INDIANA STATE VS. ILLINOIS
Orleans Arena (9,500), Las Vegas, Nev.
November 27, 2014, 5:00 p.m. (ET)
SETTING THE STAGE
>> The Indiana State Sycamores continue play in the 2014 Continental Tires Las Vegas Invitational on Thursday, November 27 when they take on Illinois at the Orleans Arena. The game is set for a 5:00 p.m. (ET) tipoff and can be heard locally on 95.9 FM The Duke as well as online via a link on GoSycamores.com. This is the 119th season of intercollegiate basketball at Indiana State University. The game will be televised nationally by Fox Sports 1 with Justin Kutcher and Bill Raftery on the call. The Sycamores are 3-1 on the season after downing Brown and Austin Peay earlier this week at Hulman Center. Illinois beat the same two teams to improve to 4-0 heading out to Vegas this week.
QUICK HITS
- Indiana State has made five consecutive trips to the postseason (2010 CBI, 2011 NCAA, 2012 CIT, 2013 & 2014 NIT), which is a new school record.
- The Sycamores have put together four consecutive seasons of 18 or more victories which is a new school record. Indiana State advanced to the MVC Tournament Championship where they fell to No. 1 Wichita State.
- Indiana State is 56-4 when holding teams to 63 points or less under fourth-year head coach Greg Lansing (and 16-0 when limiting teams to 53 or less).
- Indiana State has earned 55 close victories (five points or less) since 2005. Under Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 29-13 in close games.
- Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing owns four victories over nationally-ranked teams during his tenure, which is tied for the school record with Bill Hodges.
- Khristian Smith became the first Sycamore to earn the Missouri Valley Conference's Sixth Man Of The Year Award last season. He was a repeat selection to the MVC All-Bench Team and also was named to the MVC Most Improved Team. Smith led the team with 27 points in the overtime victory on November 14 at IUPUI (79-66). Both Smith (23 pts) and Devonte Brown (21 pts) became the first Sycamore duo to reach 20 points in a game since a road win at Evansville in January of 2014 in the win over Brown.
An Indiana State Win Over Illinois Would ...
• Be the Sycamores' first-ever victory over Illinois in just their second attempt.
• Improve the Sycamores' record in multi-team events under coach Lansing to 10-5 and extend the program's winning streaks in these events to five -- dating back to the 2013 Great Alaska Shootout.
• Be the Sycamores' sixth victory against a Power 6 conference school under Lansing in 12 attempts (all on the road or on a neutral court.)
The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing (South Dakota, 1990) is 82-56 (.599) overall in his fifth season as a head coach. He is 41-31 all-time in MVC games, including a 27-9 mark at home and a 14-22 record on the road. During his career, he is 45-13 in all home games, 24-33 on the road, 13-9 in neutral court contests and 29-13 in games decided by five points or less. Lansing is 0-0 against Illinois and is 0-0 against the Fighting Illini on a neutral court. With the Trees, Lansing is 5-4 in overtime games and 56-4 when holding teams to 63 points or less. Lansing has led the Sycamores to the postseason in each of his first four seasons with the Sycamores (2011 NCAA, 2012 CIT, 2013, 2014 NIT). Thursday's game will be Greg Lansing's 138th 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. Against nationally-ranked opponents Lansing holds a 4-10 record, including a 3-5 mark in road contests. He is tied with Bill Hodges for most victories over a nationally-ranked team (four) in the history of the program.
Television Particulars
The Illinois game will be shown live on Fox Sports 1 on a national basis. Friday's game in the Las Vegas Invitational will also be seen on Fox Sports 1.
A Little History
Indiana State is currently in its 119th season of college basketball at the school. The Sycamores are 1,429-1,223 all-time on the hardwood.
First Career Double-Double For Jake Kitchell Propels Indiana State To Win Over Austin Peay
Indiana State senior center Jake Kitchell set new career highs for points scored with 11 and rebounds with 13 to post his first career double-double on November 24 against Austin Peay. He scored each of the Sycamores' first five points in the game as he also added one assist, one steal and two blocked shots in the victory.
Khristian Smith and Devonte Brown Reach 20 Points Each In Victory Over Brown
Indiana State opened play in the 2014 Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational with a 78-66 victory over Brown inside Hulman Center. The Sycamores did so behind the play of Khristian Smith who topped the 20 point mark for the second time this season with 23 points on the strength of his second 9-of-9 free throw shooting performance in the first three games. Also over 20 points was Devonte Brown who scored a career-high 21 points to go with his six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Smith and Brown are the first Sycamore duo to go over 20 points together in the same game since Smith did it with Dawon Cummings in a road victory over Evansville last season.
63 Is The Magic Number
The Sycamores win by the score of 61-57 on November 24, 2014 vs. Austin Peay was ISU's first this season in which they held an opponent to 63 points or less and earned the victory. ISU was 15-1 last season when holding an opponent under that total. Under fifth-year head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 56-4 when allowing less than 63 points to the opposition (including a 16-0 mark when holding teams to 53 or less).
Good Starter On The Battery
Indiana State is 3-1 this season when the Sycamore starters outscore their counterparts for the opposition. Under fifth-year head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 48-14 when the ISU starting five scores more than their opponent's starters after doing so in the win over Brown.
Sycamores Continue Success Against “Power 6” Teams Under Greg Lansing
With its 83-70 victory over Notre Dame, the Sycamores have now won back-to-back games against the Atlantic Coast Conference as ISU downed Miami (Fla.) on December 25, 2012 as part of the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Classic. Under fifth-year head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 5-6 against teams from “Power 6” Conferences, and all 11 of those contests have either come on the road or on a neutral court.
Sycamores Have Won Over 60 Percent Of Their “Bounce Back” Games Under Greg Lansing
In the last five seasons, the Sycamores have been known as a team with the ability to bounce back from defeat. Since the 2010-11 campaign, the Sycamores are 34-21 (.618) in a game which follows a loss. Indiana State saw a streak of seven victories in a game which followed a defeat come to an end last season. With the victory at IUPUI and Saturday's win over Brown, the Sycamores are off to a new streak as the game against the Bears followed a home opening loss to Saint Louis.
Sycamore Success Inside Hulman Center Under Greg Lansing
The Sycamores are 44-13 (.772) inside Hulman Center under fifth-year head coach Greg Lansing. The Sycamores have won 35 of their last 45 home games. Additionally, the Sycamores have won 27 of their last 36 MVC games at home. The Sycamores finished 11-2 at home last season and are 1-1 so far in 2014-15.
Indiana State Picked Sixth In Missouri Valley Conference Race
The Indiana State basketball team has been picked to finish sixth in the Missouri Valley Conference race as announced on October 28 by the league office as part of its annual MVC Basketball Tipoff festivities held at Palladium St. Louis. The league preseason poll is conducted by a vote of the league's head coaches, sports information directors and a media panel. The Sycamores finished second last season in the MVC race with an overall record of 23-11 and a 12-6 mark in league play. Indiana State garnered 219 points to be picked sixth from the 46-person voting panel. The prediction includes the Sycamores finishing ahead of Southern Illinois (191 points), Bradley (140 points), Drake (92 points) and Loyola (91 points). Defending league champion Wichita State was picked to win the league with 45 first place votes and 459 points. Northern Iowa was second with a total of 411 points. Missouri State was third (338 points), Evansville fourth (300 points) and Illinois State was sixth with one first place vote (287 points).
Sycamores Make Fifth Consecutive Trip To The Postseason
With Indiana State's appearance in the 2014 National Invitation Tournament, the Sycamores have now made five consecutive trips to postseason play, including two in a row to the NIT. ISU played in the 2010 College Basketball Invitational as well as the 2011 NCAA Tournament in addition to the CIT Tournament in 2012 and the NIT in 2013 and 2014. It marks the first time in the history of the Indiana State basketball program that the Sycamores have reached the postseason in five consecutive seasons. Indiana State is the only team to play in each of the four national postseason tournaments over the past five seasons.
Khristian Smith Named MVC's Sixth Man Of The Year
In an award that has been given in the Missouri Valley Conference since the 1994-95 campaign, Khristian Smith is the first Sycamore to earn the league's Sixth Man Of The Year Award. He is a repeat All-Bench Team selection and also was named to the MVC Most Improved Team. Smith played in all 33 games and earned just five starts while he averaged 10.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. He scored a career-high 28 points on the road against Belmont and had 16 double-digit scoring performances, including a MVC-high 27 points on the road against Evansville.
Sycamores Have Reached 18-Victory Mark For School Record Fourth Consecutive Season
Indiana State finished 23-11 last season. The Sycamores with their 23 victories now have four consecutive seasons of 18 or more wins. It marks the first four-year stretch in the 119-year history of the program that the Sycamores have won at least 18 games in four or more seasons in a row. Additionally, the Sycamores locked up their fifth consecutive winning season, the longest such stretch of over .500 seasons since the 1960's.
Sycamores Reach 12 MVC Victories For The Fifth Time; Were The Quickest Team Since 78-79 To 20 Overall
Indiana State won 12 Missouri Valley Conference games last season and that team ranked tied for third place in the 38 seasons of MVC play for most conference victories in a season. Last year's team is just the fifth Sycamore team to ever record at least 12 MVC victories in a single season. The Sycamores have also reached 20 overall wins for the season. The last time the Sycamores reached the 20-win mark was in 2010-11. The Sycamores have reached 20 victories seven times since joining the MVC for the 1976-77 campaign. With the victory over SIU, the Sycamores reached the 20-victory mark at the earliest date (Feb. 15) since the 1978-79 team did it on February 3.
Former Sycamore Jake Odum Enjoyed Busy July In NBA Summer League
Former Indiana State guard Jake Odum, who finished his career first in career made free throws and career free throws attempted, five in points scored, and second in assists as well as steals has graduated. Odum is currently playing professionally in Greece, and has played for both the Indiana Pacers as well as the Sacramento Kings in the NBA Summer League in Orlando and Las Vegas. Former Sycamores Manny Arop and David Moss are also continuing their careers in the professional ranks overseas.
Up Next
Indiana State continues play in the 2014 Continental Tire Invitational on Friday, November 28 when they take on either Baylor or Memphis from the Orleans Arena. Tip-off time is to be determined by Thursday's results.
