From Terre Haute, Indiana from SYCAMORES on Vimeo.
Ace Hunt
GoSycamores.com
SETTING THE STAGE
Indiana State continues year one of the Greg Lansing era on Wednesday evening, January 26, when the Sycamores continue Missouri Valley Conference play by hosting Evansville. Tip-off is set for 7:05 p.m. (ET). The game can be seen live locally on WTWO TV with Jason Pensky and Jim Waugh on the call. The game can also be seen live on internet via Sycamore Vision, a pay-per-view web stream subscrpition service as part of the GoSycamores.com web site. The game will also 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 77-75. ISU has faced off versus Evansville more than any other school. The Sycamores have swept the season series against Evansville in two of the last three seasons. Evansville took a 64-59 decision over the Sycamores earlier this season on New Years Day at Roberts Stadium. At home, ISU is 49-26 against Evansville.
THE HEAD COACHES
INDIANA STATE: Greg Lansing (South Dakota, '90)
- at Indiana State: 12-8 (First Season)
- Overall: 12-8 (First Season)
- vs. Evansville: 0-1
- vs. Missouri Valley Conference: 7-2
EVANSVILLE: Marty Simmons (Evansville, '87)
- Overall: 143-138 (10th Season)
- at Evansville: 45-65 (Fourth Season)
- vs. Indiana State: 3-4
QUICK HITS
- Indiana State's 7-2 record at the midway point of the Missouri Valley Conference schedule is its third best record at the turn for the Sycamores in the history of the program. ISU was 9-0 in 1978-79; 8-1 in 1999-00 and was 7-2 in 2000-01.
- Indiana State is 9-2 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 12 games.
- The Indiana State defense has been strong this season, holding opponents to just 40.6 percent shooting which is the best field goal percentage defense mark in the Missouri Valley. In league play, the Sycamores are allowing just 39.5 percent from the field, which is tops in the conference.
- Indiana State has won a total of five games by five points or less this season, upping their total of close victories to 31 since 2005.
- Indiana State's triple overtime game at Wichita State was the first game in this history of the program to go exactly three extra periods.
An Indiana State Win Over Evansville Would ...
• Improve Indiana State to a perfect 8-0 on the season and extend Indiana State's home court winning streak to 14 games.
• Give Indiana State its first 8-2 start to league play since beginning the 2000-01 campaign with the same record.
• Give The Trees at least one victory over the Purple Aces in three of the last four season series.
• Give first-year head coach Greg Lansing victories in each of his first 10 home contests, the best start by a Sycamore skipper since Royce Waltman won 10 in a row to begin the 1997-98 campaign.
The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing (South Dakota, 1990) is 12-8 (.600) overall in his first season as a head coach. He is 7-2 all-time in MVC games, including a 5-0 mark at home, a 2-2 mark on the road and a 0-0 record in neutral court contests. During his career, he is 8-0 in all home games, 3-6 on the road, 1-2 in neutral court contests and 5-2 in games decided by five points or less. Lansing is 0-1 all-time against Evansville, including a 0-0 record inside Hulman Center. With the Trees, Lansing is 0-2 in overtime games and 9-0 when holding teams to 63 points or
less. Wednesday's game is Greg Lansing's 21st as Indiana State head coach.
Television Particulars
The game can be seen live locally on WTWO TV which can be viewed over-the-air, on Dish Network and on Directv via Channel 2. WTWO can also be found on Time Warner Cable in Terre Haute via Channel 7. For those outside of the Wabash Valley, a live internet web stream will be made available on a pay-per-view basis via the popular Sycamore Vision subscription service.
A Little History
Indiana State is currently in its 115th season of college basketball at the school. The Sycamores are 1,360-1,155 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.
Aaron Carter Continues Hot Stretch Vs. Missouri State & Wichita State
Senior Aaron Carter helped Indiana State to a split this week as the Sycamores captured the a home court victory over Missouri State and then fell in triple overtime at league preseason favorite Wichita State. Carter averaged 17.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest, hitting 11-of-22 shots from the floor (50 percent) and was 7-of-14 from 3-point range (50 percent) as well. Carter hit all six of his free throw attempts to go with four assists and two blocked shots. Carter scored 19 points on the strength of a 6-of-12 shooting effort and hit 4-of-7 shots from long range as ISU downed league leading Missouri State, 70-69 to kick off the week. He then posted a team-best 16 points at Wichita State, hitting 5-of-10 shots from the field, including a trio of 3-pointers. Carter was fouled in the first half against the Shockers in the act of a successful 3-point field goal attempt and made the ensuing free throw as he converted his NCAA-best 8th career 4-point play. Carter has now posted a double figure scoring effort in each of the last five contests.
Odum Leads Sycamore Backcourt
Indiana State redshirt freshman Jake Odum helped propel the Sycamores to a split this weekend against league leading Missouri State and MVC preseason favorite Wichita State on the road. Odum averaged 8.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game. He hit 7-of-12 shots from the field (58.3 percent) and was 3-of-5 at the free throw line. Odum scored six points against Missouri State with a pair of rebounds, three assists and a steal. Odum hit a running jumper late in the contest as the game see-sawed back and forth. He added 11 points, a career-high eight rebounds, eight assists and three steals at Wichita State while hitting 4-of-7 shots from the field (57.1 percent).
Triple The Pleasure; Triple The Fun
Indiana State's triple overtime contest at Wichita State is believed to be the first in over 2,500 all-time Sycamore basketball contests to reach triple overtime. The Sycamores did play a four overtime contest against Butler on December 27, 1986, falling 95-92 -- which is a school record. The triple overtime contest versus the Shockers is first multiple overtime contest in league play for the Sycamores since taking an 85-84 double overtime victory at Northern Iowa in the 2008-09 conference opener. The game was the second overtime contest of the season for the Sycamores, with the other coming in the season's third game against Eastern Kentucky. Over the last five seasons, Indiana State is 10-6 in overtime contests.
Living And Living Well In The Second Half
Aaron Carter is not only the King Of The 4-Pt Play, but he also has been ruling the second half in recent games for the Sycamores. During league play, Carter is averaging a team-best 7.8 points per game during the second half, drilling a total of 13 3-pointers and is hitting over 42 percent of his shots from the field. Over the past three games, Carter's role in the second half has been even more pronounced as he is averaging 12.7 ppg after halftime during that stretch, hitting a blazing 10-of-13 attempts from 3-point range (76.9 percent) and is 13-of-23 from the field (56.5 percent).
Lotsa Boards
Indiana State recorded 51 rebounds in the triple overtime defeat at Wichita State, which is the most a Sycamore team has hauled in during one contest since tallying 54 caroms against Missouri State on Feb. 13, 1997 at home. The school record is 71 rebounds against Chicago State in December 1976.
Carl Richard's Buzzer Beater Against Creighton Featured On ESPN
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). His play also was featured on ABC's Winner Bracket Program on Saturday, January 22.
Good Starter On The Battery
Indiana State is 9-1 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. The Sycamores lone loss when the starters outscore the
Perfect At Home
Indiana State has won all eight of their home games during the Greg Lansing era and has won each of their last 13 home games overall. The 13-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 207-of-436 shots from the field (47.5 percent), including a mark of 69-of-144 from 3-point range (47.9 percent). ISU has recorded 126 assists at home this season, against just 93 turnovers. The Sycamores' 13-game winning streak inside Hulman Center is the second longest currently active home court streak in the Valley and is tied for the 15th-best in the nation.
Finding The Open Man
Through nine 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 11 of its last 12 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.
Valley Win Streak Reached Six
Indiana State rattled off six 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 7-1 start to league play marked 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 20 contests this season as they are out-rebounding their opponents by a 36.3 to 32.7 margin. ISU has pulled down more rebounds in 14-of-20 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.
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 7.4 points per game so far. Additionally, he is leading the team with 81 assists and 38 steals. His 4.1 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 2.2 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 2.7 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.
Carter Top 10 In MVC Contests
In Valley play, senior Aaron Carter is leader for the Sycamores in scoring with a 13.8 ppg average which is ranked sixth-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 124 blocked shots in his career following his posting of two against Wichita State. His current total of 124 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 three 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 seventh. As a team, Indiana State is averaging 4.7 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 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 travels to Creighton on Saturday, January 29 when they take on the 'Jays inside Qwest Center Omaha. Tip-off is set for 3:05 p.m. (ET).
