Indiana State University Athletics

SETTING THE STAGE
Indiana State Basketball returns home in MVC play on Sunday, January 28 when they host the Bradley Braves. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m. (ET) from Hulman Center and will be televised live on The Valley On ESPN3. The game will also be broadcast on WIBQ 97.9 FM as well as streamed (audio) on GoSycamores.com. Indiana State is 10-11, 5-4 MVC and have won two of their last three contests. Jordan Barnes is coming off a 23-point performance at Southern Illinois on Wednesday night and leads the team with a 17.3 ppg average. Bradley enters with a record of 15-7, 5-4 MVC and are winners of their last two games against Missouri State and Evansville. The Braves are led by Darrell Brown who averages 13.6 points per game.

QUICK HITS
- Today's game against Bradley is head coach Greg Lansing's 250th contest as the helm of the Sycamore program, joining Duane Klueh and Royce Waltman as the only three to coach at least 250 Indiana State Basketball games.
- Indiana State is 84-10 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). 
- Jordan Barnes is averaging 3.9 3-pointers per game to rank fourth in the nation and tops in the MVC. His 81 3-pointers made this season is third best nationally and 10 behind the national leader.
- Indiana State has hit at least one 3-pointer in every game since December 20, 2008 against DePauw -- a span of 303 contests.
- 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 130. He needs four more to tie Royce Waltman for second (and his 70 MVC wins is the most in the history of the program). The Sycamores finished the first nine games of conference play with a 5-4 record which marked the 6th time under Lansing in which Indiana State has made the turn in Valley play with a record over .500.
- 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 and at Illinois State on December 31. ISU has played nine overtime contests over the last two years.
- Senior Brenton Scott owns 252 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 31 for the school record.
- Jordan Barnes reached the 20-point scoring mark in four consecutive games between Air Force and Green Bay -- 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. 
- 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. 

A Win Over Bradley Would ...
• Give Indiana State 79 regular season & Missouri Valley Conference Tournament victories over the last eight seasons -- third most among the current membership of the league.
• Extend the Sycamores' overall winning streak against the Braves to four games and make it nine victories in a row in the series inside Hulman Center.

The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing (South Dakota, 1990) is 130-119 (.522) overall in his eighth season as a head coach. He is 70-65 all-time in MVC games, including a 48-19 mark at home and a 22-46 record on the road. During his career, he is 78-31 in all home games, 36-66 on the road, 16-22 in neutral court contests and 43-34 in games decided by five points or less. With the Trees, Lansing is 10-13 in overtime games and 84-10 when holding teams to 63 points or less. Lansing is 11-3 against the Braves, including a 7-0 mark at home. 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 130 and needs four more to tie Royce Waltman for second. His 70 MVC victories are a school record.

A Little History
Indiana State is in its 122nd season of college basketball at the school. The Sycamores are 1,477-1,286 all-time on the hardwood.

Television Particulars
The Bradley game will appear live world-wide on The Valley On ESPN3 as well as the WatchESPN app.

Indiana State Offense Off To Fast Start In MVC Play
The Sycamore offense has been the best in the league during the first nine games of MVC play as they are averaging 73.4 points per game to top the statistical rankings. The next closest team is Illinois State who owns a 68.6 average which puts the Sycamores nearly five points scored above everyone else in the league. Jordan Barnes ranks third individually with a 17.6 ppg average while Brenton Scott is fourth averaging 16.7 ppg. ISU's 5-4 record through the first round of MVC play gives the Sycamores a winning record at the turn of the Valley schedule for the sixth time in the last eight years.

Barnes and Scott Rank High In Conference / Nationally In Several Categories
Jordan Barnes and Brenton Scott both rank in the Top 10 in the Missouri Valley Conference statistical listings for scoring as Barnes owns a 17.3 ppg mark for third while Scott's 15.0 ppg is eighth. Barnes' 3.9 3-pointers per game leads the MVC -- a number which is fourth-best in all the nation. During conference play, Barnes is hitting 3.6 treys per game which also leads the league. He also ranks 25th nationally with a 45.0 percent mark from long range and is ninth-best in the country with 180 3-point attempts on the season. Barnes' 81 3-pointers is third in the country and trails Kendrick Nunn of Oakland by 10 treys as he leads the country with 91. He needs 11 more 3-pointers to tie Michael Menser's school record of 92 set during the 1999-2000 campaign. 

Feeling The Murphquake During Valley Play
Indiana State senior Brandon Murphy is enjoying one of the finest stretches of his career as he is averaging 8.1 points and 5.6 rebounds so far in Valley play. In fact, Murphy leads the league with a 71.1 percent shooting mark during league games, hitting 27-of-38 shots from the field. He recorded a career-high 16 points at home against Drake on January 6 and had the buzzer beating win against UNI on January 10. Murphy added eight rebounds at Southern Illinois.

Greg Lansing Sets New School Record For MVC Victories
Indiana State, under the direction of eighth-year head coach Greg Lansing, owns 78 conference and MVC Tournament wins – which is the third-most among the current membership during that same span. UNI has the most victories with 85 while Illinois State is in second at 81. The Sycamores' 78 wins are ahead of Missouri State who owns 71 and Evansville who boasts 69.  During regular season play, Lansing has 70 MVC victories which is the most in the history of the program. He set the new school record with a 84-54 victory over Illinois State on January 20, 2018.

Sycamores Secure Fifth 30-Point MVC Victory In Program History Against Illinois State
While any win in the Missouri Valley Conference is tough to come by, a win by 20 or more points is even more rare. Indiana State defeated Illinois State by the score of 84-54 on Saturday, January 20 – an impressive 30-point victory. Since the Sycamores joined the league for the 1977-78 campaign, this was Indiana State's 26th victory by at least 20 points in a conference game. The Sycamores' win by 30 points over Illinois State was its first over 20 points since a February 11, 2017 victory over Drake by 24 points. This game was the fifth time that the Sycamores have won by at least 30 points in a Missouri Valley Conference game against the current league membership. It was the largest margin of victory in a conference contest for the Sycamores since a 72-42 win on Jan. 23, 2008 against Evansville. This was the biggest margin of victory ever against Illinois State and just the second time the Sycamores have beaten the Redbirds by 20 or more points. The school record for largest victory over a MVC school is 36 points and happened in 1981 against Southern Illinois and most recently against Evansville in 2001. All but one of the Sycamores 20 plus point victories have come at home, with Indiana State's 65-44 victory in 1998 at Northern Iowa being the program's only win by at least 20 points against a MVC opponent which came on the road.

Brenton Scott Continues To Make A Move Up ISU Scoring Chart
Indiana State senior Brenton Scott is just the third Sycamore to ever record at least 200 career 3-pointers. He now sits at 252 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. Brenton Scott made a serious move up the ISU scoring chart at Missouri State as he passed David Moss and Jake Odum and is now the No. 5 all-time leading scorer with 1,627 career points. He now trails Butch Wade for No. 4 on the list by 45 points.

Greg Lansing All Alone In Third Place For Most Wins At Indiana State
Indiana State's 84-54 victory over Illinois State on January 20 was career victory No. 130 for eighth-year head coach Greg Lansing. He is now all alone in third place all-time at ISU. He needs four more wins to catch Royce Waltman for second at 134 and the school record is held by Duane Klueh who owns 182 career victories. 

Sycamore Success Inside Hulman Center Under Greg Lansing
The Sycamores are 78-31 (.716) inside Hulman Center under eighth-year head coach Greg Lansing. Additionally, the Sycamores have won 48 of their last 67 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.

Defense Once Again The Key Against Evansville
It was a slobber knocker on Wednesday night in Evansville with both teams behind held well below their season shooting averages and hitting 37.7 percent of their shots from the field. ISU was successful in the game based primarily on defense as they limited the Purple Aces to 34.6 percent shooting (18-of-52) and only allowed four field goals from 3-point range. ISU's defense held the Purple Aces without a field goal for over eight minutes of the first half and kept it going in the second, extending the stretch for nearly 11 minutes of game time. The result was the Sycamores' largest lead of the game at 41-26 with 17:46 remaining in the game. Additionally, the Sycamores' first eight field goals of the game were 3-pointers and the first two-point field goal didn't come until the 3:53 mark of the first half, but it proved to be a conventional 3-point play by senior Brandon Murphy.

Scott Is Great In Wins Over Evansville & Illinois State
Indiana State senior Brenton Scott averaged 18.5 points and 5.0 rebounds as the Sycamores swept games over Evansville and Illinois State. Scott exploded for 23 points as he hit 5-of-9 attempts from long range and added four rebounds as part of a 30-point win over the Redbirds. Scott's 3-pointer with 15:13 remaining in the first half erased an early Redbird lead and gave the Sycamores a lead that they would never lose. He added another trifecta on the Sycamores' next possession and the rout was on. He final 3-pointer came with 4:07 remaining which put the Sycamores up an Impressive 40 points at 84-44. At Evansville, Scott posted 14 points and added three assists as well as three steals and pulled down six rebounds. Scott was huge down the stretch as he hit 5-of-6 from the free throw line to help seal the victory. 

His Scoring Has Been Key To Sycamore Surge
Indiana State freshman Tyreke Key tossed in 11.5 points and led the team with 8.5 rebounds per game to go with four assists, one block and one steal as the Sycamores swept Illinois State and Evansville. Key hit 7-of-17 shots from the field (41.2 percent) and was 8-of-12 (66.7 percent) from the free throw line. Key posted 13 points off the bench for the Sycamores in the 30-point win over the Redbirds as he hit 4-of-7 shots from the field as well as 5-of-7 from the charity stripe. He led the team with eight rebounds and added three assist and one steal. Key went on a personal 7-0 run during the early stages of the game as part of a 17-0 spurt which turned a 4-0 Illinois State lead into a 17-4 Sycamore rout. Key scored 10 points in the win over Evansville as he hit a big 3-pointer, led the team with nine rebounds and added one assist with a blocked shot. Key hit two free throws in the final 10 seconds to make it a two possession game and secure the road victory.

Evansville Is Indiana State's Most Frequently Played Rival
Indiana State traveled to in-state rival Evansville on Wednesday, January 17 and earned a tough 71-66 road victory. The Purple Aces are not the oldest rival on the Sycamores' schedule but they are the most frequent. The game against Evansville on January 17 was the 170th meeting in the all-time series – holding that distinction by 38 over the next most frequent opponent to appear on the schedule – Ball State. Indiana State has beaten Eastern Illinois 90 times and now the Purple Aces the same amount and are the two programs against which the Sycamores have had the most historical success. The Sycamores have faced off against six different opponents at least 100 times with three being MVC members – Evansville, Southern Illinois and Illinois State and the others being Ball State, Eastern Illinois and Butler.

63 Is The Magic Number
The Sycamores win by the score of 84-54 on January 20 against Illinois State was ISU's fourth 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 84-10 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, 10 times this season and earned the win. Under eighth-year head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 83-23 when the ISU starting five scores more than their opponent's starters after doing so in the win over Illinois State on January 20.

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. 

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.

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
The Sycamores begin a two-game Valley road swing when they travel to Valparaiso on Wednesday, January 31 at 8 pm (ET). The game will air live on The Valley On ESPN3.