SETTING THE STAGE
Indiana State continues year two of the Greg Lansing era on Friday afternoon, November 14, when the Sycamores return home to face off against in-state rival Ball State. Tip-off is set for 5:00 p.m. (ET). The game can be seen live on Sycamore Vision, which is a pay-per-view web stream service available on GoSycamores.com. The game will also be broadcast live locally on the radio via ESPN Radio 92.7 FM, 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 BALL STATE SERIES
Indiana State leads the all-time series against Ball State by a 68-57 margin. ISU's last victory against BSU came on December 8, 2007 as the Sycamores earned a 59-48 victory. The Sycamores are 47-17 against Ball State in Terre Haute.

THE HEAD COACHES
INDIANA STATE: Greg Lansing (South Dakota, '90)
- at Indiana State: 22-14 (Second Season)
- Overall: 22-14 (Second Season)
- vs. Ball State: 0-1
- vs. Mid-American Conference: 1-2
BALL STATE: Billy Taylor (Notre Dame, '95)
- Overall: 135-139 (10th Season)
- at Ball State: 54-70 (Fifth Season)
- vs. Indiana State: 2-1

QUICK HITS
- Indiana State is 2-0 for the first time since 2005-06 when they won their first eight games of that season. The last time a Sycamore team won each of its first three games came in that same 2005-06 season when the Sycamores won their first eight contests out of the gate.
- The Sycamores won their road opener this year at Louisiana-Monroe by the score of 71-59 on Monday night. It marked the first time the Sycamores won their road opener since 2005.
- Indiana State has won the rebounding battle in each of their first two contests.
- The Sycamores have scored at least 70 points in their first two games of a season this year for the first time since 2005.
- Indiana State won a total of nine games by five points or less last season, upping their total of close victories to 35 since 2005.

An Indiana State Win Over Ball State Would ...
• Give Indiana State a 3-0 record to start the season for the first time since the 2005-06 campaign when the Sycamores opened that year with an 8-0 mark.
• Improve the Sycamores to 12-3 at Hulman Center under second-year head coach Greg Lansing.
• Break a two-game losing streak to the Cardinals.
• Give the Sycamores 69 wins all-time against Ball State, the third most for the Trees against any one opponent (ISU has beaten Eastern Illinois 88 times & Evansville 79 times).

The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing (South Dakota, 1990) is 22-14 (.611) overall in his second season as a head coach. He is 12-6 all-time in MVC games, including a 7-2 mark at home and a 5-4 mark on the road. During his career, he is 11-3 in all home games, 7-8 on the road, 4-2 in neutral court contests and 9-3 in games decided by five points or less. Lansing is 0-1 all-time against Ball State, including a 0-0 record versus the Cardinals at home. With the Trees, Lansing is 0-2 in overtime games and 16-0 when holding teams to 63 points or less. Friday's game is Greg Lansing's 37th as Indiana State head coach. Lansing is the second head coach to lead the Sycamores to the NCAA Tournament in their rookie campaign in the history of the program, with the other being Bill Hodges leading ISU to a 33-1 record and a Final Four appearance in the 1979 NCAA Tournament. Lansing was just the 14th rookie head coach in the history of the MVC to lead his team to 20 victories during their debut season.

Television Particulars
Friday evening's game will be televised live on Sycamore Vision which is a pay-per-view web stream service available on GoSycamores.com. Those wishing to watch the game should point their browser to GoSycamores.com, and click on the Sycamore Vison tab for subscription options and other information.

A Little History
Indiana State is currently in its 116th season of college basketball at the school. The Sycamores are 1,370-1,180 all-time on the hardwood. Indiana State's game at Oral Roberts last season was the historic 2,500th game in the history of the program.

Sycamores 2-0 For First Time Since 2005
Indiana State has opened the 2011-12 campaign with back-to-back victories over Eastern Illinois and Louisiana-Monroe. The Sycamores are 2-0 to start a season for the first time since the 2005-06 season when the Trees opened with an 8-0 ledger.

The Sycamore Century Club
Indiana State and Ball State are facing off for the 126th time on Friday evening. Ball State is one of just six schools that Indiana State has faced at least 100 times in the 116-year history of the program. Below are the schools that Indiana State has faced at least 100 times throughout the years.

Indiana State Century Club:
1. Evansville 154
2. Ball State 125
3. Butler 122
3. Eastern Illinois 122
5. Southern Illinois 117
6. Illinois State 105

Road Warriors
Under second-year head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 7-8 in all road games and have won each of their last four true road games dating back to last season and including this year's 71-59 victory at ULM. With its win over ULM, the Sycamores won their first road game of the year for the first time since 2005 and have now won each of their last three road games over Sun Belt Conference foes dating back to 2009.

Carl Richard's Double-Double Leads ISU at ULM
Carl Richard was one of three Sycamores to reach double figures scoring in the 71-59 road victory over Louisiana-Monroe. Joining Richard was Jake Odum and Jordan Printy who scored 13 points each. Richard added 10 rebounds to his 15 points to post the first double-double of the season for senior from Chicago, Ill.

Good Starter On The Battery
Indiana State is 1-0 on the season when the Sycamores' starting five outscores the opponents' starting five. ISU's starters outscored the opponent's at Louisiana-Monroe this season. Under second-year head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 13-2 when the ISU starting five scores more than their opponent's counterparts.

Two Make Sycamore Debuts Against Eastern Illinois
Redshirt freshman Jake Kitchell made his debut in a Sycamore uniform against Eastern Illinois and scored five points off the bench, hitting both of his shots from the field, including his lone 3-point attempt. Freshman Justin Gant likewise played his first game as a Sycamore against Eastern Illinois, scoring two points with a rebound and a blocked shot.

Jake Odum Named To Preseason All-Missouri Valley Conference Squad; Sycamore Picked Third
Jake Odum was one of two sophomores league wide to be named to the 2011-12 Preseason All-Missouri Valley Conference Team as voted upon this fall by league head coaches, media and sports information directors. Odum was named to the league's honorable mention squad as well as to the all-freshman, all-newcomer and all-defensive squads one year ago as a freshman. Odum headlined a group of five players selected to the 2011-12 MVC Preseason All-Conference Team. Joining Odum were Creighton's Doug McDermott, Wichita State's Toure' Murry, Evansville's Colt Ryan and Missouri State's Kyle Weems. Weems is the league's preseason player of the year. As a team, Indiana State was picked to finish third in the Missouri Valley Conference race behind Creighton and Wichita State. The Sycamores third place prediction is tied for its highest since the league began using preseason polls in 1985.

Printy Moving Up Indiana State 3-Point List
Indiana State junior Jordan Printy currently has 156 career 3-pointers and recently passed Travis Inman for third 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. Printy needs five more to tie Eddie Bird for second on the ISU all-time 3-point list with 161. Additionally, Printy is the older brother of Iowa women's basketball sophomore Jaime Printy who was the 2010 Big Ten Freshman Of The Year. The Iowa women's basketball team received an at large bid into the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament also last season made Jordan and Jaime the only brother/sister combo in the Big Dance in 2011.

63 Is The Magic Number
Indiana State is 1-0 this season when holding an opponent to 63 points or less this season. Under second-year head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are a perfect 16-0 when allowing less than 63 points to the opposition (including a 7-0 mark when holding teams to 53 or less).

New King Of The Four-Point Play
Indiana State redshirt freshman RJ Mahurin learned a few trick from Aaron Carter, a graduated player who had eight career four-point plays. Mahurin posted two 4-point plays during his freshman season, one each in ISU's 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. Mahurin was fouled on a 3-point attempt against Illinois State, and made all three of his free throws.

Indiana State Continues Strong Recent Effort In Season Opening Contests
Indiana State is 75-41 in season openers following their 79-72 victory over Eastern Illinois at Hulman Center on November 14. Indiana State has won their season opener for three consecutive seasons and nine of the last 10 years.

Sycamore Signees
Indiana State second year head coach Greg Lansing announced a pair of signees during the NCAA Early Signing Period in November of 2011. ISU has inked TJ Bell (Charleston, Ill./Charleston HS) and Rhett Smith (Sullivan, Ind./Sullivan HS) to national letters of intent and they will begin their Sycamore careers as freshman in time for the 2012-13 campaign.

Bell is a 6-8 guard/forward who will begin his senior season at Charleston (Ill.) High School later this month. He was listed early in his career as one of the Top 25 players in the state of Illinois and averaged 13.9 points as well as 8.2 rebounds as a junior. Bell was named to the All-Apollo Conference in 2011 for his Charleston team which finished with a 16-13 record.

Smith is a 6-7 post player who will begin his senior campaign next week for Sullivan High School and head coach Jeff Moore. He has been the Golden Arrows leading scorer each of his first three seasons of playing at the varsity level. He averaged 17.3 points per game last season as a junior despite missing playing time due to a hand injury. Smith connected on 61.6 percent of his shots from the field. He scored a season-best 28 points against West Vigo during the 2010-11 campaign.

Up Next
Indiana State stays at home to face off against Green Bay on Monday, November 21 inside Hulman Center. Tipoff is set for 7:05 p.m. (ET).