SETTING THE STAGE
Indiana State Basketball opens the home portion of the 2018-19 campaign on Wednesday, November 14 as they host McKendree. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. (ET) from Hulman Center in Terre Haute, and will be televised nationally on ESPN3. The game will also be broadcast on WIBQ 97.9 FM as well as streamed (audio) on GoSycamores.com.
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
Tickets to the game are just $5 in both the upper and lower levels. All proceeds from the game plus all donations collected at the door will go towards Indiana State University's build of a Habitat for Humanity house in 2019.
Join President Deborah Curtis for a tailgating and auction pre-game event 4:30-6:45 p.m. (ET) in Tirey Hall. Then, head over to the Hulman Center to cheer on the Sycamores as they take on McKendree at 7 p.m. Heavy hors d'oeuvres will be served, and a cash bar will be available. Cost is $35 per person.
Both the pre-game event and the game are fundraisers for Habitat for Humanity. Game tickets are $5 each, and all ticket proceeds go towards the Indiana State-sponsored Habitat effort.
The home, which is the 72nd in the Wabash Valley, will be built in the Ryves neighborhood in fall 2019 with assistance from of students, faculty and staff of Indiana State.
QUICK HITS
Indiana State has hit at least one 3-pointer in every game since December 20, 2008 against DePauw -- a span of 315 contests, which is the third-longest active streak in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Greg Lansing is just the sixth head coach in the history of the program to record at least 100 victories at the helm of the Sycamores as he owns 134. He is tied with Royce Waltman for second-best at ISU (and his 73 MVC wins is the most in the history of the program). He also owns the school record with five wins over nationally-ranked teams.
Junior Jordan Barnes was named to the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason First Team following a second team showing last season. Tyreke Key was named to the MVC All-Freshman Team one year ago.
A Win Over McKendree Would ...
Improve the Sycamores to 7-2 in home opening contests under ninth-year head coach Greg Lansing.
Give ninth-year head coach Greg Lansing career victory No. 135 which would put him in sole possession of 2nd place all-time in coaching wins at Indiana State.
The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing (South Dakota, 1990) is 134-127 (.513) overall in his eighth season as a head coach. He is 73-71 all-time in MVC games, including a 49-23 mark at home and a 24-48 record on the road. During his career, he is 79-35 in all home games, 39-69 on the road, 16-23 in neutral court contests and 46-36 in games decided by five points or less. With the Trees, Lansing is 10-14 in overtime games and 85-10 when holding teams to 63 points or less. This is his first career meeting with McKendree. Lansing led the Sycamores to the postseason in each of his first four seasons at the helm (2011 NCAA, 2012 CIT, 2013 & 2014 NIT). 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. Lansing holds the school record for most victories over a nationally-ranked team (five) in the history of the program. Lansing is currently third on the Indiana State all-time coaching victories list with 133 and needs one more to tie Royce Waltman for second. His 73 MVC victories are a school record.
A Little History
Indiana State is in its 124th season of college basketball at the school. The Sycamores are 1,481-1,294 all-time on the hardwood.
40 Years Since March Went Mad
It's been 40 years since Larry Bird and the Sycamores went to the 1979 NCAA Final Four and took on Michigan State in the finals. The game against the Spartans on March 26, 1979 is still the highest rated college basketball game in television history. ISU won their first 33 games that season en route to the finals. This season Indiana State will be honoring that team all year long for their accomplishments through social media, in game videos, recaps on the web site and much more. The team will get back together on January 19, 2019 when the Sycamores host Loyola. Also on January 31, 2019 head coach Bill Hodges will be inducted into the ISU Athletics Hall of Fame and on February 16, 2019, Carl Nicks will have his No. 22 jersey put in the rafters at Hulman Center.
Jordan Barnes Leads Sycamores To Road Split In Opening Week Of Season
Indiana State junior Jordan Barnes led the team and the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring average this past week with a 22.5 ppg average. He hit 6-of-11 shots from 3-point range (54.5 percent) and was 15-of-16 from the free throw line (93.8 percent). He added five assists and two steals as the Sycamores split against Green Bay and Ball State. Barnes tossed in a career-best 29 points as he posted four 3-pointers and was 13-of-14 from the free throw line in the thrilling 78-74 victory at Green Bay. He added four rebounds and one assist in the win. His four-point play late in the second half pushed the Sycamores ahead and he hit all eight of his free throw attempts in the final minute to help secure the victory. Barnes tied Tyreke Key for team-high honors at Ball State as he scored 16 points and hit a pair of 3-pointers to go with five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Through two games, Barnes leads the Missouri Valley Conference with a 22.5 ppg average.
Greg Lansing Is Tied With Royce Waltman With 134 Career Victories
Greg Lansing is just the sixth head coach in the history of the program to record at least 100 victories at the helm of the Sycamores as he owns 134. With the Sycamores win on Friday, November 9 he has now tied his mentor Royce Waltman for No. 2 on the Indiana State all-time coaching wins chart. Last season, with the Sycamores' victory at home over Illinois State, he earned his 73rd career MVC victory which is a school record. With one more victory, coach Lansing will move into sole possession of second place on the Indiana State career wins chart. Duane Klueh owns the school record with 182 career victories.
Tyreke Key and Jordan Barnes Pace Sycamores At Ball State
Indiana State guards Jordan Barnes and Tyreke Key each scored 16 points in the Sycamores' opener at Ball State. Key tied Emonde Rickman for the game high in rebounds in seven each. Devin Thomas was the third Sycamore in double figures scoring as he owned 10 points. Graduate transfer Allante Holston hit a big 3-pointer from half court following a steal to send the two teams into the half tied at 32. ISU forced nine Ball State turnovers and turned them into 15 Sycamore points.
Jordan Barnes Up To No. 4 On ISU 3-Pointers Made List
Indiana State junior Jordan Barnes was named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference Second Team as well as captain of the MVC Most Improved Team to highlight the Sycamores' postseason honors. Barnes has hit 164 3-pointers in his career which is No. 4 on ISU's all-time list as he moved past Eddie Bird for fourth on the Sycamore chart with his four 3-pointers in the 78-74 road win over Green Bay. Last season Barnes hit a school-record 117 3-pointers which was third-best nationally and the fourth-highest in the history of the league (MVC record for most ever by a sophomore).
Tyreke Key Named To MVC All-Freshman Team
Indiana State's Tyreke Key became the 11th Sycamore to be named to the Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman Team for his efforts last season. This marked the third time in the last four years that a Sycamore has earned this particular honor. Key tied for the team lead with 16 points in the season opener at Ball State, including 3-pointers on consecutive possessions early in the second half which got the Sycamores within striking distance of the Cardinals.
63 Is The Magic Number
The Sycamores win by the score of 58-53 on February 21, 2018 against Evansville was ISU's fifth last season in which they held an opponent to 63 points or less and earned the victory. Under ninth-year head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 85-10 when allowing less than 63 points to the opposition (including a 19-0 mark when holding teams to 53 or less).
Good Starter On The Battery
Indiana State's starting five outscored the opposition's top five, 12 times last season and earned the win. They did it for the first time in 2018-19 in the road victory over Green Bay. Under ninth-year head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 86-26 when the ISU starting five scores more than their opponent's starters.
Sycamores Secure Fifth 30-Point MVC Victory In Program History Against Illinois State
While any win in the Missouri Valley Conference is tough to come by, a win by 20 or more points is even more rare. Indiana State defeated Illinois State by the score of 84-54 on January 20, 2018 – an impressive 30-point victory. Since the Sycamores joined the league for the 1977-78 campaign, this was Indiana State's 26th victory by at least 20 points in a conference game. The Sycamores' win by 30 points over Illinois State was its first over 20 points since a February 11, 2017 victory over Drake by 24 points. This game was the fifth time that the Sycamores have won by at least 30 points in a Missouri Valley Conference game against the current league membership. It was the largest margin of victory in a conference contest for the Sycamores since a 72-42 win on Jan. 23, 2008 against Evansville. This was the biggest margin of victory ever against Illinois State and just the second time the Sycamores have beaten the Redbirds by 20 or more points. The school record for largest victory over a MVC school is 36 points and happened in 1981 against Southern Illinois and most recently against Evansville in 2001. All but one of the Sycamores 20 plus point victories have come at home, with Indiana State's 65-44 victory in 1998 at Northern Iowa being the program's only win by at least 20 points against a MVC opponent which came on the road.
Indiana State With A Pair Of Top 10 Career Scorers In Their Respective High School States
A pair of Indiana State players in Tyreke Key and Cooper Neese enter the collegiate portion of their careers having reached the Top 10 in career scoring in both of their respective home states. Key finished his career at Clay County High School in Celina, Tenn., with 3,287 points scored which is 10th most in the history of the state of Tennessee. As a senior, he set the Tennessee High School record for most points scored in a season, breaking a 25-year old record held previously by Kentucky legend Tony Delk. Cooper Neese, who will sit out the 2017-18 season serving his year-in-residence as a transfer, enters his Indiana State career having scored 2,496 career points at nearby Cloverdale High School which is seventh-best in the Indiana High School Basketball history.
Sycamores Tally School Record Fifth Victory Over Nationally-Ranked Team Under Lansing
Indiana State ended a skid of nine losses to nationally-ranked teams when No. 15/16 Butler fell inside Hulman Center on December 7 by the score of 72-71. Coach Lansing has led the Sycamores to a school-record five victories against nationally-ranked teams during his time at the helm of the program. He passed Bill Hodges (head coach of the Dream Team in 1978-79) and Royce Waltman (head coach of the Sycamores during back-to-back NCAA Tourney trips in 2000 & 2001) for the most in program history with the win over Butler. It was just the second victory for the Sycamores under Lansing at home against a nationally-ranked team and the first overall since a win at No. 21 Notre Dame in 2013.
Greg Lansing Inducted Into Iowa High School Basketball Hall Of Fame
Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing was inducted into the Iowa High School Athletic Association Basketball Hall of Fame as part of their 2016 class. Lansing and the other selected inductees were honored individually at halftime of the Iowa Class 4A State Championship Game at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines on March 12. The IHSAA Basketball Hall of Fame is the highest honor the Iowa High School Board of Control can bestow on a high school coach or former player. Lansing graduated from Harlan High School in 1986, where he was coached by his father Dave, who was inducted into the IHSAA Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999 as a coach. The Lansing father/son combination of Dave and Greg are just the 10th father/son duo to both be inducted into the Hall of Fame since 1969.
Up Next
The Sycamores will return to action on Saturday, November 24 when they host Western Kentucky inside Hulman Center. Tip-off is set for 2 pm (ET) and the game will be televised on ESPN+.
