Storylines
Indiana State (0-2) will be looking for its first win of the 2008-09 season, when the Sycamores welcome Murray State (2-1) to the Hulman Center tonight. Tip off is set for 7 p.m. on Nellie and John Wooden Court at Hulman Center.
The game is a return match-up from last year's ESPNU BracketBusters series contest, in which the Sycamores overcame a 17-point first half deficit to secure a 79-62 on the road in Murray, Ky.
The Sycamores are coming off a disappointing 80-69 loss to North Texas in their home opener on Sunday. The Mean Green connected on 11 three-pointers to pull away late in the game and hand ISU its second loss of the season.
Freshman Carl Richard led four Sycamores in double figures with 17 points to go along with seven rebounds against the Mean Green. Junior Josh Crawford added 16 points in the effort as well as four blocked shots during the game. Sophomore Aaron Carter added 12 and six rebounds during the game while junior Rashad Reed rounded out the scoring effort with 11 points and five assists.
The Racers are coming off their best performance of the young season in an 89-61 win over Western Kentucky at home on Saturday. Freshman Ivan Aska led the way for Murray State with 20 points, while Isacc Miles scored 15 points in the victory. Danero Thomas and Jewuan Long each added 12 points for MSU as well. The Racers played great defense in holding the Hillltoppers to 39 percent shooting while winning the rebound battle by a margin of 39-27.
The two teams have played 10 times in history, with the first game being played in 1945 in Terre Haute. The Sycamores lead the all-time series by a margin of 7-2 over the Racers and are a a perfect 4-0 at home with wins in 1945, 1946, 1975 and 2001. In all, ISU has won seven out of the last eight contests played between the two institutions.
About The Coaches
Kevin McKenna (Creighton ?93) is in his second season as the head coach at Indiana State (15-18). In his first season with the Sycamores, McKenna led the team to its highest win total since the 2000-01 season and an impressive 12-2 record at home in the Hulman Center. McKenna came to Indiana State after after spending nine seasons as an assistant coach at Creighton, where he helped the Bluejays advance to four NCAA tournament appearances. From 2001-05, McKenna spent four years as the head coach (89-33) at NCAA Division II Nebraska-Omaha, where he guided the Mavericks to four consecutive 20-win seasons and three appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament.
Billy Kennedy (Southeastern Louisiana ?86) is in his third season as the head coach at Murray State (36-28). Last season, he led the Racers to an 18-13 overall record and a 13-7 mark in Ohio Valley Conference play, which was good enough for second place in the league. In his first season at Murray State, Kennedy's team compiled a 16-14 record overall. He came to Murray State in 2006 after a one-year stint at Miami as an assistant coach. Prior to his time with Hurricanes, he spent six seasons as the head coach at Southeastern Louisiana (1999-2005) and two as head coach at Centenary (1997-99).
Scouting The Racers
► Murray State is located in Murray, Ky., and has an enrollment of 10,000 students. The Racers are members of the Ohio Valley Conference and play their home games at the Regional Special Events Center (8,600).
► The Racers finished with an overall record of 18-13 during the 2007-08 season. In conference play, Murray State posted a 13-7 record which was good enough for second place in the OVC. They eventually lost in the semifinals of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament in Nashville, Tenn., to Tennessee State by a score of 83-75.
► Murray State returns four starters and eight from last year's team, including junior Danero Thomas (12.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg) and senior Tyler Holloway (10.6 ppg, 2.6 apg).
► The Racers (2-1) are coming off an 89-61 victory at home over Western Kentucky on Saturday night. Four players scored in double figures for MSU, including Ivan Aska who scored a game-high 20 points while pulling down six rebounds. Danero Thomas and Jewaun Long each chipped in with 12 points, while Jeffery McClain added 11 points to round out the scoring in the win.
► Ivan Aska earned OVC Co-Freshman of the Week honors on Nov. 24, after averaging 16.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in MSU games against Arkansas State and Western Kentucky. He scored 20 points against WKU, becoming the first MSU freshman to score 20 or more points in a game since 2001.
Last Time Against The Racers
MURRAY, Ky. ? Following a 21-point deficit in the second half to Wichita State, Indiana State faced a 17-point deficit in the first half to Murray State on Saturday in Murray, Ky. However, the result was same for the second game in the row as the Sycamores (14-13, 8-8 MVC) came from behind to earn a 79-62 win over the Racers (16-11, 12-6 OVC) in the O'Reilly's/ESPNU BracketBusters series.
The Racers jumped out to an early 17-6 lead and that lead would eventually grow to 21-7, before a three-pointer by Aaron Carter cut the lead to 21-10 in favor of the Racers. Murray State then went on to score the next six points to jump out to their biggest lead of the game at 27-10, after a layup by Ray George with 12:24 left. However, the Sycamores came right back thanks to back-to-back jumpers by Jay Tunnell and a couple of threes from Aaron Carter to cut the lead to 29-20 at the 8:32 mark. Murray State answered and with a jumper by Bruce Carter to end a three minute drought and make the score 31-20, before a jumper by Marico Stinson cut the lead back to 31-22.
From there, it was all Sycamores as they finished the half on a blistering 18-6 run to take a 40-37 heading into the locker room at halftime. The Racers came out of the locker room on a roll, as they out-scored the Sycamores 9-2 to take a 46-42 lead three minutes into the half. MSU held onto the lead until the 8:21 mark, when a free throw by Marshall broke a 56-56 tie and put ISU up 57-56. Todd McCoy quickly followed with a layup to put the Sycamores up 59-56 and two free throws by Gabe Moore later put ISU up by six at 63-57 with 6:05 left to play. The Racers answered with a three-pointer by Carter to cut the lead to 63-60 in favor of the Sycamores, before ISU went on a 9-0 run to take a 12-point advantage at 72-60. Harry Marshall then hit four-straight free throws to extend the lead to 76-60 and a three-pointer by Tunnell put the game out of reach at 79-60. MSU then got a late jumper by Jewaun Long with 17 seconds left to send the game to its final at 79-62.
Four Sycamores finished the game in double figures, with Marshall leading the way with 16 points, 13 of which came in the second half. Tunnell had a solid game with 15 points and seven rebounds, while Carter tied his career high with 14 points, all of which came in the first half.
Need Some Home Cookin'
Heading into tonight's game with an 0-2 record, the Sycamores are hungry for a win and hope they can get some nourishment on their home court at the Hulman Center. A loss in the season opener to Northern Illinois on the road and at home on Sunday against North Texas has put the Sycamores in their current predicament, but history is on the team's side with regards to turning the tied. ISU has not started a season 0-3 since the 2001-02, when ISU went 4-0 to start the year under head coach Royce Waltman.
Protecting Their Home Floor
The Hulman Center was a tough place to play for visitors in head coach Kevin McKenna's first season at Indiana State. The Sycamores compiled a 12-2 record at home and started the season 9-0 at home before losing to then No. 16-ranked Drake on Feb. 2. Opponents shot 29.1% from three-point range at the Hulman Center and ISU collected a +3.143 turnover margin at the Hulman Center.
An Impressive Debut For Crawford
At 6-11, junior transfer Josh Crawford will no doubt pose a problem for opposing defenses for Indiana State this season. He gave Northern Illinois fits with his size and prowess in the paint in the season opener, as he scored 13 points and pulled down a game-high seven rebounds against the Huskies. He also made his presence felt on the defensive end, as recorded three blocked shots while altering several others in 29 minutes of play in his debut with the Sycamores. He followed that up with 16 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots against North Texas on Sunday to average 14.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks in his first two games in an ISU uniform.
A Balanced Scoring Attack
The Sycamores have shown an ability to share in the scoring duties this season based on their performances in the team's first two games of the season. Against Northern Illinois four players finished in double figures, led by Rashad Reed's 21 points on 5-of-8 shooting from three-point range. That became a trend for the Sycamores in their second game of the week on Sunday against North Texas, as once again four players tallied double-digit scoring efforts. Freshman Carl Richard led the way against the Mean Green with a career-high 17 points while Crawford posted another solid effort with 16 points and four blocked shots.
Welcome To The Show
Several Sycamore rookies saw their first action in a Sycamore uniform at Northern Illinois on Tuesday. In all, six players made their debuts at Indiana State during the game while four players made their collegiate debuts: Keenan Barlow, Tyler Cutter, Jordan Printy, Carl Richard. Two of those newcomers, junior college transfers Rashad Reed and Josh Crawford, both scored in double figures with 21 and 13 points respectively.
Reed For Three
Sycamore fans may get used to hearing Rashad Reed's name called a lot this year, especially with his prowess for shooting three-pointers. Reed was dialed in from long distance in the team's season opener against Northern Illinois and made 5-of-8 three-point attempts to finish with a team-high 21 points. Not only did Reed shoot well against the Huskies, but he has shot well since taking the floor at ISU. Reed connected on 4-of-7 shots from behind the arc in the team's fist exhibition game against Albion for 12 of his game-high 13 points and followed that up by shooting 3-for-5 from long distance for nine of his 14 points in the team's second and final exhibition game against Division II St. Joseph's College (Ind.).
Martin And Richard Return Close To Home
For sophomore Isiah Martin and freshman Carl Richard, Tuesday night's game at Northern Illinois was a bit of a homecoming. Both had successful prep careers in Chicago, with Martin playing at Morgan Park High School and Richard playing at Oak Lawn Richards High School. Richard averaged 15.9 points per game as a senior last season and helped lead his high school team to the IHSA Class 4A State Championship. Against the Huskies, Richard finished with seven points and six rebounds in 31 minutes of play while Martin added two points and two rebounds in 13 minutes of action.
Honoring A True Sycamore Legend
Prior to the start of lSU's first exhibition game against Albion College, the floor at Hulman Center will officially be named the Nellie and John Wooden Court in honor of the legendary coach and his late wife, Nellie. Prior to achieving legendary success as the head coach at UCLA, Wooden began his collegiate coaching career and served two years as head men's basketball coach, baseball coach and athletics director at Indiana State from 1946 to 1948. While earning his master's degree at Indiana State, he compiled a 44-15 record as basketball coach while leading the Sycamores to post-season tournament appearances each year and two conference championships. In addition, coach Wooden will also be inducted into the Missouri Valley Conference Athletic Hall of Fame in March.
The Dream Season ... 30 Years Later
This season marks the 30th anniversary of Indiana State's historic 1978-79 season that saw the Sycamores advance to the NCAA championship game. Led by consensus First-Team All-American and future NBA Hall of Famer Larry Bird, ISU compiled a 33-1 overall record, including a perfect 29-0 record during the regular season. ISU's only loss of the season came in the championship game of the 1979 NCAA Tournament against Michigan State and Magic Johnson. Throughout the season, the current Sycamores will wear commemorative patches on their uniforms to celebrate the anniversary and will wear throwback 1978-79 jerseys in selected games during the season.
Get That Outta Here!
Albion College found it very hard to score points in the paint against the Sycamores in the exhibition opener, as the team had 11 of its shots blocked by ISU defenders. Sophomore Isiah Martin, who led the Missouri Valley Conference last season with 59 blocked shots as a freshman, collected six by himself to start the season strong. Freshman Koang Doluony added three swats of his own thanks to his wingspan of over seven feet while junior Josh Crawford and Carl Richard each added a block apiece.
Taking Advantage of Mistakes
Last season, the Sycamores forced an average of three more turnovers from their opponents than they gave up at home. Based on the team's exhibition game against St. Joseph's, that trend may continue for the Sycamores this season. ISU forced 25 SJC turnovers and turned those miscues into 41 of the team's 93 points.
Pounding The Paint
Indiana State defeated St. Joseph's by a score of 93-71 during exhibition play, thanks in part to a strong effort in the post by the Sycamores. ISU scored 32 of its 91 points in the paint against the Pumas. In addition, ISU dominated SJC on the boards by a margin of 40-28, with junior transfer Josh Crawford leading the way with 10 rebounds to go along with 11 points for the first double-double of his career at ISU.
Martin Tops In Blocks
During his freshman season, Isiah Martin surprised many people with his ability to block shots and change shots in the paint. Martin ranked first in the conference in total blocks (59) and blocks per game (1.9) last season while ranking 54th nationally in blocks per game (1.9). In addition, his 59 blocks set a new ISU freshman record and were the second-most in a single season at ISU by any player. To prove it wasn't a fluke, Martin swatted six shots in the team's exhibition opener against Albion College to start the season.
The Man Everyone Looks To
Indiana State fields one of its youngest teams in years in 2008, with forward Jay Tunnell serving as the team's lone senior leader. Tunnell has played in 90 career games, with 84 starting assignments, while averaging nearly nine points and five rebounds per contest in his three seasons with the Sycamores. During his career, he's recorded four double-double performances, including 14 double-digit scoring efforts during the 2007-08 season. In addition, Tunnel has scored 767 points in his career with the Sycamores which leaves him just 233 points shy of becoming the 31st player in school history with at least 1,000 career points.
Mahurin Signs On The Dotted Line
With just one senior on this year's roster, Indiana State men's basketball head coach Kevin McKenna needed to fill just one spot for next year's team. He filled that spot with the addition of local star RJ Mahurin (Rockville, Ind./Rockville HS), who signed a National Letter of Intent with ISU to continue his education and basketball career. Mahurin, a 6-foot-8 forward, has scored 1,404 points in his career for the Rox and is just 118 points away from becoming the top scorer in school history heading into his senior season. During his junior season, Mahurin led the Rox to a sectional championship and a spot in the regional finals with a 23-4 overall record. He averaged 25.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.2 blocks per game, which earned him Honorable Mention All-State honors from the Associated Press and led to him being named the Tribune Star's Wabash Valley Player of the Year. Mahurin was also named the team's most valuable player and was an All-Wabash River Conference Selection.
Up Next For ISU ...
Indiana State will hit the road and travel to Chicago to face off against DePaul at the Allstate Arena on Saturday, November 29. The game will be a rematch of the 1979 NCAA Tournament semifinal game in which the Sycamores defeated the Blue Demons, 76-74, to advance to the title game against Michigan State. Larry Bird led the way for the Sycamores in the win with 35 points and 16 rebounds.
