THE MISSOURI STATE SERIES
Missouri State leads the all-time series against Indiana State by a 35-18 count, as the two teams split a pair of overtime contests last season. ISU downed the Bears by the score of 75-72 on a buzzer beating shot by Harry Marshall on Senior Day at Hulman Center to finish off the 2009-10 regular season. The Sycamores are 14-11 against Missouri State at home. The Trees have won three of the last four meetings with Missouri State, including a two-game sweep in 2008-09.

THE HEAD COACHES
INDIANA STATE: Greg Lansing (South Dakota, '90)
- at Indiana State: 11-7 (First Season)
- Overall: 11-7 (First Season)
- vs. Missouri State: First Meeting
- vs. Missouri Valley Conference: 6-1
MISSOURI STATE: Cuonzo Martin (Purdue, '00)
- Overall: 50-35 (Third Season)
- at Missouri State: 50-35 (Third Season)
- vs. Indiana State: 1-3

"BLACK OUT"
The Indiana State Basketball marketing machine is encouraging all fans to come support the Sycamores on Wednesday evening inside Hulman Center and wear black in an effort to "Black Out" the Bears. ISU Director of New Media Megan McKenna has designed a set of "Black Out" promotional posters that are being displayed around campus and online via Facebook. ISU Athletics is encouraging all ISU students to change their Facebook profile picture to their favorite poster to show support for the Sycamores in this week's game. McKenna and Jack Lavey have also developed a promotional video that can been seen on Indiana State's Facebook page. Media members can check out the clever promotional posters as well as the video on Facebook.com/Sycamores and we appreciate your consideration in helping us spread the word about the "Black Out" to residents of the Wabash Valley leading up to the game.

QUICK HITS
- Indiana State is looking to move to 7-1 in MVC play for the first time since the 1999-00 campaign, which saw the Sycamores earn their first regular season MVC Championship since the Dream Season of 1978-79 with Larry Bird.
- Indiana State is 8-1 on the season when Jake Odum plays at least 31 minutes and are 5-1 when Carl Richard records double digit rebounds.
- The Sycamores have knocked down more 3-pointers than their opponents in each of the last ten games.
- The Indiana State defense has been strong this season, holding opponents to just 40.3 percent shooting which is the second best field goal percentage defense mark in the Missouri Valley. In league play, the Sycamores are allowing just 38.3 percent from the field, which is tops in the conference.
- Indiana State has won a total of four games by five points or less this season, upping their total of close victories to 30 since 2005.

An Indiana State Win Over Missouri State Would ...
• Give Indiana State a 7-1 start to league play which would tie this year's team with the 1999-00 MVC Championship squad for second-best start to league play in school history.
• Improve ISU to a perfect 8-0 at Hulman Center this season and give the Trees 13 wins at home in a row.
• Give Indiana State a victory in four of its last five meetings against Missouri State, including three in a row at home.
• Be Indiana State's best victory this season, according to the RPI which has the Bears at No. 36 this week (previous best this year is Northern Iowa - currently ranked No. 74)
• Put the Sycamores into a tie for first place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings.

The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing (South Dakota, 1990) is 11-7 (.611) overall in his first season as a head coach. He is 6-1 all-time in MVC games, including a 4-0 mark at home, a 2-1 mark on the road and a 0-0 record in neutral court contests. During his career, he is 7-0 in all home games, 3-5 on the road, 1-2 in neutral court contests and 4-2 in games decided by five points or less. Lansing is 0-0 all-time against Missouri State, including a 0-0 record inside Hulman Center. With the Trees, Lansing is 0-1 in overtime games and 9-0 when holding teams to 63 points or less. Wednesday's game is Greg Lansing's 19th as Indiana State head coach.

Television Particulars
The game can be seen live locally on WTWO TV 2 in the Wabash Valley. WTWO TV 2 can be found over the air on Channel 2 and on DishNetwork and Directv. WTWO TV 2 is also located on Channel 7 via Time Warner Cable in Terre Haute. For those outside of the area, the game will be broadcast live on Sycamore Vision as part of the subscription web stream service on GoSycamores.com.

A Little History
Indiana State is currently in its 115th season of college basketball at the school. The Sycamores are 1,359-1,154 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.

Missouri State vs. Indiana State Features Best Valley Records Head-To-Head In Three Seasons
The Indiana State-Missouri State game Wednesday features teams who have a combined league record of 13-1. The last time two teams played this late in a conference season with records that good was three years ago (to the date). On Jan. 19, 2008, Drake (then 6-0 in conference play) and Illinois State (also 6-0 in the MVC) played. It marked the first time the league has had two 6-0 teams play one another. Drake, after trailing by 12 in the second half, rallied to win, 79-73.

Carl Richard's Buzzer Beater Against Creighton Featured On ESPN; Follows Two Previous Strong Outings
Indiana State junior forward Carl Richard has posted a double-double three times this season, including in two of the last three contests - all in Valley play. Richard tallied 17 points and 11 rebounds at Drake and he posted 17 points with 10 rebounds as ISU picked up its first victory at Bradley in the last 13 tries on Wednesday evening. Richard added 11 points and eight rebounds against Creighton, but saved his best for last as he hauled in a Jake Odum 3-point miss and hit a reverse over the shoulder lay-up as time expired to seal ISU's 61-59 victory over the Jays. The play has been featured this weekend on ESPN SportsCenter (garnering No. 2 status on the popular SportsCenter Top 10 Plays segment and was rated the No. 1 Fantastic Finish Of The Day). Over the last three games, Richard has hit 19-of-37 of his shots from the field (51.4 percent), including a 7-of-12 mark (58.3 percent) from 3-point range. Additionally, he is averaging 9.7 rebounds per contest in the last three games.

It's Cool Inside Cause The "A.C." Is ON!
Senior Aaron Carter spurred ISU to a perfect 2-0 week on the road against Bradley as well as a home court victory over Creighton. Carter tallied a career-high 20 points versus the Bluejays, hitting 6-of-9 3-pointers, including five in the second half, as he added a pair of rebounds and steals as well as an assist in 24 minutes of action. Carter's six 3-pointers were the most by a Sycamore in one game since Jordan Printy drilled six at Missouri State last season. He added 14 points, bolstered by an 8-of-9 mark from the free throw line at Bradley to go with two rebounds and assists plus a pair of 3-pointers in the victory. For the week, Carter averaged 17.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals per game. He was a blazing 8-of-13 from behind the 3-point line (61.5 percent) and was 8-of-9 at the free throw line (88.9 percent).

Steve McWhorter Makes It Back-to-Back MVC Newcomer Of The Week Honors For Indiana State
Freshman Steve McWhorter played a key role in Indiana State's perfect 2-0 week as he averaged 7.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists (against zero turnovers) and 1.5 steals against Bradley and Creighton and was rewarded with his first career MVC Newcomer Of The Week honor. Jake Odum was the reigning MVC Newcomer Of The Week before McWhorter's honor. McWhorter was 5-of-7 from the field (71.4 percent), including a perfect 3-of-3 from 3-point range over the two-game stretch. McWhorter tallied 11 points against Creighton, going 4-of-5 from the field and 2-of-2 from behind the 3-point line. He added three assists and three steals versus the Jays. On the road against Bradley, McWhorter added four points and five rebounds, hitting his only 3-pointer in 23 minutes of action.

Good Starter On The Battery
Indiana State is a perfect 9-0 this season when the Sycamores starting five outscores the opponent's starting five in a contest. ISU starters have bested their counterparts against UT-Pan American, Buffalo, DePaul, Oakland City, the home contest versus Bradley, Illinois State, Northern Iowa, at Drake and against Creighton. In those nine contests, ISU's average margin of victory in 17.1 points, as the Sycamores are averaging 70.1 ppg and allow just 53.0 ppg. ISU also owns a 35.0-29.8 advantage in the rebounding battle and have totaled 137 assists against just 112 turnovers. The Sycamores field goal percentage defense is 36.5 while the are giving up just 27.8 percent from 3-point range.

Perfect At Home
Indiana State has won all seven of their home games during the Greg Lansing era and has won each of their last 12 home games overall. The 12-game home court winning streak is the longest for the Sycamores since posting 22 Hulman Center victories in succession from 1999-01. The Sycamores are winning their home contests by an average margin of 71.4 to 53.4 and are hitting 181-of-382 shots from the field (47.4 percent), including a mark of 61-of-128 from 3-point range (47.7 percent). ISU has recorded 114 assists at home this season, against just 81 turnovers.

Valley Win Streak Now At Five
Indiana State has rattled off five consecutive league victories over the past two weeks which is the most for the Sycamores since they tallied seven in a row during the 1999-00 MVC Championship season. ISU's 6-1 start to league play marks the first time the Trees have began MVC competition with as a good mark through seven games since that same season and is tied for the second-best start in Valley play behind the 1978-79 dream season which saw ISU start 7-0 en route to finishing the year undefeated.

Getting To The Glass
The Indiana State basketball team has been extremely efficient on the boards through 16 contests this season as they are out-rebounding their opponents by a 35.8 to 32.1 margin. ISU has pulled down more rebounds in 13-of-18 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 7.5 rpg average, which is the second-best mark in the MVC so far this season just behind Southern Illinois' Mamadou Seck.

Quick Start To League Play
Indiana State's 6-1 start to MVC play is their best start since the 1999-00 campaign which also saw the Sycamores win six of their first seven league contests before making an appearance in the NCAA Tournament after winning the MVC Regular Season Championship. ISU's victory at Drake gave the Sycamores back-to-back victories in Des Moines for the first time since also winning their in 1997 & 1998 while their win at Bradley was their first in the last 13 tries. Additionally, ISU's road victory over Drake broke a four-game losing road MVC losing skid for the Sycamores -- earning their first Valley win away from Hulman Center since a January 31, 2010 win at Evansville. The Sycamores picked up another road league victory at Bradley following the Drake triumph. ISU has not started league play with a 7-1 mark since the 1999-00 campaign which saw the Sycamores pick up their first MVC regular season title since Larry Bird led ISU to a perfect league record during the 1978-79 Dream Season.

Odum More Than "O.K." For ISU As A Freshman
Redshirt freshman Jake Odum has been more than just OK for the Sycamores this season as he is averaging 7.2 points per game so far. Additionally, he is leading the team with 70 assists and 34 steals. His 3.9 assists per game average is third in the MVC and is the best of any newcomer in the league so far this season while his 2.3 assist to turnover ratio is second in the league and is also the best mark of any Valley newcomer. Odum's 1.9 steals per game average is ranked first in the Missouri Valley Conference. In league games only, Odum's 5.7 assists and 2.9 steals per game are tops in the league. Odum set a new career high with nine assists (against just one turnover) in the 61-59 victory over Creighton.

Finding The Open Man
Through seven league games, Indiana State has shown an ability to find the open man and it is being reflected routinely in the box scores as ISU is currently second in the league with a 14.6 assists per game average. In fact, ISU has posted double figure assist totals in nine of its last 10 games, including a Valley-best 19 in the opener against Bradley and again against Northern Iowa. Freshman Jake Odum is averaging 5.7 assists per game in league play which leads the league.

Dwayne Lathan In Top 10 Valley Scoring; Carter Top 10 In MVC Contests
Indiana State's Dwayne Lathan currently is leading the team with a 13.0 ppg average, which is good enough for fifth-best in the league. Lathan missed three consecutive games with a concussion but returned for the contest at Bradley. In Valley play, senior Aaron Carter is leader for the Sycamores in scoring with a 12.7 ppg average which is ranked seventh-best in the MVC.

Printy Moving Up Indiana State 3-Point List
Indiana State junior Jordan Printy currently has 122 career 3-pointers and has passed Gabe Moore's 120 for eighth on the ISU all-time list with his trio of treys against Northern Iowa. 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. Printy now needs three more triples to tie Marcus Howard & Marico Stinson for sixth on the all-time list (125).

63 Is The Magic Number
Indiana State is a perfect 9-0 on the season when allowing less than 63 points to the opposition (including a 5-0 mark when holding teams to 53 or less). 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 Eastern Kentucky and another 64 point defensive showing at Evansville. The Trees have held each of their last five opponents below the magic number of 63.

Isiah Martin Ranks Highly For Career Blocked Shots
Indiana State junior Isiah Martin now has 122 blocked shots in his career following his posting of one against Creighton. His current total of 122 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 five more to catch Djibril Kante 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 1.2 blocks per game average is third in the league while Martin's 0.9 is 10th. As a team, Indiana State is averaging 4.8 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 earlier this season 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. During his career, Carter has been fouled in act of shooting a 3-pointer a total of 12 times.

Prince Of Wales Of The Four-Point Play
Indiana State redshirt freshman RJ Mahurin may not be the Sycamores' King Of The Four-Point Play, but he is currently can be considered the Prince Of Wales. Mahurin has posted two 4-point plays this season, one each in ISU's last two games against Drake and Bradley. His two 4-point plays have each come in the first half of the two contests in which he has been fouled while stepping out for a 3-pointer, has been fouled and has converted the ensuing free throw.

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.

Up Next
Indiana State returns to the Valley road on Saturday, January 22 when they travel to Wichita State, with whom the Sycamores are tied for second place in the Valley. Tip-off is set for 8:05 p.m. (ET). The game can be heard live on ESPN Radio 92.7 FM as well as 1300 AM.