Game Day Central

Series:             Indiana State Leads 19-16

STREAK:        ISU Has Won 3 of Last 5 Games

Radio:              ESPN Radio 1130/1300 AM

Play-By-Play:  Brian Fritz

Analyst:           Matt Renn

Internet:           GoSycamores.com

Storylines     

            The first 11 games of the 2008-09 season have not gone to plan for Indiana State (2-9), however the team has a chance to turn that all around today as they open Missouri Valley Conference play on the road against Northern Iowa (6-5).  Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. ET at the McLeod Center.

            Indiana State got off to a good start in Valley play last year, winning four out of its first five league games including the opener on the road at Evansville.  Head coach Kevin McKenna will be looking for a similar start out of his group this season heading into what he calls the second half of the season.

            The Sycamores are coming off a disappointing 62-41 loss to in-state foe IUPUI on Tuesday at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.  IUPUI won the battle of the boards 38-24 as the Jags converted 11 second chance points to pick up the win over the Sycamores.

            Redshirt freshman Jordan Printy was on fire in the first half, hitting 4-of-5 shots from 3-point range to lead the Sycamores with 12 points before the intermission.  Printy added three more points in the second half to score a career-high 15 points. Rashad Reed added a trio of 3-pointers and a free throw to finish with 10 points for the Sycamores.

            Northern Iowa shot a season-best 57 percent from the field in its last game as the Panthers rolled to a 72-55 win over South Dakota State on Dec. 21 at the McLeod Center.

            UNI sophomore guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe scored 16 points to lead the way for the Panthers, while junior guard Ali Farokhmanesh added 14 and junior center Jordan Eglseder had 11 points and a game-high seven rebounds. Those three players combined to connect on 16-of-24 field goal attempts and were 7-for-9 at the free throw line.

            Indiana State holds a 19-16 lead against UNI and has won three out of the last five contests overall in the series, including a split last season where each team won on its home court. However, UNI has won 11 of the last 16 meetings between the two schools overall, including six straight in Cedar Falls. UNI also holds a 12-5 lead all-time against ISU at home since the series began in the 1991-92 season.

About The Coaches

Kevin McKenna (Creighton ?93) is in his second season as the head coach at Indiana State (17-25).  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 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. 

Ben Jacobson (North Dakota ?94) is in his third season as the head coach at Northern Iowa (42-32).  Jacobson led the Panthers to an 18-15 overall record during the 2007-08 season and a 9-9 mark in Missouri Valley Conference play, which was good enough for a tie for fifth in last year's MVC standings.  That marked the fifth straight season that the

Panthers have posted an upper-division finish during the MVC's regular-season.  Prior to taking over as the head coach at UNI, he amassed 12 years of prior assistant coaching experience. Before becoming the top assistant coach at UNI beginning with the 2001-02 campaign, he served one season as an assistant coach under Greg McDermott at Division II North Dakota State.

Scouting The Panthers

►        Northern Iowa is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and has an enrollment of 12,609 students.  The Panthers are members of the Missouri Valley Conference and play their home games at the McLeod Center (7,043).

►        The Panthers finished with an overall record of 18-14 during the 2007-08 season. 

In conference play, UNI posted a 9-9 record which was good enough for a tie for 5th place in the Valley standings.  The team ended its season with loss in the semifinals of the 2008 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference tournament to Illinois State (56-42).

►        UNI returns two starters and eight letterwinners from last year's squad, led by junior forward Adam Koch (8.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg) and 7-foot-1 junior center Jordan Eglseder (8.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg). 

►        The Panthers posted a season-best 57.1 percent field goal shooting mark in a win against South Dakota State Dec. 21. The Panthers connected on 28-of-49 shots from the floor, with the 28 field goals made also a season-best.  Kwadzo Ahelegbe led the way for the Panthers with 16 points on 7-for-9 shooting from the field.

Last Time Against The Panthers

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa ? Indiana State had a lot to fight for on Tuesday night on the road against Northern Iowa.  The Sycamores were looking for just their second Missouri Valley Conference road win and they were also looking to secure a top-six seed in the upcoming State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament with a win, but the team's road woes continued and the Panthers earned a 73-58 win to tie ISU for sixth place in the conference standings at the McLeod Center.

            The Panthers used an early 15-5 run to widen their lead to 15-8 at the 11:17 mark of the first half.  ISU chipped into the UNI lead, cutting the advantage to four points at 17-13 after a three-pointer by Jay Tunnell with 9:17 left.  UNI then went on its second long scoring run of the half, this time a 13-6 stretch that extended its lead to 30-19 after a three-pointer by Jared Josten with 5:22 remaining in the first half.  ISU did not back away, though, and the Sycamores scored the next six points, capped off by a jumper by Tunnell, to cut the lead back to five points.  After two free throws by Eric Coleman, UNI took a seven-point lead but ISU got two free throws from Adam Arnold and then two more from Isiah Martin to cut the lead to 32-29 with just 1:17 left in the half.  Josten then hit a free throw to put UNI back up by four, before a three-pointer by Cole Holmstrom brought ISU within one point at 33-32.  The Panthers then scored the final points of the half to take a 35-32 at halftime.

            After the intermission, Marico Stinson connected from three-point range to tie the game at 35-35 just 12 seconds in.  The Panthers then scored the next six points to take a 41-35 lead, before Stinson connected on another three to cut the lead to three points.  Adam Koch's free throw put UNI back up by four quickly after, but Tunnell connected on a three-point play to cut the lead back to one at 42-41 with 14:42 left to play.

            The UNI lead stayed within five points over the next seven minutes, until a three-pointer by Adam Viet widened the lead to seven at 55-48 at the 7:08 mark.  That lead would later grow to 62-52 after Josten made two free throws for UNI, but Martin answered with a layup to cut the lead to eight with 4:16 left in the game.  The Panthers took over down the stretch and held steady at the free throw line to secure the 73-58 win.  Tunnell led the way for the Sycamores with 12 points and a career-high 13 rebounds to record his second double-double of the season.

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 Final Four of the NCAA Tournament and eventually to the National Championship game.  To commemorate that anniversary, the team will be debuting their throwback road uniforms from that dream season against Northern Iowa today.  Led by consensus First-Team All-American and future NBA Hall of Famer Larry Bird, Indiana State compiled a 33-1 overall record, including a perfect 29-0 record during the regular season with the only loss of the season coming in the championship game to Michigan State 75-64.

Success In League Road Opener

Last season, the Sycamores had to start Missouri Valley Conference play on the road at Evansville and the result was a success.  ISU earned a 70-56 victory over its in-state rival at Roberts Stadium in head coach Kevin McKenna's first Valley game and broke a four-game losing streak against the Purple Aces.  The Sycamores will be looking for a similar result today against Northern Iowa on the road, which would break an eight-game losing streak on the road in Valley play and a six-game losing streak in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

JP For Three

Redshirt freshman Jordan Printy had a breakout day against IUPUI on Tuesday at Conseco Fieldhouse, connecting on a career-high five three pointers to finish with a new career-high of 15 points.  The Marion, Iowa, native was 5-for-7 from beyond the arch in the game and added two rebounds and a blocked shot in a career-high 25 minutes of action against the Jaguars.  Printy's previous career high was eight points, which he set earlier this season against Murray State.

Cutter Out With Ankle Injury

Freshman point guard Tyler Cutter will miss four to five weeks with a severe ankle sprain which he suffered in practice prior to the team's game against IUPUI.  The Murfreesboro, Tenn., native played in 10 games for the Sycamores, starting in two of those contests.  He was averaging 21.3 minutes per game for ISU and currently ranks second on the team with 28 assists.  His best performances of the season came  at the Marques Maybin Classic in Louisville, Ky.  Cutter played a strong game against No. 11 Louisville, as he scored a career-high eight points in 24 minutes of action and followed that up by dishing out a career-high eight assists against Lamar to help the team win its first game of the season.

The Fantastic Four

The Sycamores have shared in the scoring duties through 10 games this season and that was very apparent in the team's win over DePauw.  Four Sycamores scored in double figures, led by junior Harry Marshall's 18 points.  Senior forward Jay Tunnell, junior Josh Crawford and junior Rashad Reed all chipped in with 10 points apiece to round out the balanced attack.  The team has had four players score in double figures in two other contests this season (Northern Illinois and North Texas) and has had at least three players score in double figures seven times in 10 games played.

Crashing The Boards

The Sycamores have struggled getting rebounds at times throughout the season, but that was not the case in the team's win over DePauw.  ISU out-rebounded the visiting Tigers by a margin of 42-27, including a 30-18 difference on defensive rebounds.  With that performance, it marked the first time in 10 games the Sycamores had pulled down more rebounds than their opponent and marked the second time this season the team had corralled 40 or more rebounds (40 at DePaul).

Who Needs The Three?

Indiana State is averaging seven three-point baskets per game this season and are shooting 35.9 percent from long distance through 11 games.  However, in the team's win over DePauw, the Sycamores were ice cold from three-point range going 0-for-10 against the Tigers.  That snapped a streak of 252 consecutive games with at least one three-point field goal made.  The last time the Sycamores failed to make a three-point field goal was on February 9, 2000, when the Sycamores shot 0-for-7 against Northern Iowa in a 67-61 victory over the Panthers.

The Marshall Plan Is In Effect

Junior guard Harry Marshall made his return to the Indiana State lineup against No. 14 Purdue on Dec. 13 and since that time his presence has been very welcome for the Sycamores.  In his first game back after sitting out the team's first eight games of the season, Marshall tallied 16 points and dished out six assists against the Boilermakers.  He followed that up by scoring a game-high 18 points, including a 10-for-13 effort from the free throw line, while adding four rebounds in the team's win over DePauw.  Through three games, the Bowling Green, Ind., native is averaging 14.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.

Crawford Returns To Form

Junior transfer Josh Crawford averaged 14.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks in his first two games in an ISU uniform.  Over the next seven games, though, Crawford struggled to find his game and averaged just 2.6 points and 2.9 rebounds per game while blocking just eight shots.  However, he broke out of that funk against DePauw with 10 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots in 12 minutes of action to help the Sycamores to their second win of the season.  With that performance, Crawford is now averaging 5.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game while adding 18 blocked shots.

Tunnell Plays In 100th Game Of Career At ISU

Indiana State fields one of its youngest teams in years in 2008, but senior forward Jay Tunnell provides the team some much-needed leadership on and off the court.  Against DePauw, Tunnell played in his 100th career game at Indiana State and finished with 10 points  and five rebounds in 17 minutes of action.  In those 100 games, the Topeka, Kan., native started in 94 games while averaging 8.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 24.9 minutes per game for the Sycamores.  In addition, Tunnel has scored 889 points in his career, which leaves him just 113 points shy of becoming the 31st player in school history with at least 1,000 career points, and has pulled down 478 rebounds.

No Easy Victory For The Sycamores

The Sycamores had to fight from behind to pick up their first win of the season against Lamar.  ISU was down by as much as eight points with just over seven minutes remaining in the game and fought back to take a one-point lead with just 38 seconds remaining after a three-pointer by Rashad Reed.  Lamar then tied the game at 66-66 after two free throws with nine seconds left, but it was Reed who came up big once again and hit a floater in the paint with 0.2 seconds left on the clock to give the Sycamores a 68-66 win.

Coming Through In The Clutch

Rashad Reed was Indiana State's leading scorer heading into the team's game against Lamar at the Marques Maybin Classic at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Ky.  When the Sycamores needed a go-ahead basket late in the game against the Cardinals, they went to Reed who connected on a floater in the lane with 0.2 seconds to propel ISU to its first win of the season.  Reed finished the game with 15 points and six rebounds for the Sycamores in the game and now leads the team with an average of 12.9 points per game in seven starts.

Reed Gets Some Company In The 20 Point Club

Through seven games, junior Rashad Reed was the only Sycamores to score more than 20 points in a game with his 21 points in the season opener at Northern Illinois.  However, on against Ohio both Jay Tunnell and Aaron Carter joined the club as each scored 20 points against the Bobcats.  Tunnell tied his career high with 20 points on 7-for-14 shooting from the field to go along with seven rebounds.  Carter's 20 points also set a career high for the sophomore, who used a 6-for-9 effort from three-point range to set the new mark.  The last time ISU had two players score 20 points or more in the same game was against Drake on December 30, 2007, when Marico Stinson (37) and Cole Holmstrom (20) achieved the feat.

Kentucky Brings Out The Best In Cutter, Leitnaker

Freshman point guard Tyler Cutter and sophomore center Brant Leitnaker enjoyed playing over the weekend at the Marques Maybin Classic, as both set new career highs on the historic floor of Freedom Hall.  Cutter played a strong game against No. 11 Louisville, as he scored a career-high eight points in 24 minutes of action.  He followed that up by dishing out a career-high eight assists against Lamar to help the team win its first game of the season.  Leitnaker also had a career effort against Louisville, as he scored a career-high nine points while tying his career high with five rebounds in 15 minutes of action against the Cardinals.

Dialed In From Long Distance

Against Murray State, the Sycamores made a season-high 12 three-pointers score 36 of the team's 61 total points.  Redshirt freshman Keenan Barlow led the way with a 3-for-4 effort to end up with a career-high 11 points, while fellow redshirt freshman Jordan Printy, senior Jay Tunnell, junior Rashad Reed and sophomore Aaron Carter each added two treys against the Racers.

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 Athletics Hall of Fame in March.

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 MVP and was an All-Wabash River Conference Selection.