THE HEAD COACHES
INDIANA STATE: Greg Lansing (South Dakota, '90)
- at Indiana State: 20-13 (First Season)
- Overall: 20-13 (First Season)
- vs. Syracuse: First Meeting
- vs. Missouri Valley Conference: 12-6
- in the NCAA Tournament: 0-0
SYRACUSE: Jim Boeheim (Syracuse, '66)
- Overall: 855-300 (35th Season)
- at Syracuse: 855-300 (35th Season)
- vs. Indiana State: First Meeting
- in the NCAA Tournament: 44-26

QUICK HITS
- Indiana State is making its fourth all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament, and its first since the 2001 campaign. ISU was a No. 1 seed in 1979, advancing all the way to NCAA Championship Game before falling to Michigan State. The Sycamores were a No. 12 seed in 2000, falling to Texas in the first round. ISU earned a No. 13 seed in 2001, downing No. 4 Oklahoma in the opening round and then falling to No. 12 Gonzaga in the second round. ISU is a No. 14 seed against Syracuse in 2011.
- Indiana State won the State Farm MVC Tournament for the first time since 2001 and the third time ever with a 60-56 victory over Missouri State on March 6.
- The Sycamores were in the State Farm MVC Tournament Finals for the first time since the 2001 tournament. ISU has reached the MVC Finals four times (1978, 1979, 2001 & 2011) and are now 3-1 in those contests.
- The Sycamores compiled a 9-9 record against teams in postseason play this season. ISU was 0-3 against NCAA Tournament teams (0-1 against Purdue, Notre Dame and Morehead State), 3-3 against NIT Teams (2-1 vs. Missouri State and 1-2 against Wichita State), 2-3 against CBI participants (1-1 vs. Creighton, 1-2 vs. Evansville) and 4-0 against those that qualified for the CIT (1-0 vs. Buffalo, 2-0 vs. Northern Iowa, 1-0 vs. Oral Roberts).
- Indiana State has won a total of nine games by five points or less this season, upping their total of close victories to 35 since 2005.
- The Sycamores have won 100% of the time this season (6-0) after recording 9 or more steals.
- ISU has won 100% of the time this season (15-0) when opponents record 63 or fewer total points.
- Indiana State has won 100% of the time this season (7-0) when its had a field goal percentage of 48.9% or better.
- Indiana State leads the MVC (40th nationally) with a 40.3 field goal defense percentage mark.
- ISU has won 87% of the time this season (13-2) after holding an opponent to under 39.6% field goal percentage.

An Indiana State Win Over Syracuse Would ...
• Improve Indiana State to 6-3 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and be the first Sycamore victory in the Big Dance since a 70-68 overtime victory over Oklahoma in 2001 First Round.
• Be the highest seeded team to fall to Indiana State in the NCAA Tournament since the Trees downed No. 2 DePaul in the 1979 Final Four to advance to the NCAA Championship Game.
• Give Indiana State a total of 21 victories this season, its most since the 2000-01 campaign when the Trees won 22 games, including a NCAA Tournament victory over No. 4 Oklahoma in the first round.
• Be Indiana State's first victory over a nationally-ranked team since a 72-67 victory over Indiana on December 6, 2005 inside Hulman Center.

The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing (South Dakota, 1990) is 20-13 (.606) overall in his first 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 10-3 in all home games, 6-8 on the road, 4-2 in neutral court contests and 9-3 in games decided by five points or less. Lansing is 0-0 all-time against Syracuse, including a 0-0 record versus the Orange in the NCAA Tournament. With the Trees, Lansing is 0-2 in overtime games and 15-0 when holding teams to 63 points or less. Friday's game is Greg Lansing's 34th 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 is 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 can be found nationally on Tru TV. Tru TV is located on Channel 47 on Time Warner Cable in Terre Haute as well as on Channel 246 on DirecTv and on Channel 204 on Dish Network.

A Little History
Indiana State is currently in its 115th season of college basketball at the school. The Sycamores are 1,368-1,179 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.

Indiana State In The NCAA Tournament
Indiana State is returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2001 season by virtue of their State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championship taken with a 60-56 victory over Missouri State on March 6. ISU is the No. 14 seed in the East Region and will take on No. 3 Syracuse in the second round on Friday, March 18 at 9:57 p.m. (ET) inside the Quicken Loans Arena at Cleveland, Ohio. ISU is 5-3 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. The Sycamores went 4-1 in 1979 behind the play of the legendary Larry Bird as Indiana State was a No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region. ISU downed No. 8 Virginia Tech 86-69; No. 5 Oklahoma 93-72 and No. 2 Arkansas 73-71 to make their only Final Four Appearance in the history of the program. ISU then took down No. 2 DePaul 76-74 in the national semifinals before falling 75-64 to No. 2 Michigan State in the National Championship Game, which is still the highest rated televised game in the history of college basketball. The Sycamores returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2000, falling in the first round as the No. 12 seed in the West Region against No. 5 Texas 77-61 in Salt Lake City. ISU went back to the Big Dance in 2001 as the No. 13 seed in the South Region taking down No. 4 Oklahoma by the score of 70-68 in overtime before falling to No. 12 Gonzaga 85-68 in the second round.

Sycamores Earn MVC Tournament Championship With Victory Over Missouri State
Indiana State earned its third MVC Tournament Championship with a 60-56 victory over Missouri State on March 6. ISU was led by 15 points from Aaron Carter and 12 points from Jake Odum. Both Carter and Odum were named to the All-MVC Tournament Team, the first postseason all-tournament honors for both in their careers. ISU advanced to the finals with a 61-54 victory over Wichita State on March 5. Myles Walker paced the Sycamores with 14 points while Odum added 12 against the Shockers. ISU began play in the MVC Tournament on March 4 with a 52-50 victory over Evansville. Odum hit a running jumper with 0.5 seconds on the clock to down the Purple Aces. ISU was led against Evansville by 13 points from Odum as well as 10 points from Carter.

Indiana State Earns Five MVC Season Series Sweeps This Season For First Time Since 1999-00
The Indiana State basketball program earned its fifth MVC season series sweep over an opponent this season by downing Southern Illinois on Feb. 26 as part of Senior Day. The Sycamores' five MVC season series sweeps is the most for an Indiana State basketball team since the 1999-00 campaign when the Trees won the Valley's regular season championship. ISU earned sweeps this season over Bradley (first since 1997-98); Northern Iowa (first since 1999-00); Southern Illinois (first since 1980-81); Illinois State (first since 2008-09) and Drake (second consecutive season series sweep).

Indiana State Achieves Fourth 12-Win Valley Campaign
The Sycamores have amassed a total of 12 MVC victories for the first time since the 1999-00 campaign, and just the fourth time since joining the league. Additionally the Sycamores have achieved back-to-back .500 or better conference campaigns for the first time since ISU posted three in a row (1998-99, 1999-00 & 2000-01). In 1999-00, which is the last time the Trees won at least 12 regular season MVC contests, Indiana State won the conference's regular season title. Indiana State has won at least 10 MVC contests in a single season just eight times since joining the conference in 1977-78 (a total of 33 seasons).

Printy Moving Up Indiana State 3-Point List
Indiana State junior Jordan Printy currently has 150 career 3-pointers and has recently passed Chad Adkins for fourth 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 four more to tie Travis Inman for third on the ISU all-time 3-point list with 154. 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 is expected to receive an at large bid into the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament and will put both Jordan and Jaime in the Big Dance in the same season in 2011.

Good Starter On The Battery
Indiana State is 12-2 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, Oak land City, the home contest versus Bradley, Illinois State, Northern Iowa, at Drake, against Creighton, at Illinois State and in the regular season finale against Southern Illinois as well as Evansville in the State Farm MVC Tournament quarterfinals. The Sycamores' two losses this season when the starters out-score the opponents starters came in a triple overtime defeat at Wichita State and also the home court loss to the Shockers.

63 Is The Magic Number
Indiana State is a perfect 15-0 on the season when allowing less than 63 points to the opposition (including a 7-0 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.

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 9.1 points per game so far. Additionally, he is leading the team with 123 assists and 52 steals. His 4.1 assists per game average is second in the MVC and is the best of any newcomer in the league so far this season while his 1.9 assist to turnover ratio is third in the league and is also the best mark of any Valley newcomer. Odum's 1.7 steals per game average is ranked first in the Missouri Valley Conference. In league games only, Odum's 4.8 assists is first in the league and his 2.1 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. He also scored a career-best 22 points at Creighton.

Isiah Martin Ranks Highly For Career Blocked Shots
Indiana State junior Isiah Martin now has 136 blocked shots in his career following his posting of three against Drake. His current total of 136 blocks ranks second all-time in the history of the program as he recently passed Djabril Kante for second (127). The Indiana State school record is 168, set by DeCarsta Webster from 1975-78. Martin needs 32 more to catch Webster for first place. For the season, Martin is averaging 1.0 blocked shots per game and is one of two Sycamores to rank in the Valley's Top 5. Myles Walker's 0.9 blocks per game average is tied for fifth in the league while Martin's 1.0 is third. As a team, Indiana State is averaging 4.4 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 17 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. Mahurin was fouled on a 3-point attempt against Illinois State, and made all three of his free throws.

Odum And Richard Honored In Missouri Valley Conference Postseason Voting
Indiana State redshirt freshman Jake Odum and Carl Richard have been named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference Honorable Mention squad, which is the first all-conference honor for either Sycamore. Additionally, Odum was named to the all-freshman, all-newcomer and all-defensive teams. Odum is the first Sycamore to earn MVC All-Newcomer status since Amani Daanish following the 2003-04 season. Isiah Martin is the last Sycamore to earn MVC All-Freshman plaudits as he did so following the 2007-08 campaign. Harry Marshall was named to the MVC All-Defensive team one year ago.

Jordan Printy Named To The MVC All-Bench Squad
Indiana State junior guard Jordan Printy has been named to the Missouri Valley Conference's All-Bench squad as announced by the league office. The all-bench team is selected by a poll of the league's beat writers. Printy earned his first career MVC All-Bench Award for the Sycamores in a season in which the Sycamores have earned a No. 3 seed at this weekend's State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. He battled an early season injury to come on and post 6.0 points this season, including an average of 5.2 points per game in MVC contests. Printy has hit 44-of-94 3-point field goals for a 46.8 percent mark which ranks as the best in the Valley this season. He has hit 1.8 treys per game, which is the eighth-most in the MVC rankings. In MVC games only, his 46.7 3-point field goal percentage mark is fourth in the league while his 1.6 treys per game is tied for ninth. Printy drained a trio of 3-pointers in back-to-back contests against Illinois State and Northern Iowa, posting 11 points against the Panthers. He went on to score a season-high 17 points at Northern Iowa, hitting five 3-pointers in the contest that wrapped up ISU's No. 3 seed at Arch Madness. He is the first Sycamore to earn MVC All-Bench recognition since Isiah Martin did it following the 2007-08 campaign as a freshman.

Bench Play Key For Sycamores At Northern Iowa
Indiana State got a total of 40 points off the bench as part of its 76-74 victory at Northern Iowa, led by a season-best 17 points from Jordan Printy, who drilled five 3-pointers against the Panthers. RJ Mahurin was also strong off the bench as he tied a career high with 11 points by knocking down a trio of 3-pointers, two of which came in the second half. The Sycamores scored 40 points off the bench while the starting five only posted 36.

Back-To-Back Against Southern Illinois
With its 77-72 victory over Southern Illinois, the Sycamores have achieved consecutive victories over the Salukis for the first time since they won twice in a row during the 1980-81 campaign. That also marks the last time that the Sycamores have earned a regular season series sweep versus the Salukis. ISU downed SIU by the score of 68-65 in the last meeting against the Salukis prior to the victory on February 16. With a victory on Senior Day over Southern Illinois, the Sycamores will have won three in a row over the Salukis for the first time since 1978-80.

Sycamores Get Defensive At Illinois State
Indiana State recorded a Redbird Arena opponent record 16 steals in the 56-46 road victory over Illinois State. It was just one shy of the overall arena record. It was the most steals for the Sycamores since they posted 16 against Drake on March 2, 2006 at the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.

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.

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.

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.

Up Next
The winner of Friday's matchup between No. 3 Syracuse and No. 14 Indiana State will take on the victor of No. 6 Xavier and No. 11 Marquette on Sunday, March 20 inside the Quicken Loans Arena.