Ace Hunt
GoSycamores.com

SETTING THE STAGE
Indiana State continues year one of the Greg Lansing era on Saturday afternoon, February 5, when the Sycamores continue Missouri Valley Conference by traveling to Missouri State. Tip-off is set for 3:05 p.m. (ET). The game can be seen live world wide on the internet as part of the popular Sycamore Vision web stream service featured on GoSycamores.com on a pay-per-view basis. The game will also be broadcast live locally on the radio via ESPN Radio 92.7 FM & 1300 AM, as Brian Fritz describes the action with an internet broadcast available on GoSycamores.com. Additionally live stats for the contest can be found at GoSycamores.com.

THE MISSOURI STATE SERIES
Missouri State leads the all-time series against Indiana State by a 35-19 count, as the Sycamores earned a 70-69 victory earlier this season at Hulman Center. The Trees have won four of the last five meetings with Missouri State, including a two-game sweep in 2008-09. The Sycamores are 4-21 in road contests versus the Bears, although ISU is 1-1 in the new JQH Arena (winning 76-71 in the building two years ago and falling 99-92 in overtime last year).

THE HEAD COACHES
INDIANA STATE: Greg Lansing (South Dakota, '90)
- at Indiana State: 12-11 (First Season)
- Overall: 12-11 (First Season)
- vs. Missouri State: 1-0
- vs. Missouri Valley Conference: 7-5
MISSOURI STATE: Cuonzo Martin (Purdue, '00)
- Overall: 52-38 (Third Season)
- at Missouri State: 52-38 (Third Season)
- vs. Indiana State: 1-4

QUICK HITS
- 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.
- Sycamore freshman Jake Odum recorded the second 20-point scoring game of his career with 22 points at Creighton. Odum hit 10 free throws against the 'Jays, which is the most by a Sycamore in a single-game this season and the most since Harry Marshall hit 11 against Wichita State last season.
- The last time ISU started the season with a 12-11 overall record was in 2006-07.
- ISU junior Carl Richard has led the Sycamores in rebounding 12 games this season and has paced the Sycamores in scoring a total of five times.

An Indiana State Win Over Missouri State Would ...
• Break a season-long four game losing streak and be the Sycamores' first victory at Missouri State since 2008-09.
• Stop a four-game MVC losing skid, the longest for the Sycamores this season and avoid ISU's first five-game losing streak of the 2010-11 campaign.
• Give the Sycamores at least eight league victories for the third time in the last four seasons.

The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing (South Dakota, 1990) is 12-11 (.522) overall in his first season as a head coach. He is 7-5 all-time in MVC games, including a 5-2 mark at home, a 2-3 mark on the road and a 0-0 record in neutral court contests. During his career, he is 8-2 in all home games, 3-7 on the road, 1-2 in neutral court contests and 5-3 in games decided by five points or less. Lansing is 1-0 all-time against Missouri State, including a 0-0 record inside JQH Arena. With the Trees, Lansing is 0-2 in overtime games and 9-0 when holding teams to 63 points or less. Saturday's game is Greg Lansing's 24th as Indiana State head coach.

Television Particulars
Wednesday afternoon's game can be seen live on the popular web stream service Sycamore Vision that is part of GoSycamores.com. Sycamore Vision is a pay-per-view subscription service.

A Little History
Indiana State is currently in its 115th season of college basketball at the school. The Sycamores are 1,360-1,177 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.

Sycamores Fall To Wichita State Despite Double Digit Efforts From Carl Richard & Jake Kelly
Indiana State junior Carl Richard led the Sycamores with 12 points, hitting 5-of-10 shots from the field and five rebounds against Wichita State. The Sycamores also got a double digit performance from Jake Kelly who scored 11 points versus the Shockers, hitting 4-of-6 shots from the field and 2-of-2 from the free throw line.

Carl Richard Leads Sycamores Against Evansville and Creighton
Junior forward Carl Richard averaged 13.0 points and 6.5 rebounds as ISU took on Evansville and Creighton last week in MVC play. Richard went 7-of-14 from the field (50 percent) and 3-of-4 from 3-point rnage (75 percent), plus he hit 9-of-11 of his free throws (81.8 percent). He went on to add three assists, two blocks and two steals over the two-game stretch. Richard began the week by tying a career-high with 20 points and 10 rebounds against Evansville. His effort against the Purple Aces was his fourth double-double of the season. Against UE, Richard hit 6-of-8 shots from the field (75 percent) and was a perfect 2-of-2 from 3-point range as well as 6-of-7 from the charity stripe (85.7 percent). Richard went to Qwest Center Omaha and scored six points with three rebounds, hitting 3-of-4 free throws (75 percent).

Odum Leads Sycamore Backcourt
Jake Odum averaged 12.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.0 steals as the Sycamores faced off against Evansville and Creighton this past week. Odum was 6-of-16 from the field (37.5 percent), was 2-of-4 from 3-point rnage (50 percent) and hit 11-of-14 free thorws (78.6 percent). Odum set a new career-high at Qwest Center Omaha with a 22-point performance against Creighton. He hit 5-of-8 shots from the field (62.5 percent), was a perfect 2-of-2 from 3-point range and connected on a career-high 10 free throws, drilling 10-of-13 (76.9 percent) of his charity tosses. Odum scored three points and pulled down three rebounds against Evansville. He posted four assists in both contests and had a steal in each game as well.

Dwayne Lathan's Windmill Dunk Versus Purdue Selected As A Dunk Of The Year Nominee
Indiana State University guard Dwayne Lathan's windmill dunk against Purdue on December 18 was selected as a 2011 Dunk of the Year nominee, announced this week by sports television production and event marketing company Intersport. The 2011 Dunk of the Year is wholly determined by fan voting and will be announced on a one-hour "Dunks of the Year" special airing on ABC April 2. Each week for eight weeks, four incredible college dunk videos are released at the Dunks of the Year fan page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/dunksoftheyear). The top weekly vote-getters proceed to the Finals, which tip off March 7, and are highlighted within the ABC special. Lathan's breakaway windmill dunk is competing against three other dunkers in week four, including Missouri Southern's Jason Adams, Kentucky's Terrence Jones, and Washington's Isaiah Thomas. To support Lathan, fans can vote once a day and share their vote with their Facebook friends. Week four voting is open until Sunday, February 6 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Sycamores Will Play Morehead State In ESPN Bracketbusters
Indiana State was downed by last season's opponent Green Bay by the score of 60-59 on the road as part of the Brackbusters series. This season the Sycamores will host Morehead State this season inside Hulman Center. The Sycamores game against Morehead State scheduled for February 19 will mark's ISU's seventh year of participation in the scheduling concept. The Sycamores are 3-3 in the original game as part of the Bracketbuster series, and are 2-3 in the return portion of the series the following year. ISU dropped both games to Buffalo in the first two seasons of its participation in Bracketbusters (03-04 & 04-05); swept Western Michigan (05-06 & 06-07); was swept by Miami (Ohio) (06-07 & 07-08); split with Murray State (07-08 & 08-09) and downed Toledo twice last year. Overall, ISU is 5-6 against Bracketbusters opponents.

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.

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.

Finding The Open Man
Through 12 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 third in the league with a 13.8 assists per game average. In fact, ISU has posted double figure assist totals in 14 of its last 15 games, including a Valley-best 19 in the opener against Bradley and again against Northern Iowa. Freshman Jake Odum is averaging 5.2 assists per game in league play which leads the league.

Good Starter On The Battery
Indiana State is 9-2 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' two losses this season when the starters outscore the opponents starters came in a triple overtime defeata at Wichita State and also the home court loss to the Shockers.

Valley Win Streak Reached Six
Indiana State rattled off six consecutive league victories earlier this year 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.

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 7.6 points per game so far. Additionally, he is leading the team with 92 assists and 41 steals. His 4.0 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 2.0 assist to turnover ratio is third in the league and is also the best mark of any Valley newcomer. Odum's 1.8 steals per game average is ranked first in the Missouri Valley Conference. In league games only, Odum's 5.2 assists and 2.3 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 12 In MVC Contests
In Valley play, senior Aaron Carter is leader for the Sycamores in scoring with a 11.5 ppg average which is ranked 12th-best in the MVC.

Printy Moving Up Indiana State 3-Point List
Indiana State junior Jordan Printy currently has 127 career 3-pointers and has passed Marcus Howard & Marico Stinson's 125 for sixth on the ISU all-time list with his two treys at Creighton. 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 four more 3-pointers to move into the Sycamores' Top 5 all-time list as Greg Thomas (1990-93) finished his career with 130 triples.

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 125 blocked shots in his career following his posting of one against Wichita State. His current total of 125 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 two 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 1.0 blocks per game average is third in the league while Martin's 0.9 is sixth. As a team, Indiana State is averaging 4.5 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 14 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 stays on the road and travels to Illinois State on Wednesday, February 9. Tip-off is set for 8:05 p.m. (ET) from Redbird Arena. The game can be heard live locally on the radio via ESPN Radio 92.7 FM & 1300 AM as well as online at GoSycamores.com.