INDIANA STATE AT ILLINOIS STATE
Redbird Arena (10,200), Normal, Ill.
December 31, 2014, 4:00 p.m. (ET)

SETTING THE STAGE
The Indiana State Sycamores open Missouri Valley Conference play on Wednesday, December 31 when they take on Illinois State inside Redbird Arena. The game is set for a 4:00 p.m. (ET) tip-off 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 on CSN Chicago, ESPN Full Court and ESPN3. The Sycamores are 4-8 after falling in double overtime to Missouri-Kansas City. Illinois State is 8-4 entering MVC play after a win on Monday night against Quincy.

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 2014 MVC Tournament Championship where they fell to No. 1 Wichita State.
- Indiana State is 56-5 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 29-15 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. He earned his first double-double of the season with a 10 point, 10 rebound performance against UMKC.
- Justin Gant tallied his first double-double of the season against Truman State as he tied for the team lead in points with 14 and added 11 rebounds. The Sycamores defeated the Bulldogs 78-68 on December 16 inside Hulman Center.

An Indiana State Win Over Illinois State Would ...
• Give the Sycamores a win in their Missouri Valley Conference opener for the third consecutive season.
• Give the Sycamores a win in a MVC opener on the road for the first time since December 28, 2008 — a double overtime victory at Northern Iowa.
• Improve the Sycamores to 17-21 in MVC openers, including a record of 4-15 in MVC openers on the road.

The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing (South Dakota, 1990) is 83-63 (.568) 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 46-16 in all home games, 24-35 on the road, 13-11 in neutral court contests and 29-15 in games decided by five points or less. Lansing is 5-3 against Illinois State and is 1-3 against the Redbirds on the road. With the Trees, Lansing is 5-5 in overtime games and 56-5 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). Wednesday's game will be Greg Lansing's 147th 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 4-11 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 State game will be shown live on Comcast SportsNet Chicago as well as ESPN3. Additionally, the game will be shown on a pay-per-view basis on ESPN Full Court.

A Little History
Indiana State is currently in its 119th season of college basketball at the school. The Sycamores are 1,430-1,231 all-time on the hardwood.

Khristian Smith Records A Double-Double Against Missouri-Kansas City
Indiana State junior Khristian Smith recorded his first double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds against Missouri-Kansas City as the Sycamores wrapped up non-conference play. Smith hit a pair of 3-pointers and was a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line. He also tallied a career-high six assists and one blocked shot. As a team, the Sycamores posted 18 assists on 21 made field goals in a game that went double overtime. It was the first multiple overtime contest for the Sycamores since January of 2011 (triple overtime at Wichita State).

Brenton Scott Paces The Sycamores With 18 Points Against the Kangaroos
Indiana State redshirt freshman Brenton Scott scored 18 points and pulled down six rebounds with six assists for the Sycamores against Missouri-Kansas City. Scott hit a pair of 3-pointers and was a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line. He set career highs for points scored and assists and tied his previous career best in rebounds.

For Valley Openers
The Indiana State Sycamores open Missouri Valley Conference play on New Year's Eve at Illinois State. The Sycamores are currently 16-21 in MVC openers, including three wins all-time in MVC openers which occur on the road. Indiana State enters the game against the Redbirds as owners of a three-game winning streak in MVC opening games. They will be looking for their first victory in a MVC opener on the road since a double overtime win at Northern Iowa to open the 2008-09 Valley campaign.

Justin Gant Posts His First Double-Double Of The Season Against Truman State
Indiana State senior forward Justin Gant recorded 14 points and tied his career-high with 11 rebounds to post his double-double of the season. The Sycamores put five scorers in double figures as Khristian Smith added 14 while Devonte Brown and Grant Prusator tallied 11 and Brenton Scott scored 10 off the bench. It marked the first time the Sycamores have posted five double figures scorers in a game since the Feb. 1, 2014 road victory at Northern Iowa.

Sycamores Have Had Success In Bounce Back Games Under Head Coach 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 35-25 (.583) in a game which follows a loss. Indiana State won seven consecutive games following a loss last season. The Sycamores will be looking to bounce back in the MVC opener against Illinois State from a double overtime defeat at the hands of Missouri-Kansas City on December 28.

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 56-5 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 3-3 this season when the Sycamore starters outscore their counterparts for the opposition. Under fifth-year head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 49-16 when the ISU starting five scores more than their opponent's starters after doing so in the win over Truman State.

Indiana State In Games Against Nationally-Ranked Foes
Indiana State owns 13 victories all-time against nationally-ranked teams, with a school-record tying four of those coming under fifth-year coach Greg Lansing. A 76-57 victory over No. 13 Creighton on Feb. 6, 2013 marks the last win for Indiana State against a nationally-ranked foe inside Hulman Center. ISU also defeated No. 21 Notre Dame on the road on November 17, 2013.

Sycamore Success Against “Power 6” Teams Under Greg Lansing
With its 83-70 victory over Notre Dame last season, the Sycamores have 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 5-7 against teams from “Power 6” Conferences, and all 12 of those contests have either come on the road or on a neutral court.

Sycamore Success Inside Hulman Center Under Greg Lansing
The Sycamores are 45-16 (.738) inside Hulman Center under fifth-year head coach Greg Lansing. The Sycamores have won 36 of their last 49 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 3-3 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 returns home to face Missouri Valley Conference foe Evansville on Sunday, January 4. Tip-off is set for 1:30 p.m. (ET) and will be televised nationally on ESPN3.