SETTING THE STAGE
Indiana State Basketball continues MVC play on Wednesday, January 10 when they host the Northern Iowa Panthers. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. (ET) from Hulman Center and will be televised live on the Missouri Valley Conference TV Network as well as ESPN3. The game will also be broadcast on WIBQ 97.9 FM as well as streamed (audio) on GoSycamores.com. Indiana State is 7-9, 2-2 MVC and will look to split the current home stand and are led by Jordan Barnes who is averaging 16.5 ppg. Over the past week, Brenton Scott is averaging 20.5 ppg and set a new career high with seven steals against Drake. UNI is 8-8, 0-4 MVC and are led by Bennett Koch who is averaging 13.9 ppg.
QUICK HITS
- Indiana State is 83-10 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
- Jordan Barnes is averaging 3.8 3-pointers per game to rank seventh in the nation and tops in the MVC. His 61 3-pointers made this season is fifth best nationally and eight behind the national leader.
- 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 127. He recently passed Glenn Curtis for third on Indiana State's all-time career list and needs seven more to tie Royce Waltman for second (three more to tie him for most MVC victories in the history of the program).
- 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 241 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 42 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.Â
- 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 Northern Iowa Would ...
• Improve the Sycamores to 6-2 against the Panthers inside Hulman Center under the direction of eighth-year head coach Greg Lansing.
• Give eighth-year head coach Greg Lansing 68 career Missouri Valley Conference victories -- just one shy of Royce Waltman's school record of 69.
The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing (South Dakota, 1990) is 127-117 (.520) overall in his eighth season as a head coach. He is 67-63 all-time in MVC games, including a 46-19 mark at home and a 21-44 record on the road. During his career, he is 76-31 in all home games, 35-64 on the road, 16-22 in neutral court contests and 41-32 in games decided by five points or less. With the Trees, Lansing is 10-13 in overtime games and 83-10 when holding teams to 63 points or less. Lansing is 9-6 against Northern Iowa, including a 5-2 mark at Hulman Center. 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 127 and needs seven 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 1,474-1,284 all-time on the hardwood.
Television Particulars
The Northern Iowa game will air on the Missouri Valley Conference Television Network. The game is scheduled to appear on Fox Sports Midwest, Fox Sports Indiana Plus in Evansville, Terre Haute and Indianapolis, Fox Kansas City and NBC Sports Chicago. The game will also air live on ESPN3 outside of the four-state footprint of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Missouri but will be available in those areas on immediate tape-delay. Fans should check their local listings for Fox Sports Indiana Plus on their cable or satellite companies.
Scott Great For The Sycamores
Indiana State senior Brenton Scott averaged 20.5 points and a 6.0 rebounds with seven assists and eight steals as the Sycamores split a pair of contests against Loyola and Drake. ISU snapped a two-game losing skid in Chicago with a 61-57 win over the Ramblers as Scott led the way with 16 points and nine rebounds. Scott broke a tie with less than a minute to go with a driving lay-up and then banked in a 15-foot jumper with seven seconds remaining and with the shot clock expiring to secure the victory. Scott went on to score 25 points against Drake as she hit 4-of-8 shots from long distance and was 5-of-6 from the free throw line. Three times he had a bucket in the second half to draw the Sycamores within one point of the Bulldogs. Scott also posted a career-high seven steals in the contest, just one off the school record held by Nate Green (1999 vs. Eastern Illinois) and Jimmy Smith (1978 vs. Drake).
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 10.3 points and 4.8 rebounds through the first four games of Valley play. In fact, Murphy leads the league with a 73.7 percent shooting mark during league games, hitting 14-of-19 shots from the field. He recorded a career-high 16 points at home against Drake on January 6.
Indiana State Holds Loyola Scoreless In Final 7:31, First Visiting Team To Win In Chicago
The Sycamores trailed Loyola by six points with just under eight minutes remaining after having led by as many as 16 points during a hot shooting first half of play. ISU clamped down on defense after the Ramblers took a 53-47 lead and outscored them 14-4 the rest of the way for the 61-57 victory. ISU concluded the game on a 7-0 run which began with a conventional 3-point play from Brandon Murphy with 1:43 remaining to tie the score at 57 and then Brenton Scott grabbed an open lay-up with just over a minute to go and then he banked in a shot with seven seconds remaining and the shot clock expiring for the 61-57 victory. It was the first home court loss for Loyola this season. Indiana State held an impressive 36-18 edge in the paint a 17-7 cushion in points off turnovers and were ahead 10-4 in the second chance point battle.
Brenton Scott Ready 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 241 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. The stage is set for Brenton Scott to make a serious move up the ISU scoring chart this week as he currently sits in eighth place with 1,548 career points. He is just even points shy of Eddie Bird for seventh, 14 away from David Moss for sixth and 20 behind Jake Odum for No. 5 on the list.
Sycamores With Third Most League Victories In Last Eight Seasons
Indiana State, under the direction of eighth-year head coach Greg Lansing, owns 75 conference and MVC Tournament wins – which is the third-most among the current membership during that same span. Two of the top three winners meet on the hardwood this Wednesday when Northern Iowa visits Hulman Center. UNI has the most victories with 82 while Illinois State is second at 80. The Sycamores' 75 wins are ahead of Missouri State who owns 69 and Evansville who boasts 67. During regular season play, Lansing has 67 MVC victories which is second-most ever at ISU behind Royce Waltman's 69 and he has reached the championship game of Arch Madness twice – winning the event in 2011.
Barnes and Scott Rank High In Conference / Nationally In Several Categories
Jordan Barnes and Brenton Scott both rank in the Top 8 in the Missouri Valley Conference statistical listings for scoring as Barnes owns a 16.5 ppg mark for fifth while Scott's 14.8 ppg is eighth. Barnes' 3.8 3-pointers per game leads the MVC -- a number which is seventh-best in all the nation. During conference play, Barnes is hitting 3.0 treys per game which also leads the league. He also ranks 23rd nationally with a 46.9 percent mark from long range and is 19th-best in the country with 130 3-point attempts on the season. Barnes' 61 3-pointers is fifth in the country and trails Fletcher Magee of Wofford by eight treys as he leads the country with 69. Scott's 2.1 steals per game is second in the MVC and is 10th in rebounding with a 5.6 average. Scott set a new career high for steals against Drake with seven (one shy of the school record). Qiydar Davis gives the Sycamores two in the top four in the MVC for steals with a 1.5 per game average.
Greg Lansing All Alone In Third Place For Most Wins At Indiana State
Indiana State's 61-57 was career victory No. 127 for eighth-year head coach Greg Lansing. He is now all alone in third place all-time at ISU. He needs seven 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 67 victories in Missouri Valley Conference play which is just two 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.
Sycamores Win While Being Outshot For First Time Since 2016; Reverse That Stat at Illinois State
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. The tables were turned on the Sycamores at Illinois State as they recorded a 47.0 shooting percentage while limiting the Redbirds to 42.4 percent shooting despite Illinois State winning 84-81 in overtime.
Sycamores Continue Overtime Trend At Illinois State
Indiana State went into extra time at Illinois State marking the third time this season that the Sycamores have needed more than regulation to decide a winner. ISU also went to overtime at North Texas in non-conference play and 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 nine overtime games in the last seasons, including two which went multiple overtime periods. Over that nine-game overtime stretch, the Sycamores have played a total of 13 overtime periods and their six overtime games in 2016-17 were just one shy of the MVC record and two short of the NCAA all-time mark.
Jordan Barnes Put Together Four Consecutive 20-Point Games
Indiana State sophomore Jordan Barnes reached the 20-point mark over each of a four game stretch beginning with Air Force and continuing through Green Bay. It was the longest such streak by a Sycamore since Greg Thomas did it during the 1992-93 season. The school record for most games scoring 20 or more points is 25 games set by Larry Bird during the 1977-78 and 1978-79 seasons. Barnes was the ninth Sycamore in the Missouri Valley Conference era to score at least 20 points in at least four games consecutively. He scored a career-high 25 points against both Air Force and North Texas and posted 23 points against Indianapolis as well as 22 versus Green Bay. Over that four game stretch, Barnes averaged 23.8 points per game and nearly four assists. He also hit 27-of-54 shots from the field (50 percent) and was a blazing 24-of-43 (55.8 percent) from long range. Barnes connected on a career-high seven 3-pointers against Indianapolis.Â
Sycamore Success Inside Hulman Center Under Greg Lansing
The Sycamores are 76-31 (.710) inside Hulman Center under eighth-year head coach Greg Lansing. Additionally, the Sycamores have won 46 of their last 65 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 61-57 on January 3 at Loyola was ISU's third 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 83-10 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, seven times this season and earned the win. Under eighth-year head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 80-23 when the ISU starting five scores more than their opponent's starters after doing so in the win over Loyola on January 3.
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
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 hit the road to take on Missouri State on Sunday, January 14 for a 3 pm (ET) contest in Springfield. The game will air live world-wide on The Valley on ESPN3.
