SETTING THE STAGE
Indiana State continues year one of the Greg Lansing era on Saturday night, January 1, when the Sycamores continue Missouri Valley Conference play against Evansville on the road at Roberts Stadium. Tip-off is set for 8:05 p.m. (ET). The game can be seen on the MVC TV Network live on FS Indiana, FS Midwest and FS Kansas City with Scott Warmann and Mark Adams on the call. The game will be broadcast live locally on the radio via ESPN Radio 92.7 FM & 1300 AM, as Brian Fritz and Matt Renn describe the action with an internet broadcast available on GoSycamores.com. Additionally live stats for the contest can be found at GoSycamores.com.

THE EVANSVILLE SERIES
Indiana State leads the all-time series against the Purple Aces by the count of 77-74. The Sycamores have swept the season series against Evansville in two of the last three seasons. The Purple Aces hold a 47-29 lead in the series in games played in Evansville.

THE HEAD COACHES
INDIANA STATE: Greg Lansing (South Dakota, '90)
- at Indiana State: 6-6 (First Season)
- Overall: 6-6 (First Season)
- vs. Evansville: First Meeting
- vs. Missouri Valley Conference: 1-0
EVANSVILLE: Marty Simmons (Evansville, '87)
- Overall: 139-134 (10th Season)
- at Evansville: 41-61 (Fourth Season)
- vs. Indiana State: 2-4

QUICK HITS
- Indiana State has won two of the last three meetings between the two teams at Roberts Stadium.
- Saturday night's game is the Missouri Valley Conference road debut for first-year head coach Greg Lansing.
- The Sycamores are looking for the first 2-0 start to league play since the 2007-08 campaign, which included a 70-56 victory in Evansville over the Purple Aces.

An Indiana State Win Over Evansville Would ...
• Give Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing a win in his Missouri Valley Conference road debut.
• Be Indiana State's third consecutive victory over Evansville.
• Give Indiana State is first 2-0 start to MVC play since 2007-08.
• Be the Sycamores first road MVC victory since a January 31, 2010 victory at Evansville.

The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing (South Dakota, 1990) is 6-6 (.500) overall in his first season as a head coach. He is 1-0 all-time in MVC games, including a 1-0 mark at home, a 0-0 mark on the road and a 0-0 record in neutral court contests. During his career, he is 4-0 in all home games, 1-4 on the road, 1-2 in neutral court contests and 2-1 in games decided by five points or less. Lansing is 0-0 all-time against Evansville, including a 0-0 record at Roberts Stadium. With the Trees, Lansing is 0-1 in overtime games, and 4-0 when holding teams to 60 points or less. Saturday's game is Greg Lansing's 13th as Indiana State head coach.

Television Particulars
Saturday evening's game will be shown live at 8 p.m. on Fox Sports Midwest, Fox Sports Indiana and Fox Sports Kansas City. The telecast will also air on tape-delay at 12:30 a.m. on Jan. 2 on Comcast SportsNet Chicago, but it will be cleared live on Comcast SportsNet Plus - an alternate cable channel service provided by Comcast SportsNet Chicago in its outer markets. Please check listings for the actual channel in each MVC market.

A Little History
Indiana State is currently in its 115th season of college basketball at the school. The Sycamores are 1,354-1,153 all-time on the hardwood. Indiana State's game at Oral Roberts this season was the historic 2,500th game in the history of the program.

For Valley Openers
Indiana State began its 34th season as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference on Wednesday evening at Hulman Center against Bradley, an 80-66 ISU victory. ISU is now 14-20 all-time in Valley openers, including a 12-6 mark when opening the league slate at home. ISU won its first-ever MVC opener against Southern Illinois on January 4, 1977 at Hulman Center (66-58). ISU had last won a conference opener at home on December 22, 2005 when the Trees earned a 69-59 overtime victory over Illinois State.

Welcome Back Carter
With Jake Kelly missing Wednesday evening' game against Bradley, the Sycamores needed someone to step up and that came in the form of senior Aaron Carter, who earned the start in the Valley opener. He responded by tying a career-high of 19 points, hitting 7-of-12 shots from the floor, including a trio of 3-pointers. Carter added five rebounds, a block and a steal against the Braves.

Double Dimes Off The Bench
Indiana State redshirt freshman RJ Majurin and true freshman Steve McWhorter each scored 10 points in the MVC opener against Bradley. Mahurin drilled 4-of-6 shots from the field with three rebounds while McWhorter stepped up with 10 points with a rebound, two assists and two steals.

Getting To The Glass
The Indiana State basketball team has been extremely efficient on the boards through 11 contests this season as they are out-rebounding their opponents by a 36.2 to 32.9 margin. ISU has pulled down more rebounds in 8-of-12 contests this season and has been at least +10 in the rebounding category in four separate contests - Texas-Pan American, at Ball State, at Wyoming and against DePaul. Individually, junior Carl Richard owns an 7.9 rpg average, which is the best mark in the MVC so far this season.

Over The Century Mark Against Just Six Opponents; Evansville The Most
Evansville is one of just six schools that Indiana State has faced at least 100 times in the 115-year history of the program. Below are the schools that Indiana State has faced at least 100 times throughout the years. ISU has faced Evansville in basketball more than any other school.

Indiana State Century Club:
1. Evansville 151
2. Ball State 125
3. Butler 122
4. Eastern Illinois 121
5. Southern Illinois 114
6. Illinois State 102

Perfect At Home
Indiana State has won all four of their home games during the Greg Lansing era and has won each of their last nine home games overall.

Dwayne Lathan In Top 10 Valley Scoring
Indiana State's Dwayne Lathan currently is leading the team with a 15.4 ppg average, which is good enough for fourth-best in the league.

Printy Moving Up Indiana State 3-Point List
Indiana State junior Jordan Printy currently has 113 career 3-pointers and needs just two more to tie David Moss' 115 which is 10th on the ISU all-time list. Printy is one of just 14 Sycamores in the history of the program to hit at least 100 3-point field goals in a career.

63 Is The Magic Number
Indiana State is a perfect 4-0 on the season when allowing less than 63 points to the opposition. ISU's best defensive effort this season that was not rewarded with a victory came on the opening weekend when 64 points allowed in overtime against overtime showed up as a defeat. ISU has held four different opponents to 63 points or less this season.

Isiah Martin Ranks Highly For Career Blocked Shots
Indiana State junior Isiah Martin now has 118 blocked shots in his career following his posting of one against Purdue. His current total of 118 blocks ranks third all-time in the history of the program as he recently passed Nate Green for third (109). The Indiana State school record is 168, set by DeCarsta Webster from 1975-78. Martin needs nine more to catch Djibril Kante who for second place with 127. For the season, Martin is averaging 0.9 blocked shots per game and is one of two Sycamores to rank in the Valley's Top 10. Myles Walker's 1.5 blocks per game average is second while Martin's 0.8 is tied for 10th. As a team, Indiana State is averaging 5.7 blocked shots per game which is the best in the league. ISU had a season-best 10 blocked shots against Bradley, it most since recording 11 against Evansville during the 2008-09 campaign.

King Of The Four-Point Play
Indiana State senior Aaron Carter has become known as the "King of the 4-Point Play" in Sycamores circles. For the most part, converting a 4-point play is extremely rare, but for Carter it is becoming old hat. Carter has converted a 4-point play, defined as being fouled in the act of shooting a successful 3-point field goal and then converting the free throw, seven times in his Sycamore career, including one against Purdue this past week which gave the Trees a brief 31-29 lead just before halftime. Carter posted a pair as a sophomore and had four last year, including one with 3:42 to play in the first half against Drake.. Carter converted two in one game last season at Missouri State as part of a 24-point second half comeback for Indiana State.

Sycamores Sign Devonte Brown & Justin Gant
Indiana State basketball head coach Greg Lansing landed two in his first official recruiting class during the Early Signing Period as Devonte Brown & Justin Gant inked a national letters of intent and will join the Sycamore program next season as incoming freshmen.

Brown is a native of Killeen, Texas where he is a senior guard for Killeen Ellison High School. He is 6-3, 185 and averaged 15 points, seven rebounds, four steals and three assists per game at Ellison during his junior season, one year after he earned a starting role for the Screaming Eagles. Brown played shooting guard for 22-11 Ellison last season, leading it to the Texas 5-A playoffs as Killeen's best team in that class. Brown will switch and play point guard during his senior season at Ellison.

Gant is a 6-8, 210 power forward who has been a three-year starter for head coach Todd Woelfle at Terre Haute North Vigo High School. Gant was third in the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference in scoring, averaging 17 points per game for the 17-7 Patriots. Gant averaged 17 on a team that scored 50 points per game, one of the best percentages among MIC leaders as far as percentage of points he provided for his team. He also averaged 8 rebounds per game. He played AAU basketball for the Spiece Select 2011 team. Gant averaged 16 points and 10 rebounds per game for Spiece. He also played for the Indiana Elite team between his sophomore and junior seasons at North.

Sycamores Return To Postseason In 2010
Indiana State made its first appearance in the postseason by accepting an invitation last year to the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) by traveling to Saint Louis since participating in the 2001 NCAA Tournament when the Sycamores downed No. 4 seeded Oklahoma in the first round by the score of 70-68 (OT). ISU is 38-20 all-time in postseason play. The Sycamores won the 1950 NAIB National Championship, downing Delta State, Arkansas State, Baldwin-Wallace, Tampa and East Central Oklahoma. The Sycamores have appeared in the 1942 & 1943 National Intercollegiate Tournament, the 1946, 1948, 1949 & 1950 NAIB National Tournament, the 1952, 1953, 1954, 1959, 1962 & 1963 NAIA National Tournament; the 1966, 1967 & 1968 NCAA College Division Tournament; the 1977 & 1978 National Invitation Tournament; and the 1979 & 2001 NCAA Division I Basketball Championship. ISU made a run to the 1979 NCAA Final Four behind the star power of Sycamore legend Larry Bird, falling in the national championship contest to Michigan State, 75-64 in a game that is still the highest rated television basketball broadcast of all-time.

Up Next
Indiana State returns to action on Tuesday, January 4 when the Sycamores host Illinois State in the third MVC contest of the season. The Sycamores and Redbirds will tip-off at 7:05 p.m. (ET).