SETTING THE STAGE
Indiana State continues year two of the Greg Lansing era on Wednesday, December 21, when the Sycamores return home to face off against Louisiana-Monroe in a return game from earlier in the season. Tip-off is set for 7:05 (ET). The game can be seen live locally on WTWO-TV with Jason Pensky and Jim Waugh on the call. 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 game will also be live streamed on GoSycamores.com on a pay-per-view basis through the Sycamore Vision service.

THE LOUISIANA-MONROE SERIES
Indiana State leads the all-time series against Louisiana-Monroe by the count of 1-0. That lone meeting came on November 14 of this year as the Sycamores earned a 71-59 victory in Monroe, La.

THE HEAD COACHES
INDIANA STATE: Greg Lansing (South Dakota, '90)
- at Indiana State: 28-16 (Second Season)
- Overall: 28-16 (Second Season)
- vs. Louisiana-Monroe: 1-0
- vs. SBC: 1-0
LOUISIANA-MONROE: Keith Richard (ULM, '82)
- Overall: 158-152 (11th Season)
- at ULM: 8-35 (Second Season)
- vs. Indiana State: 0-1

QUICK HITS
- Indiana State has started the 2011-12 campaign with an 8-2 record. The last time the Sycamores opened the season with eight wins in their first 10 contests came in 2005-06.
- The Sycamores are 4-1 this season when scoring at least 68 points and are a perfect 6-0 when holding teams to 63 points or less.
- ISU is 6-0 this season when senior Myles Walker grabs at least five rebounds while they are 5-1 when Jake Odum plays 32 or minutes.
- Indiana State has won one game by five points or less this season, upping their total of close victories to 36 since 2005.
- Senior Jordan Printy has 175 career 3-pointers, which is second most all-time in the history of the program.

An Indiana State Win Over Louisiana-Monroe Would ...
• Improve the Sycamores to 15-3 inside Hulman Center under second-year head coach Greg Lansing.
• Give the Sycamores a 9-2 start to the season, which would be the best since a similar start to the 1979-80 campaign.
• Improve the Sycamores to 2-0 all-time against Louisiana-Monroe, and 11-10 against current members of the Sun Belt Conference.

The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing (South Dakota, 1990) is 28-16 (.636) 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 14-3 in all home games, 8-9 on the road, 6-4 in neutral court contests and 10-3 in games decided by five points or less. Lansing is 1-0 all-time against Louisiana-Monroe, and is 1-0 against the Sun Belt Conference. With the Trees, Lansing is 0-2 in overtime games and 21-0 when holding teams to 63 points or less. Wednesday's game is Greg Lansing's 45th 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
Wednesday night's game will be televised locally on WTWO-TV and will also be available live on the web on Sycamore Vision. Sycamore Vision is a pay-per-view subscription service available exclusively on GoSycamores.com.

A Little History
Indiana State is currently in its 116th season of college basketball at the school. The Sycamores are 1,376-1,182 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.

RJ Mahurin Leads ISU Past Vanderbilt; Named MVC Player Of The Week
Indiana State sophomore RJ Mahurin picked up his first MVC Player Of The Week honor for his performance in the road victory over No. 25 Vanderbilt. Mahurin came off the bench to score a career-high 14 points against the Commodores. He hit 5-of-8 shots from the field and was 4-of-7 from 3-point range. He added a pair of rebounds and one large assist in the contest. Mahurin hit three of his 3-pointers in the first half, including a key one with 1:31 left before the half which drew the Sycamores within two points of the Commodores. He then found Carl Richard open for another three with 36 seconds left and at the end of the shot clock which sent the two teams into the half tied. He hit each of his first two 3-pointers early in the first half to help ISU build an early 16-4 lead over No. 25 Vanderbilt. His fourth 3-pointer came with 14 minutes left in the game to even the score at 41 after Vanderbilt had taken a brief lead.

Sycamores Down Nationally-Ranked Vanderbilt On The Road
Indiana State's win over No. 25 Vanderbilt was its first over a nationally-ranked opponent since a 72-64 home court victory over No. 14 Butler on December 9, 2006. The win over Vanderbilt was the first for the Sycamores over a nationally-ranked road opponent since a 63-60 win over No. 15 Indiana in Assembly Hall on December 12, 1999. The win over Vanderbilt was also the first by a Sycamore team over a member of the Southeastern Conference since a 1984 home court victory over the Commodores.

Sycamores 8-2 For Best Start Since 2005
Indiana State has opened the 2011-12 campaign with victories over Eastern Illinois, Louisiana-Monroe, Ball State, Green Bay, Texas Tech, Fairfield, Maryville and No. 25 Vanderbilt. The Sycamores are off to a 8-2 start to a season which is its best since the 2005-06 & 1979-80 seasons when the Trees also opened with an 8-2 ledger. The only better start to a season that Indiana State has enjoyed was a perfect 10-0 start to the 1978-79 campaign.

Sycamores Up To No. 14 In Latest RPI Rankings; Make Appearance In AP Top 25 Receiving Votes
According to RealTimeRPI.com, Indiana State is ranked No. 14 in the national RPI rankings and is one of six MVC teams to rank in Top 100. UNI leads the way with a lofty No. 3 ranking while the Trees are followed at No. 14 by Creighton (36), Wichita State (48), Missouri State (90) and Drake (91). The Sycamores strength of schedule is currently 40th and is the second-best so far in the MVC behind Northern Iowa (16). Additionally, the Sycamores received one point in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll which was released on December 19. ISU is listed as the 41st team to receive votes in the poll.

Jake Odum Nationally-Ranked In Assists And Steals While Leading The Missouri Valley Conference
Indiana State sophomore guard Jake Odum leads the Missouri Valley Conference with a 6.6 assists per game average. That mark is ranked 11th nationally. Odum recorded a career-high 12 assists against Fairfield as part of the Old Spice Classic. Odum also leads the MVC in steals per game with a 2.3 average, which ranks 38th nationally.

Carl Richard Approaching Sycamore Record Book In Rebounding
Indiana State senior Carl Richard has amassed 610 rebounds during his career, which is currently tied for 11th all-time in the Sycamore Record Book. Richard needs 17 more boards to catch Brad Miley (1976-80) for 10th place with 627.

Sycamore Success Inside Hulman Center Under Greg Lansing
With the 68-57 victory over Maryville on December 10, the Sycamores are now 14-3 (.824) inside Hulman Center under second-year head coach Greg Lansing. The Sycamores have won each of their last five home games, dating back to a loss last season to Morehead State in the annual Sears Bracketbusters contest.

Road Warriors
Indiana State has won five of their last six true games dating back to last season. The Sycamores downed Illinois State, Southern Illinois and Northern Iowa on the road to end last season and began this year with a road victories over Louisiana-Monroe and No. 25 Vanderbilt, with the lone defeat coming at Boise State on December 3. The Sycamores are 8-9 under second-year head coach Greg Lansing on the road, and have won seven of their last 11 road contests.

Printy Moving Up Indiana State 3-Point List
Indiana State junior Jordan Printy currently has 175 career 3-pointers and recently passed Eddie Bird for second 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 108 more to tie Michael Menser for first on the ISU all-time 3-point list with 283. 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.

Good Starter On The Battery
Indiana State is 5-2 on the season when the Sycamores' starting five outscores the opponents' starting five. ISU's starters outscored the opponent's at Louisiana-Monroe and against Green Bay plus Texas Tech, Fairfield and Maryville this season and won. ISU starters outscored Minnesota and Boise State, but fell to each. Under second-year head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 17-4 when the ISU starting five scores more than their opponent's counterparts.

63 Is The Magic Number
The Sycamores win by the score of 61-55 over No. 25 Vanderbilt was ISU's sixth this season in which they have held an opponent to 63 points or less. Indiana State is 6-0 this season when holding an under that total. Under second-year head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are a perfect 21-0 when allowing less than 63 points to the opposition (including a 9-0 mark when holding teams to 53 or less).

Triple-Double For Odum And Tournament Record To Boot
Sycamore sophomore guard Jake Odum battled a foot injury while playing three games in four days at the 2011 Old Spice Classic. After two solid performances in the first two days of the event, Odum saved his best for last as he posted 10 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists against Fairfield on November 27. That triple-double was the first by a Sycamore since Larry Bird posted one in 1979 versus Drake and the first by a member of the MVC in 14 seasons. Additionally, the 12 assists are an Old Spice Classic single-game record. His 12 assists is the first double digit assist total in his career and the first by a Sycamore since Michael Menser had 11 against Wichita State in 2001.

Indiana State Goes 2-1 At 2011 Old Spice Classic
Indiana State downed Texas Tech and Fairfield while falling to Minnesota as the Sycamores put together a 2-1 record at the 2011 Old Spice Classic held over Thanksgiving Weekend on the campus of Walt Disney World Resort. The Sycamores have now won two games in a row of over members of the Big 12 Conference (Texas Tech and Oklahoma in the 2001 NCAA Tournament). Jake Odum was named to the Old Spice Classic All-Tournament Team. ISU is the third MVC team to play in the event and the third place finish is the highest by any league team.

Indiana State Opens Tournament Play With A Win Over BCS School For First Time Since 1973
Indiana State's victory over Texas Tech in the opening round of the 2011 Old Spice Classic marked the second consecutive year that the Sycamores have opened an early season multi-team event with a win. ISU downed Texas Pan-American in the opening game of a tournament at Loyola-Chicago last season. Prior to the victory over Texas Tech, the last time a Sycamore team opened a tournament such as the Old Spice Classic with a win over a BCS school came on December 27, 1973 when ISU downed Florida State in the first game of the Bear Classic, played on the campus of Mercer University in Macon, Ga.

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. He is already at it again this year as he was fouled on a 3-point attempt against Ball State, missed the shot, but made all three of his awarded free throws. Mahurin was fouled on a 3-point attempt against Minnesota, but missed the ensuing free throw.

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 will open Missouri Valley Conference play on Wednesday, December 28 at Drake. Tip-off from the Drake Knapp Center is set for 8:05 p.m. (ET) and will be seen live on a pay-per-view basis on Sycamore Vision.