SETTING THE STAGE
Indiana State Basketball begins the Missouri Valley Conference portion of the schedule on Wednesday, January 2 as they take on Loyola -- a team which advanced to the NCAA Final Four in 2018. Tip-off is set for 9:00 p.m. (ET) from the Gentile Arena, and will be televised on Fox Sports Indiana and Midwest as well as NBC Sports Chicago. The game will also be available on the Fox Sports Go app as well as ESPN+. 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 325 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 141. 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.
Mid-year transfer Christian Williams has led the Sycamores in rebounding in each of his three games in the Blue & White. He leads the team with an 8.3 rebounds per game average. Fellow mid-year transfer Cooper Neese posted 10 with a pair of triples and two game icing free throws in the win over Colorado last Saturday.
ISU senior Emondre Rickman now owns 108 career blocked shots -- one of only five Sycamores to record at least 100 blocked shots in program history. He needs one more to tie Nate Green for fourth.
A Win Over Loyola Would ...
Give the Sycamores a win in their Missouri Valley Conference opener for the 2nd consecutive season and sixth time in last eight tries.
Be the Sycamores' first win in a MVC opener on the road since a 63-61 win at Illinois State on December 31, 2014.
Be the Sycamores second win in a Valley opener against Loyola and the first ever in Chicago.
Give ISU its second consecutive win on the road against the Ramblers.
The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing (South Dakota, 1990) is 141-130 (.520) 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, 19-23 in neutral court contests and 48-36 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. Lansing is 7-6 all-time against Loyola, and is 3-3 against the Ramblers in Chicago. 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 141. 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 1,489-1,297 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 Named MVC Player of The Week
Indiana State junior guard Jordan Barnes took advantage of his opportunity at the 2018 Diamond Head Classic and shined for the national television cameras in three games this week against Colorado, UNLV and Texas Christian. For his efforts, he was named to the all-tournament team for leading the Sycamores to a 2-1 record and a second place finish in the event – the program's best finish in a non-conference tournament since winning the 1999 Indiana Classic. He also was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week as he averaged 20.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists over the stretch. He hit 51.2 percent of his shots, including a 9-of-18 mark from distance. He was a perfect 10-of-10 at the free throw line and has now made 26 consecutive free throws. His best game was against Las Vegas when he scored 28 points on the strength of an 11-of-15 shooting performance to go with three rebounds, five assists and a steal. Against the Runnin' Rebels, Barnes hit a 3-pointer as the Sycamores clung to a one-point lead with 45 seconds left to give ISU a two-possession cushion. He then hit a pair of free throws with 11 seconds left to salt away the win. He added 19 points in the win over Colorado as he hit five 3-pointers and added five rebounds while he tallied a team-high 14 points and six rebounds with three assists against Top 30 opponent TCU.
Sycamores Only Team To Win In Gentile Arena Last Season
Loyola only lost one time at Gentile Arena last season en route to a Missouri Valley Conference Championship and a run to the NCAA Final Four. That one loss came at the hands of Indiana State – a 63-59 Sycamore win on January 3, 2018. Senior Brenton Scott provided the heroics with a key late-game banked in jumper and led the Sycamores with 16 points. Brandon Murphy went into double figures scoring for the second consecutive game while Jordan Barnes added 10. Scott led the team with nine rebounds. Indiana State dominated in the paint 36-18 and converted 17 Loyola turnovers into 17 points. The key stat of the game was that the Sycamore defense allowed no Loyola field goal for the last 7:31 of the game despite the fact that Loyola hit nearly 50 percent of their shots from the field after the break.
Christian Williams Has Led Sycamores In Rebounding In Three Of First Four Contests
Indiana State junior transfer Christian Williams really got into the swing of things after debuting last week in the TCU version 1.0 game in Fort Worth on December 16. As part of the 2-1 showing at the Diamond Head Classic, Williams averaged 10.7 points and added a team-best 6.3 rebounds per game. He hit 2-of-3 from 3-point range and was 6-of-8 from the free throw line. He added 10 assists against just three turnovers with a pair of steals and a blocked shot. Williams reached double figures scoring in two of the three games, including 14 points against Colorado. He added seven rebounds against the Buffaloes. In the win over UNLV, Williams tallied eight points and once again led the team with seven rebounds. He finished the tournament against TCU with 10 points and five rebounds while adding four assists..
Sycamores Find Success And 2nd Place Finish At Diamond Head Classic
Indiana State parlayed victories over Colorado and UNLV into a Championship Game appearance against Top 50 N.E.T. opponent TCU at the 2018 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. It was the first non-conference title game appearance for the Sycamore Basketball program since they won the 1999 Indiana Classic – becoming the first team not named Indiana to win the Bloomington, Ind., based tournament. The Sycamores were vying for their first tournament championship of any kind since the 2011 edition of Arch Madness in St. Louis. In the process, the Sycamores downed Colorado for their first win against a member of the PAC-12 since 1946 when they beat Oregon. Additionally, the Sycamores earned their league-best fifth consecutive win over the Mountain West Conference with its win over UNLV. The Sycamores wrapped up the MVC / Mountain West Conference Challenge with a league-best all-time record of 5-3.
Eight Non-Conference Wins For Sycamores Tied For 3rd-Best Ever Under Coach Lansing
Indiana State wrapped its non-conference schedule against Texas Christian on Christmas Day with eight wins in their pocket. That ties the 2012-13 team for the third-most under ninth-year head coach Greg Lansing. ISU went 9-3 in non-conference play in both 2011-12 and 2013-14 which marks the fourth time ISU finished non-conference play with at least eight victories under coach Lansing's leadership. ISU finished with a 2-1 record in a multi-team event for the fifth time under coach Lansing with two of those coming in the Diamond Head Classic as well as the 2011 Advocare, 2013 Great Alaska Shootout and the 2015 Paradise Jam.
For Missouri Valley Openers ...
The Indiana State Sycamores open Missouri Valley Conference play on January 2 on the road at 2018 NCAA Final Four participant Loyola. With a MVC opening victory last season on December 28, 2017 against Valparaiso, the Sycamores are now 18-23 all-time in MVC openers, including 14 wins all-time in MVC openers which occur inside Hulman Center. Indiana State has won five of its last seven Missouri Valley Conference openers. The Sycamores last win in a Valley opener on the road came on December 31, 2014 – a 63-61 win over Illinois State. ISU has faced Loyola once in a MVC opener with that meeting coming in the Ramblers' Valley debut on January 1, 2014 – a 70-58 Sycamore win inside Hulman Center.
Sycamores Tied For First In The Nation In 3-Point Shooting
The Sycamores enter Missouri Valley Conference play tied for No. 1 nationally with Lehigh in 3-point field goal percentage with a 45.0 mark for the season. The Sycamores have hit 76-of-169 3-pointers this year. For the season, Barnes has hit 36 triples which leads the conference with a 3.3 per game average and ranks in Top 30 in the nation. His 20.8 ppg leads the Missouri Valley Conference.
Jordan Barnes Up To No. 4 On ISU 3-Pointers Made List
Indiana State junior Jordan Barnes has hit 194 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 3.1 trifectas per game. He needs 21 more 3-pointers to catch Jordan Printy for No. 3 on the ISU chart as he hit 215 during his career. Additionally, he owns 972 career points and needs just 28 more to become the 39th member of the Indiana State Basketball 1,000-Point Club.
Greg Lansing Second On ISU Wins List With 141
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 141. 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.
ISU Notches First Win Over Pac 12 Member Since 1946
Indiana State had 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. With Saturday's win against Colorado, ISU is now 2-6 against the current membership of the Pac 12. The Sycamores only other 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.
Sycamores Continue The Success Against The Mountain West Conference
Indiana State did its part this year in the MVC / Mountain West Challenge with a dominating 86-57 win at San Jose State back on November 28. With that 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. ISU never faced Vegas in the eight-year run of the challenge series but earned a win on Sunday, December 23 against the Runnin' Rebels for the first time since the last meeting in 1970 inside the Las Vegas Convention Center. ISU has now won five games in a row against the Mountain West Conference.
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.
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 seven 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, Truman State, Colorado and UNLV. Under ninth-year head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 92-27 when the ISU starting five scores more than their opponent's starters.
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
The Sycamore ended nearly a month-long road trip when they return home to face Bradley on Saturday, January 5 inside Hulman Center. Tip-off is set for 2:00 pm (ET) and will be televised on ESPN3.
