SETTING THE STAGE
Indiana State Basketball continues the Missouri Valley Conference slate on Saturday, January 12 as they travel to in-state rival Evansville. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m. (ET) from the Ford Center, and will be televised worldwide on ESPN3. 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 328 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 142. His career win total is second-best at ISU (and his 74 MVC wins is the most in the history of the program). He also owns the school record with five wins over nationally-ranked teams.

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 Evansville Would ...
Give the Sycamores three consecutive victories over the Purple Aces, including two in a row inside Ford Center. It would be the longest streak of success in the series since taking four in a row from March 8, 2013 through January 4, 2015.

Give Indiana State 83 regular season & Missouri Valley Conference Tournament victories over the last nine seasons -- third most among the current membership of the league.

The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing (South Dakota, 1990) is 142-132 (.518) overall in his ninth season as a head coach. He is 74-73 all-time in MVC games, including a 50-24 mark at home and a 24-49 record on the road. During his career, he is 84-37 in all home games, 40-71 on the road, 19-23 in neutral court contests and 49-36 in games decided by five points or less. With the Trees, Lansing is 10-14 in overtime games and 90-10 when holding teams to 63 points or less. Lansing is 12-8 all-time against Evansville, and is 3-5 against the Purple Aces on the road. 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 142. His 74 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 1,490-1,299 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 Up To No. 4 On ISU 3-Pointers Made List, Named To Lou Henson Watch List
Indiana State junior Jordan Barnes was named this week to the Lou Henson Award Mid-Season Watch List. The Lou Henson Awards is given annually to the nation's Top mid-major player. Barnes has hit 197 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 is second the league by making 2.8 trifectas per game. He needs 18 more 3-pointers to catch Jordan Printy for No. 3 on the ISU chart as he hit 215 during his career. Additionally, he owns 998 career points and needs just two more to become the 39th member of the Indiana State Basketball 1,000-Point Club. If he attains two more points against Evansville he will hit the 1,000 point mark in his 77th career game -- the fifth-fastest to reach the mark in program history. Larry Bird owns the school record hitting the 1,000 point milestone in just 31 career games.

Christian Williams Tallies Second Double-Double In 6 Games
Indiana State junior transfer Christian Williams averaged 9.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game against both Loyola and Bradley this past week. He hit 11-of-14 attempts from the free throw line in the win against Bradley as he recorded his second double-double in just six games of eligibility this season. Williams scored 18 points and tied a season-best with 11 rebounds in the win. He drew seven fouls in the game and made 14 trips to the charity stripe against the Braves. His 3-pointer with 16:40 remaining against the Braves pushed the Sycamores back in front 33-32 – giving them a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the game and capped an 8-1 run which erased a six-point deficit early in the second half.

Sycamore Basketball Has Played MVC's Toughest Schedule So Far This Season
Indiana State recorded eight non-conference victories which is tied for the third-best under ninth-year head coach Greg Lansing. The Sycamores accomplished the feat by playing the toughest non-conference schedule in the league. ISU's strength of schedule so far in 2018-19 is rated as the 32nd toughest in the conference -- 21 spots ahead of Northern Iowa which is ranked 52nd and further ahead of Loyola's spot at 73. Southern Illinois checks in a 71 while Drake makes it five MVC schools in the Top 100 with a ranking of 97. Indiana State has played Texas Christian twice this season (once on the road and once at the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu) and they checked in at No. 25 in the most recent AP Top 25 poll released on January 7.

Sycamores Have Not Lost This Season When Allowing 71 Points Or Less
Indiana State improved to 90-10 under ninth-year head coach Greg Lansing when holding teams to 63 points or less with its 65-60 victory over Bradley on Saturday, January 5. There has been even more lee-way in that number this season as the Sycamores are a perfect 8-0 this season when holding teams to 71 points or less. ISU is still 5-0 this season when holding teams below that magic number of 63 and the most they have surrendered in a victory this season is 79 as part of an 84-79 win over UNLV on December 23 in Hawaii. On the offensive end, the magic number is trending towards 71 as the Sycamores are 6-0 this season when scoring at least that many points in a game.

Indiana State Has Won All Seven Games This Year Decided By 10 Points Or Fewer
The Sycamores are winning the close ones this year, in fact in games decided by 10 points or less Indiana State is a perfect 7-0 this season, including a mark of 4-0 in games which are decided by five points or less. In fact, under ninth-year head coach Greg Lansing the Sycamores are 49-36 in games decided by five points or less. The Sycamores have won each of their last six games decided by less than five points dating back to last year.

47 Trips To Free Throw Line Against Bradley A Huge Factor In Bradley Victory
Indiana State defeated visiting Bradley on January 5 for their first Missouri Valley Conference victory of the season despite hitting just 31.4 percent of their shots from the field (16-of-51). ISU did the lion's share of their damage at the free throw line as they went 30-of-47 from the free throw line. The Sycamores' 30 free throws made were the most since January of 2016 against Southern Illinois. The 47 free throws attempted were just five shy of the school single-game record and the most since attempting 49 against Ball State in December of 1995. Jordan Barnes saw his streak of consecutive made free throws end at 30 – a school record during the Missouri Valley Conference era and the 20th-best mark in league history.

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.

Greg Lansing Second On ISU Wins List With 142
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 142. With the Sycamores win on Wednesday, November 14 at Green Bay, 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 65-60 on January 5, 2019 against Bradley was ISU's fifth 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 90-10 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 Sycamores stay on the road as they travel to Northern Iowa on Wednesday, January 16 to take on the Panthers at the McLeod Center. The game begins at 8 pm (ET) and will be televised live world-wide on ESPN3.