Ace Hunt
GoSycamores.com
SETTING THE STAGE
Indiana State continues year two of the Greg Lansing era on Saturday, January 7, when the Sycamores continue Missouri Valley Conference play against Missouri State. Tip-off is set for 1:05 (ET) inside the Hulman Center. The game can be seen live locally on WAWV-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 be web streamed world-wide on a pay-per-view basis via the Sycamore Vision service on GoSycamores.com.
The Missouri State TV Broadcast will also be live available on ESPN 3.
THE MISSOURI STATE SERIES
Missouri State leads the all-time series against Indiana State by a 36-20 count, as ISU won two of three contests last year against the Bears including the State Farm MVC Tournament Championship Game. The Sycamores are 15-11 against Missouri State at home. The Trees have won five of the last seven meetings with Missouri State.
THE HEAD COACHES
INDIANA STATE: Greg Lansing (South Dakota, '90)
- at Indiana State: 30-18 (Second Season)
- Overall: 30-18 (Second Season)
- vs. Missouri State: 2-1
- vs. MVC: 13-8
Missouri State: Paul Lusk (Southern Illinois, '95)
- Overall: 11-29 (Second Season)
- at Missouri State: 9-6 (First Season)
- vs. Indiana State: First Meeting
QUICK HITS
- The Sycamores are 5-1 this season when scoring at least 68 points and are a perfect 7-0 when holding teams to 63 points or less.
- ISU is 7-0 this season when senior Myles Walker grabs at least five rebounds while they are 7-2 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 181 career 3-pointers, which is second most all-time in the history of the program.
- Jake Odum set a career-high with 24 points against Bradley, which marks the fourth time in his career that he has scored over 20 points in a game.
- Indiana State pulled down 46 rebounds against Bradley which is the most for a Sycamore team since recording 51 caroms at Wichita State on Jan. 22, 2011.
- Dwayne Lathan tied a career-high with 11 rebounds against Bradley which was the fifth double-digit rebounding game of his career.
An Indiana State Win Over Missouri State Would ...
• Improve the Sycamores to 17-3 at home under second-year head coach Greg Lansing and extend ISU's current home court winning streak to eight games.
• Give the Sycamores an 11-4 start to the season, which would be the best for the Sycamores since the 11-4 start to the 2000-01 season.
• Give Indiana State six wins in their last eight contests against Missouri State and give the Sycamores four consecutive wins at home over the Bears
• Give the Sycamores at least a 2-2 start to league play for the third consecutive season.
The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing (South Dakota, 1990) is 30-18 (.625) overall in his second season as a head coach. He is 13-8 all-time in MVC games, including a 8-2 mark at home and a 5-6 mark on the road. During his career, he is 16-3 in all home games, 8-11 on the road, 6-4 in neutral court contests and 10-3 in games decided by five points or less. Lansing is 2-1 all-time against Missouri State, and is 1-0 inside the Hulman Center. With the Trees, Lansing is 0-2 in overtime games and 22-0 when holding teams to 63 points or less. Saturday's game is Greg Lansing's 49th 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
The Missouri State game will broadcast live locally in the Wabash Valley on WAWV-TV as well as locally in Springfield, Mo., on KY-3 TV. Saturday's game will also be televised live world-wide on the internet as part of the Sycamore Vision pay-per-view web stream service. For subscription information, fans should point their browsers to GoSycamores.com. The Missouri State TV Broadcast will also be simulcast on ESPN 3.
A Little History
Indiana State is currently in its 116th season of college basketball at the school. The Sycamores are 1,378-1,184 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.
Lathan Leads ISU At Northern Iowa, Top Scorer For ISU In MVC Play Off Bench
Dwayne Lathan led the team in scoring at Northern Iowa with 15 points, which marked the fifth time this season that he has paced the team in the scoring column this season -- all of the bench. Through three games of MVC play, Lathan is averaging a team-high 16 ppg and has hit 18-of-32 field goal attempts (56.3 percent). His 5.7 rebounds per game in league play is second on the team to Carl Richard, who is averaging 6.7 boards per conference contest.
Odum Sets Career-High With 24 Points Against Bradley As Part Of Strong Start To MVC Play
Jake Odum scored in double digits in both games this past week at Drake and in the MVC home opener versus Bradley. Odum capped the week by scoring a career-high 24 points against Bradley. He hit 6-of-9 shots from the field against the Braves, including an 11-of-12 mark from the free throw line. Odum added five rebounds and four assists with three steals against Bradley. Odum opened the week with 10 points at Drake. He hit all four of his free throw attempts and pulled down three rebounds with three assists and a pair of steals. For the week, Odum averaged 17 points and four rebounds per game. He hit 9-of-19 shots from the field (47.4 percent) and was 15-of-16 from the free throw line (93.8 percent). He averaged 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game.
First MVC Game Inside Hulman Center
The Sycamores dropped their MVC opener at Drake on December 28 to fall to 14-21 all-time in MVC openers, including a mark of 2-15 when opening Valley play on the road. The game on December 31 against Bradley marked the first league contest of the year at home, where the Sycamores now own a 26-9 record in the initial Valley home contest each year.
Jake Odum Nationally-Ranked In Assists; Leads MVC In Steals
Indiana State sophomore guard Jake Odum leads the Missouri Valley Conference with a 5.9 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 leads the MVC in steals per game with a 2.1 average, which ranks 38th nationally.
Sycamores 10-4 For Best Start Since 2000-01
Indiana State has opened the 2011-12 campaign with victories over Eastern Illinois, Louisiana-Monroe (twice), Ball State, Green Bay, Texas Tech, Fairfield, Maryville, No. 25 Vanderbilt and Bradley. The Sycamores are off to a 10-4 start to a season which is its best since the 2000-01 season when the Trees also opened with an 10-4 ledger.
Carl Richard Ranks Ninth All-Time In Sycamore Rebounding Record Book
Senior Carl Richard pulled down eight rebounds against Bradley and added four more versus Northern Iowa which gives him 638 for his career and is in ninth place all-time in the history of the Sycamore basketball program. Richard needs 23 more to catch Rick Williams (1973-76) for eighth place on the ISU all-time list.
Sycamore Success Inside Hulman Center Under Greg Lansing
With the 77-66 victory over Bradley on December 31, the Sycamores are now 16-3 (.842) inside Hulman Center under second-year head coach Greg Lansing. The Sycamores have won each of their last seven home games, dating back to a loss last season to Morehead State in the annual Sears Bracketbusters contest. Additionally, the Sycamores have won eight of their last 10 MVC games at home.
Printy Moving Up Indiana State 3-Point List
Indiana State junior Jordan Printy currently has 181 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 102 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 6-2 on the season when the Sycamores' starting five outscores the opponents' starting five. ISU's starters outscored the opponent's twice against 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 18-4 when the ISU starting five scores more than their opponent's counterparts.
63 Is The Magic Number
The Sycamores win by the score of 50-35 over Louisiana-Monroe was ISU's seventh this season in which they have held an opponent to 63 points or less. Indiana State is 7-0 this season when holding an under that total. Under second-year head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are a perfect 22-0 when allowing less than 63 points to the opposition (including a 10-0 mark when holding teams to 53 or less). The Sycamores are allowing 61.1 points per game this year, which ranks third best in the MVC.
Four In A Row Against Bradley
Indiana State's 77-66 victory over Bradley was the Sycamores' fourth in a row over the Braves, which is the longest active winning streak for the Sycamores against a member of the MVC. The four game winning streak against Bradley is its longest against the Braves since a four-game winning streak against them from 1991-1993. ISU has won four or more games in a row against Bradley just three times since the series began in 1968.
Defense Sets The Tone Against The Warhawks
The 35 points allowed by the Sycamore defense against Louisiana-Monroe is the fewest an ISU team has allowed since the shot clock was adopted prior to the 1985-86 campaign. The previous best defensive showing came as part of a 38-37 defeat at the hands of Long Beach State on Dec. 23, 2004 as part of the Rainbow Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii. Additionally, the Sycamores improved to a perfect 22-0 under Lansing (7-0 this season) when holding teams under 63 points, including a 10-0 mark when limiting teams to 53 points or less.
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.
Road Warriors
Indiana State has won five of their last eight 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 defeats coming at Boise State on December 3 , at Drake on December 28 and at Northern Iowa on January 4. The Sycamores are 8-11 under second-year head coach Greg Lansing on the road, and have won seven of their last 13 road contests.
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.
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
The Sycamores continue their two-game Missouri Valley Conference homestand against Evansville on January 10. Tip-off is set for 7:05 p.m. (ET) inside Hulman Center.