average. WKU is 6-4 this year and have six scorers that average double figures. The Hilltoppers are led by Darius Thompson who averages 14.2 ppg and are coming off a narrow 81-80 loss at Wisconsin on Wednesday night.
EARLY TIP OFF TIME OF NOON
Please note the early rescheduled tipoff time of Noon (ET) due to Western Kentucky's football bowl game scheduled for Saturday afternoon.
QUICK HITS
- Indiana State is 82-10 when holding teams to 63 points or less under eighth-year head coach Greg Lansing (and 18-0 when limiting teams to 53 or less).Â
- Indiana State has earned 66 close victories (five points or less) since 2005. Under Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 40-29 in close games.Â
- Greg Lansing is just the sixth head coach in the history of the program to record at least 100 victories at the helm of the Sycamores as he owns 125. He recently passed Glenn Curtis for third on Indiana State's all-time career list and needs nine more to tie Royce Waltman for second.
- Indiana State played Ohio in a four overtime game to close out the Gildan Charleston Classic on November 19, 2017. It marked the first quadruple overtime game for the Sycamores since a 1986 contest against Butler. The Sycamores also went to overtime against North Texas on December 6.
- Senior Brenton Scott owns 225 trifectas in his career which is second-best in the history of the program. He is one of just three Sycamores to record at least 200 career 3-pointers. He only trails Michael Menser by 58 for the school record.
- Jordan Barnes has reached the 20-point scoring mark in the last four games -- the longest such streak by a Sycamore since Greg Thomas had four in a row during the 1992-93 campaign. Larry Bird holds the school record as he reached the 20-point mark 25 times in a row during the 1977-78 and 1978-79 campaign. That last to have five in a row was Eddie Bird from March 4, 1989 until December 2, 1989.
- Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing owns a school record five victories over nationally-ranked teams during his tenure, a new standard set on December 7, 2016 in the win over No. 15 Butler. Additionally, he owns six victories over Power 5 schools, with all of those coming against on a neutral site or on the road.Â
- Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing led the Sycamores for the 200th time against Missouri-St. Louis in 2016 and then it was his 100th career home game against the same opponent in 2017. He is one of just four head coaches at Indiana State to coach at least 200 games. Duane Klueh, Royce Waltman and Gordon Stauffer are the others.
A Win Over Western Kentucky Would ...
• Give the Sycamores their first victory over the Hilltoppers since a November 24, 2009 win in E.A. Diddle Arena by the score of 64-63 as part of the Preseason NIT.
• Give the Sycamores their first three-game winning streak since victories over Northern Illinois, Utah State and No. 15 Butler from November 30 through December 7, 2016.
The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing (South Dakota, 1990) is 125-113 (.525) overall in his eighth season as a head coach. He is 65-61 all-time in MVC games, including a 45-18 mark at home and a 20-43 record on the road. During his career, he is 75-29 in all home games, 34-62 on the road, 16-22 in neutral court contests and 40-29 in games decided by five points or less. With the Trees, Lansing is 10-12 in overtime games and 82-10 when holding teams to 63 points or less. Lansing is 0-2 in his career against Western Kentucky, including a mark of 0-1 on the road. Lansing led the Sycamores to the postseason in each of his first four seasons at the helm (2011 NCAA, 2012 CIT, 2013 & 2014 NIT). Lansing is the second head coach to lead the Sycamores to the NCAA Tournament in their rookie campaign in the history of the program, with the other being Bill Hodges leading ISU to a 33-1 record and a Final Four appearance in the 1979 NCAA Tournament. Lansing was just the 14th rookie head coach in the history of the MVC to lead his team to 20 victories during their debut season. Lansing holds the school record for most victories over a nationally-ranked team (five) in the history of the program. Lansing is currently third on the Indiana State all-time coaching victories list with 125 and needs nine more to tie Royce Waltman for second.
A Little History
Indiana State is in its 122nd season of college basketball at the school. The Sycamores are 1,472-1,280 all-time on the hardwood.
Television Particulars
The Western Kentucky game is available on Fox College Sports. On Time Warner Cable Terre Haute, the game will be available on Channel 254. On New Wave Brazil, the game can be found on channel 502. On Dish Network, Fox College Sports is located at channel 449 and on Direct TV the game can be found on channel 608. Check your local listings for additional ways to catch the game!
Jordan Barnes Has Reached 20-Point Mark In Each Of Last Four Games
Indiana State sophomore Jordan Barnes has reached the 20-point mark over the last four games -- the longest such streak by a Sycamore since Greg Thomas did it during the 1992-93 season. The last person to reach the mark in five games in a row was Eddie Bird who accomplished the feat in the final game of the 1988-89 campaign and the first four contests of the 1989-90 season. The school record is 25 games set by Larry Bird during the 1977-78 and 1978-79 seasons. He is the ninth Sycamore in the Missouri Valley Conference era to score at least 20 points in at least four games consecutively. Barnes scored a career-high 25 points against both Air Force and North Texas and has posted 23 points against Indianapolis as well as 22 versus Green Bay. Over the last four games, Barnes is averaging 23.8 points per game and nearly four assists during the streak. He has also hit 27-of-54 shots from the field (50 percent) and is a blazing 24-of-43 (55.8 percent) from long range. Barnes connected on a career-high seven 3-pointers against Indianapolis.
Sycamore Put In Solid Second Half Against Green Bay
Indiana State found itself tied at 32 with Green Bay after the first 20 minutes of action on Tuesday night inside Hulman Center. Things turned in the 2nd half as the Sycamores hit 17-of-30 shots from the field (56.7 percent) and were 7-of-14 from long range (50 percent) while limiting the Phoenix to just 32.1 percent shooting after the break. ISU won the second half 53-31 en route to the 85-63 victory. For the game, the Sycamores were hitting at a 50.9 percent clip and limited Green Bay to just 31.1 percent shooting.
Tyreke Key Returns Near Home Against Western Kentucky
Indiana State freshman Tyreke Key has enjoyed a strong start to his initial campaign with Indiana State as he prepares to return near his native Celina, Tenn., on Saturday at Western Kentucky. Just 78 short miles separate Clay County High School from E.A. Diddle Arena. Key, who broke Tony Delk's single-season scoring record last year in high school, is averaging 9.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game with the Sycamores. He has reached double figures scoring six times so far this season, including a career-high 16 points at North Texas in early December.
Sycamores Win While Being Outshot For First Time Since 2016
Indianapolis held a 46.4 percent to 42.1 percent shooting advantage in last Saturday's 79-75 Sycamore victory over the visiting Greyhounds. It marked the first time since a January 13, 2016 victory for the Sycamores over Northern Iowa that ISU shot worse than opposition, but still earned the win. That is a span of 28 games in a row in which ISU held the lower shooting percentage and was saddled with a loss. UNI hit 40.8 percent of their shots while ISU hit 39.7 percent. The Sycamores were aided in that game by a career-high 30 points from Brenton Scott as he hit 6-of-10 3-pointers, as well as a 12-of-13 mark from the charity stripe. Against Indianapolis, the Sycamores scored 20 points from the free throw line compared to 15 by the Greyhounds.
Greg Lansing All Alone In Third Place For Most Wins At Indiana State
Indiana State's 85-63 win over Green Bay was career victory No. 125 for eighth-year head coach Greg Lansing. He is now all alone in third place all-time at ISU. He needs nine more wins to catch Royce Waltman for second at 134 and the school record is held by Duane Klueh who owns 182 career victories. Lansing also owns 65 victories in Missouri Valley Conference play which is just four off the school record of 69 held by Indiana State's second all-time winningest head coach Royce Waltman (1997-2007). Lansing has led the Sycamores to the MVC Championship Game twice in his tenure.
Brenton Scott Is 2nd All-Time In 3-Pointers & Top 10 In Scoring
Indiana State senior Brenton Scott is just the third Sycamore to ever record at least 200 career 3-pointers. He now sits at 225 for his career. Scott has joined school record holder Michael Menser (1997-2001) who owns 283 career trifectas and Jordan Printy (2008-12) who hit 215 as the only Sycamores to post at least 200 career trifectas. Scott is in eighth place on the ISU all-time scoring list with 1,441 career points. He needs 114 more points to catch Eddie Bird for seventh.
Record Breaking Four Overtime Game Closes Out Gildan Charleston ClassicÂ
Indiana State went to four overtimes in their third and final game of the Gildan Charleston Classic. This was the first game to reach double overtime game for the Sycamores since an 88-85 win at home over Eastern Illinois on December 21, 2016. Additionally, it became the first Sycamore game to reach triple overtime since 2011 at Wichita State. The game against Ohio is only the second to go quadruple overtime with the other on December 27, 1986 against Butler. The Sycamores have played a total of seven overtime games in the last seasons, including two which went multiple overtime periods. In the Ohio game, the Sycamores had 79 field goals attempts which are the most for the program since they had 75 against Middle Tennessee State in 1996. Additionally, the Ohio game was the first time the Sycamores had six players reach double figures scoring since the triple overtime game at Wichita State in 2011.
Sycamores Post Dominating Victory In Season Opener At Indiana
Indiana State enjoyed a tremendous start to the season with a 90-69 victory over in-state rival Indiana inside Assembly Hall. The 90 points scored represent the most by a Sycamore team in the all-time series with the Hoosiers -- topping the previous best of 72 set in a 2005 win inside Hulman Center. ISU won that game by five points, 72-67, which until Friday night was the Sycamores largest margin of victory in the series. The Sycamores have now won four of the last six meetings in the all-time series dating back to Indiana State's last win inside Assembly Hall back in 1999. It was the Sycamores' first win in the series since 2005. The Sycamore victory broke a string of 32 wins in a row for the Hoosiers in their home opener and was ISU's first win on the road in a season opener since a 2014 overtime victory at IUPUI.
17 3-Pointers Most Ever By A Visitor To Indiana's Assembly Hall
Indiana State was solid in many areas at Indiana, beginning with 3-point shooting as they hit 17-of-26 attempts (65.4 percent) from long range. The 17 3-pointers are the most by an opponent against Indiana inside Assembly Hall and fell just one shy of the Sycamore school record of 18 set in 1988 against Arizona State.Â
Brenton Scott Named To Missouri Valley Conference Preseason First Team
Indiana State senior Brenton Scott was named Missouri Valley Conference Preseason First Team one year after taking home All-Missouri Valley Conference Third Team honors. He was the Valley's Freshman of the Year in 2015. Scott finished the regular season ranked second in the league with a 15.9 ppg average and was 16th with 5.0 rebounds per game. His 1.6 steals per game ranked in a tie for fourth while his 2.3 3-pointers per game was tied for the most in the league. Scott averaged 4.7 defensive rebounds per game to rank in a tie for seventh-best in the MVC this season. In league play, Scott's 13.3 ppg was good enough for 10th in the league while his 1.4 steals per game was fifth. He averaged 2.2 3-pointers per game to rank tied for fourth while his 4.4 defensive rebounds per game was ranked 11th. He scored 25 points and hit the final free throw with 1.5 seconds remaining to down No. 15 Butler inside Hulman Center.Â
Indiana State With A Pair Of Top 10 Career Scorers In Their Respective High School States
A pair of Indiana State freshmen in Tyreke Key and Cooper Neese enter the collegiate portion of their careers having reached the Top 10 in career scoring in both of their respective home states. Key finished his career at Clay County High School in Celina, Tenn., with 3,287 points scored which is 10th most in the history of the state of Tennessee. As a senior, he set the Tennessee High School record for most points scored in a season, breaking a 25-year old record held previously by Kentucky legend Tony Delk. Cooper Neese, who will sit out the 2017-18 season serving his year-in-residence as a transfer, enters his Indiana State career having scored 2,496 career points at nearby Cloverdale High School which is seventh-best in the Indiana High School Basketball history.
Sycamores Tally School Record Fifth Victory Over Nationally-Ranked Team Under Lansing
Indiana State ended a skid of nine losses to nationally-ranked teams when No. 15/16 Butler fell inside Hulman Center on December 7 by the score of 72-71. Coach Lansing has led the Sycamores to a school-record five victories against nationally-ranked teams during his time at the helm of the program. He passed Bill Hodges (head coach of the Dream Team in 1978-79) and Royce Waltman (head coach of the Sycamores during back-to-back NCAA Tourney trips in 2000 & 2001) for the most in program history with the win over Butler. It was just the second victory for the Sycamores under Lansing at home against a nationally-ranked team and the first overall since a win at No. 21 Notre Dame in 2013.
Sycamore Success Inside Hulman Center Under Greg Lansing
The Sycamores are 75-29 (.721) inside Hulman Center under eighth-year head coach Greg Lansing. Additionally, the Sycamores have won 45 of their last 63 MVC games at home. The longest stretch of current success against a league member is eight wins in a row at home against Bradley after last season's 81-71 victory over the Braves.
63 Is The Magic Number
The Sycamores win by the score of 85-63 on December 12 against Green Bay was ISU's second this season in which they held an opponent to 63 points or less and earned the victory. Under eighth-year head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 82-10 when allowing less than 63 points to the opposition (including a 18-0 mark when holding teams to 53 or less).
Good Starter On The Battery
Indiana State's starting five has outscored the opposition's top five, five times this season and earned the win. Under eighth-year head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 78-23 when the ISU starting five scores more than their opponent's starters after doing so in the win over Green Bay on December 12.
Greg Lansing Selected For Induction Into Iowa High School Basketball Hall Of Fame
Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing was inducted into the Iowa High School Athletic Association Basketball Hall of Fame as part of their 2016 class. Lansing and the other selected inductees were honored individually at halftime of the Iowa Class 4A State Championship Game at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines on March 12. The IHSAA Basketball Hall of Fame is the highest honor the Iowa High School Board of Control can bestow on a high school coach or former player. Lansing graduated from Harlan High School in 1986, where he was coached by his father Dave, who was inducted into the IHSAA Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999 as a coach. The Lansing father/son combination of Dave and Greg are just the 10th father/son duo to both be inducted into the Hall of Fame since 1969.
Up Next
Indiana State plays its final non-conference game of the season on Friday, December 22 when they host Elon inside Hulman Center. The game will tip-off at 6 pm (ET) and will be televised world-wide on The Valley On ESPN3. Please note the earlier than normal tip-off time to accommodate the student-athletes travel back to their homes for the Christmas Holiday.
