SETTING THE STAGE
Indiana State Basketball makes the long trip to the beautiful islands of Hawaii on Saturday, December 22 as they take on Colorado in the opener of the 2018 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. Tip-off is set for 3:00 p.m. (ET) from the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, and will be televised nationally on ESPNU and the ESPN app. The game will also be broadcast on WIBQ 97.9 FM as well as streamed (audio) on GoSycamores.com. 

QUICK HITS
Indiana State has hit at least one 3-pointer in every game since December 20, 2008 against DePauw -- a span of 322 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 139. His career win total is 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.

Christian Williams made his Sycamore debut on Sunday, December 16 at TCU and recorded the team's first double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

ISU head coach Greg Lansing and Colorado radio analyst Scott Wilke were high teammates under Dave Lansing at Harlan High School. Wilke went on play at Colorado and professionally overseas and is currently a business and marketing instructor in addition to his duties with Colorado Basketball.
 

A Win Over Colorado Would ...
Give the Sycamores a 1-0 record all-time against the Buffalos, and a 2-6 mark all-time against the current membership of the Pac 12 conference. It would also be the first win over a PAC 12 school since a 1946 win against Oregon.

Be the Sycamores' first win in a MTE since a 67-66 victory over Hofstra on Nov. 23, 2015 at the Paradise Jam.

The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing (South Dakota, 1990) is 139-129 (.519) overall in his ninth 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 83-36 in all home games, 40-70 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 89-10 when holding teams to 63 points or less. This is Lansing's first-ever matchup against Colorado, but he is 2-1 all-time in Hawaii. 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 second on the Indiana State all-time coaching victories list with 139. 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 1,487-1,296 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.

Christian Williams Posts Double-Double In His First Game As A Sycamore
Indiana State junior Christian Williams was stellar in his Sycamore Basketball debut at Texas Christian as he scored 13 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to post a double-double in his first game after sitting out an year due to the NCAA Residency requirements. Williams hit 5-of-11 shots from the field and was a perfect 3-of-3 from the field. He added three assists and one blocked shot. Williams, who hasn't played a basketball game in nearly two years shook off some early jitters and foul trouble to post the first Indiana State double-double of the season in his debut. Williams converted a conventional 3-point play midway through the second half to keep the Sycamores within striking distance.

Jordan Barnes And Tyreke Key Have Each Reached 20 Point Three Times In Same Game
The Sycamore backcourt duo of Jordan Barnes and Tyreke Key have reached the 20-point scoring mark together two of their last three games and three times total this season. The duo continues to be at the top of the MVC scoring race as Barnes leads with a 21.0 ppg average while Key is a close third at 17.9 ppg. Prior to scoring 17 points at TCU on Sunday, December 16, Barnes had scored over 20 points in three consecutive games.

Sycamores Second In The Nation In 3-Point Shooting
Despite hitting only 3-of-16 attempts from 3-point range at Texas Christian, the Sycamores still rank No. 2 nationally in 3-point field goal percentage with a 44.5 mark for the season. That is just behind former MVC member Creighton who owns a 44.8 percent mark. ISU has hit 57-of-128 from distance so far this year. Individually, Barnes is hitting 27-of-54 for the season from 3-point range and is ranked 12th nationally. He is averaging 3.38 trifectas per game which is 30th in the country, a number which leads the MVC as well. Barnes is the MVC's top scorer averaging 21.0 points per game while Tyreke Key is third at 17.9 ppg.

Sycamores In Honolulu For 2nd Time In Last Six Seasons
The Sycamores are heading back to the beautiful islands of Hawaii for the Holidays for the 2018 edition of the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. ISU found success there in 2012 when they took down Ole Miss in the opener and then a Jake Odum buzzer beater gave the Sycamores a thrilling 57-55 win over Miami in the third place game. Miami went on to spend time as the No. 1 team in the country later that season. In fact, ISU has enjoyed great success in MTE play under ninth-year head coach Greg Lansing as the Sycamores have earned 11 victories, including third place finishes in recent years during the Advocare Invitational, Hawaiian Airlines Diamondhead Classic and Paradise Jam.

ISU Looking For First Win Over Pac 12 Member Since 1946
Indiana State last faced a member of the Pac 12 at the Advocare Invitational back in 2016 in Orlando, Fla., when they dropped a tight contest to Stanford. Overall, ISU is 1-6 against the current membership of the Pac 12. The Sycamores only win over a PAC 12 member came in 1946 when the Sycamores beat Oregon. The Sycamores have also played Arizona State, Washington State, UCLA and Southern California in previous seasons.

Clayton Hughes Sets New Single Game Shooting Record At San Jose State
Indiana State sophomore Clayton Hughes enjoyed an unbelievable shooting night at San Jose State as he hit 9-of-10 shots from the field to set a new single-game shooting percentage record for a performance which featured at least 10 shots. Hughes 9-of-10 mark equates to a .900 shooting percentage which tops the previous best of 85.7 percent which has been held by Joe Warfel since 1965. Most recently, Lucas Eitel went 9-of-9 in 2012 against High Point but just missed the 10 field goals attempted threshold. In the first half at San Jose State the Sycamores hit 19-of-25 shots for a shooting percentage of 76 percent which was just shy of the record for a single half which is 76.7 percent in the 2nd half of an Arch Madness win against Drake in 2006. ISU finished the game with a .642 shooting percentage which is the best for the program since a 2012 win over Southern Illinois in which ISU hit 64.1 percent of their shots, including an NCAA record 12-of-12 from 3-point range.

Sycamores Dominate On The Road At San Jose State
Indiana State became the eighth NCAA Division I team this year to score at least 85 points in a road game and win by 29 or more points (in its 86-57 win at San Jose State on Wednesday). The win over San Jose State was just the second in the history of the program and in the first meeting between the two programs since 1948. With the win, ISU now owns a MVC-best record of 5-3 in the MVC /Mountain West Challenge Series and have won a league-best four in a row in the scheduling concept.

Greg Lansing Second On ISU Wins List With 139
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 139. With the Sycamores win on Wednesday, November 14 he passed 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. Coach Lansing now only trails Duane Klueh who owns the school record with 182 career victories.

Jordan Barnes Up To No. 4 On ISU 3-Pointers Made List
Indiana State junior Jordan Barnes has hit 185 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). Barnes currently leads the  league by making 3.8 trifectas per game. He needs 30 more 3-pointers to catch Jordan Printy for No. 3 on the ISU chart as he hit 215 during his career. Additionally, he owns 911 career points and needs just 89 more to become the 39th member of the Indiana State Basketball 1,000-Point Club.

63 Is The Magic Number
The Sycamores win by the score of 69-63 on December 1, 2018 against Wright State was ISU's fourth this 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 89-10 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 have outscored the opposition's top five five times this season and earned the win. They did it for the first time in 2018-19 in the road victory over Green Bay and again against McKendree, San Jose State, Wright State and Truman State. Under ninth-year head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 90-26 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.

Up Next
Indiana State continues play in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic on Sunday, December 23 against either UNLV or host Hawaii. With a win, the Sycamores will play at 4:30 pm (ET) on ESPN2 or the team will play at 7:00 pm (ET) on ESPNU.