INDIANA STATE AT SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
SIU Arena (8,399), Carbondale, Ill.
January 10, 2015, 4:05 p.m. (ET)
SETTING THE STAGE
The Indiana State Sycamores continue the Missouri Valley Conference slate with a road trip on Saturday, January 10 to Southern Illinois inside SIU Arena. The game is set for a 4:05 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 locally on WAWV as well as nationally on ESPN Full Court and ESPN 3. The Sycamores are 7-8, 3-0 MVC after opening MVC play with a road win over Illinois State as well as home victories over Evansville and Missouri State. Southern Illinois is 7-9 overall and 0-3 in the MVC.
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 58-5 when holding teams to 63 points or less under fifth-year head coach Greg Lansing (and 16-0 when limiting teams to 53 or less).
- Indiana State has earned 57 close victories (five points or less) since 2005. Under Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 31-15 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.
- Jake Kitchell enjoyed a 21-point, 11-rebound performance in the overtime victory against Evansville on January 4. Kitchell's 21 points against the Purple Aces are a career high and it was his second double-double of the season.
- Tre' Bennett came off the bench to lead the Sycamores with 15 points in the MVC opening victory over Illinois State on New Year's Eve. He followed that up with another 15-point performance as the Sycamores earned a 79-75 overtime victory against Evansville on January 4.
- Justin Gant tallied a career-high 24 points as he hit 9-of-13 field goals to pace the Sycamores to a 71-56 win over Missouri State on January 7.
An Indiana State Win Over Southern Illinois Would ...
• Give the Sycamores three consecutive victories over the Salukis and snap a three-game losing skid in Carbondale.
• Improve the Sycamores to 4-0 in MVC play for the second consecutive season and just the fourth time since joining The Valley.
• Give the Sycamores 12 all-time victories in Carbondale through 61 attempts.
The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing (South Dakota, 1990) is 86-63 (.577) overall in his fifth season as a head coach. He is 44-31 all-time in MVC games, including a 29-9 mark at home and a 15-22 record on the road. During his career, he is 48-16 in all home games, 25-35 on the road, 13-11 in neutral court contests and 31-15 in games decided by five points or less. Lansing is 7-3 against Southern Illinois and is 1-3 against the Salukis on the road. With the Trees, Lansing is 6-5 in overtime games and 58-5 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). Saturday's game will be Greg Lansing's 150th 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 Southern Illinois game will be shown live locally on WAWV-TV. The game is also available nationally on a pay-per-view basis on ESPN Full Court as well as online on ESPN3.
A Little History
Indiana State is currently in its 119th season of college basketball at the school. The Sycamores are 1,433-1,231 all-time on the hardwood.
Justin Gant's Career-High 24 Points Fuels Sycamores To Win Over Missouri State
Indiana State senior forward Justin Gant hit 9-of-13 shots from the field in scoring a career-high 24 points as the Sycamores moved to 3-0 in MVC play with a 71-56 victory over Missouri State on January 7. Indiana State used a 12-0 run to start the game and then scored 10 in a row midway through the second half to earn the 15 point victory. The Sycamores have trended in the correct direction on defense lately as they have held three of their last four opponents to a 40 percent shooting percentage or lower.
Jake Kitchell Notches Double-Double And Career Point Total In Overtime Victory Against Evansville
Indiana State senior Jake Kitchell averaged 14.5 points and 9.5 rebounds as the Sycamores swept a pair of MVC contests to open league play. The Sycamores won at Illinois State and came home to get a big overtime victory over Evansville. Kitchell scored a career-high 21 points and pulled down 11 rebounds against Evansville to post his second double-double of the season. Kitchell began the week with an eight-point, eight-rebound effort at Illinois State. He finished the week with a 50 percent shooting mark from the field (10-of-20), paced by an 8-of-13 (61.5 percent) effort versus the Purple Aces, and hit a 3-pointer against Evansville. Additionally, Kitchell was 8-of-9 from the free throw line (88.9 percent) and added two assists, two blocks and one steal in the two victories.
Indiana State One Of Only Two Valley Teams Still Perfect In MVC Action
Indiana State is off to its second consecutive 3-0 start to Missouri Valley Conference play with its first road win at Illinois State since 2011 and its fourth consecutive victory over Evansville as well as a home victory over Missouri State. It marks just the seventh time in program history that the Sycamores have remained perfect through three MVC contests.
Tre' Bennett Has Scored 15 Points In Both MVC Contests So Far; Named MVC Newcomer Of The Week
Indiana State junior transfer Tre' Bennett averaged 15.0 points as the Sycamores swept a pair of MVC contests to open the season. Bennett was named the MVC Newcomer Of The Week for his efforts. The Sycamores own victories at Illinois State as well as over Evansville. Bennett hit 7-of-12 shots from the field (58.3 percent) and was 4-of-7 from 3-point range (57.1 percent). He also led the Sycamores at the free throw line with a 12-of-14 performance (85.7 percent). Bennett added four rebounds, seven assists and two steals over the two-game stretch. Bennett set a new career-high with 15 points at Illinois State and tied it with 15 points again in the win over Evansville. He hit 4-of-5 shots from the field, including a trio of 3-pointers to go with three rebounds against the Redbirds. He ignited a first half run with a 3-pointer and helped close the game with a pair of free throws down the stretch. He was strongest at the free throw line against Evansville, hitting 8-of-10 charity tosses to go with five assists and one steal.
Khristian Smith Hits Jumper With 5.8 Seconds Left To Down Illinois State In Valley Opener
Indiana State junior Khristian Smith scored eight points in the MVC opener at Illinois State, but his final counted the most as he hit a jumper in the paint with 5.8 seconds on the clock to secure a 63-61 road victory over the Redbirds. Tre' Bennett came off the bench to score 15 points to pace the Sycamores to the win.
Sycamores Winning Points Off Turnovers Battle Early During League Schedule
Indiana State committed a season-high 24 turnovers in their 63-61 win at Illinois State. The news wasn't all bad as the defense also forced 20 Redbird turnovers and limited the damage of their own miscues while also taking advantage of Illinois State miscues. Despite committing four more turnovers than the Redbirds, the Sycamores outscored Illinois State by a 26-15 margin in points off turnovers en route to the victory. So far in conference play, the Sycamores own a 65-40 advantage in points off turnovers.
63 Is The Magic Number
The Sycamores win by the score of 71-56 on January 7, 2015 vs. Missouri State was ISU's third 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 58-5 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 4-3 this season when the Sycamore starters outscore their counterparts for the opposition. Under fifth-year head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 50-16 when the ISU starting five scores more than their opponent's starters after doing so in the win over Missouri State.
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 36-25 (.590) in a game which follows a loss. Indiana State won seven consecutive games following a loss last season. The Sycamores bounced back in the MVC opener against Illinois State from a double overtime defeat at the hands of Missouri-Kansas City on December 28.
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 47-16 (.746) inside Hulman Center under fifth-year head coach Greg Lansing. The Sycamores have won 38 of their last 50 home games. Additionally, the Sycamores have won 29 of their last 38 MVC games at home. The Sycamores finished 11-2 at home last season and are 5-4 (including 2-0 in MVC play) 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 comes right back home to face off against Illinois State for the second time this season. The two teams will meet inside Hulman Center on Wednesday, January 14 at 7:05 p.m. (ET).
