SETTING THE STAGE
Indiana State Basketball continues its 125th season on Sunday, November 17 as they head over to Indianapolis to take on in-state rival Ball State with tip-off set for 4:32 p.m. (ET) from Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The game will be televised live 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 345 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 148. His career win total is second-best at ISU (and his 80 MVC wins is the most in the history of the program). He also owns the school record with five wins over nationally-ranked teams.
The Sycamores are playing for the third time inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse and will be looking for their win on the Indiana Pacers home court. ISU played has played IUPUI there on December 23, 2008 (L, 41-62) and No. 19 Purdue on December 18, 2011 (L, 52-65). This is the 134th all-time meeting in the series -- just the second ever on a neutral court.
A Win Over Ball State Would ...
• Snap a two-game losing streak against the Cardinals and be the first win over the program since November 15, 2016 when ISU won 80-74 in overtime in Muncie.
• Be the Sycamores' first-ever win over Ball State on a neutral court -- the only previous neutral court meeting happened on December 13, 1975 at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis (a 79-76 BSU victory).
• Give the Sycamores their first win at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in three tries.
• Snap a three-game losing skid to the Mid American Conference dating back to a November 30, 2016 home court victory over Northern Illinois by the score of 63-52.
The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing (South Dakota, 1990) is 148-144 (.507) overall in his tenth season as a head coach. He is 80-82 all-time in MVC games, including a 54-27 mark at home and a 26-55 record on the road. During his career, he is 88-40 in all home games, 42-79 on the road, 19-24 in neutral court contests and 50-38 in games decided by five points or less. With the Trees, Lansing is 12-14 in overtime games and 94-10 when holding teams to 63 points or less. Coach Lansing is 5-4 against Ball State, with this being the first meeting on a neutral court. 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 148. His 80 MVC victories are a school record.
A Little History
Indiana State is in its 125th season of college basketball at the school. The Sycamores are 1,496-1,311 all-time on the hardwood. ISU only needs four more victories to achieve their historic 1,500 win in the history of the program.
Television Particulars
Indiana State's neutral court game at Ball State will be televised world wide on ESPN3.
Tyreke Key Has Reached 20-Point Scoring Mark In Four Consecutive Games
Indiana State junior Tyreke Key scored 20 points in each of the final two games of last season and has reached that mark in each of the first two games this year to give him four in a row of at least 20 points scored. Key scored 20 points against both Northern Iowa and Valparaiso to conclude last season and added 21 at Dayton with 20 more coming earlier this week against No. 4 Louisville. The last Sycamore to record four 20-point scoring performances in a row was Jordan Barnes during the non-conference portion of 2017 against North Texas, Indianapolis, Green Bay and Air Force. That streak extended from November 29, 2017 until December 12, 2017. Larry Bird holds the school record as he reached the 20-point mark 25 times in a row during the 1977-78 and 1978-79 campaign. That last to have five in a row was Eddie Bird from March 4, 1989 until December 2, 1989.
Tyreke Key Named To All-MVC Second Team, Selected Valley's Most Improved Player
Indiana State sophomore Tyreke Key became just the fourth Sycamore in the history of the program to lead the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring as he did it this year with 538 points scored -- an average of 17.4 points per game. He joins Larry Bird, John Sherman Williams and David Moss as the only players in the history of the program to accomplish the feat. For his efforts he was named to the All-MVC Second Team and was named the Team Captain of the MVC's Most Improved Team. He was named to the MVC All-Freshman in 2017-18. Key is a preseason First Team All-MVC Pick in 2019. This marked the second consecutive season in which a Sycamore earned the Valley's Most Improved Award -- as Jordan Barnes did it in 2017-18.
Jordan Barnes Up To No. 3 On ISU 3-Pointers Made List, Reaches 1,000 Point Mark
Indiana State senior Jordan Barnes scored seven points at #4 Louisville to give him 1,206 for his career – and make him the active career scoring leader at Indiana State. Barnes connected on a trio of 3-pointers to give him 220 for his career and he is now in sole possession of third place on the Sycamore Basketball career 3-point chart. His 1,206 career points ranks 21st in the history of the program. He needs only six more to reach the Top 20 all-time at Indiana State. As a sophomore in 2017-18, 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). He hit the 1,000 point mark in his 77th career game -- the fourth-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.
Greg Lansing Second On ISU Wins List With 148
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 148. With the Sycamores win on November 14, 2018 at Green Bay, he passed his mentor Royce Waltman for No. 2 on the Indiana State all-time coaching wins chart. In 2018, 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. He currently holds the school record with 80 all-time MVC regular season victories.
63 Is The Magic Number
The Sycamores win by the score of 71-54 on March 2, 2019 against Northern Iowa was ISU's ninth last season in which they held an opponent to 63 points or less and earned the victory. Under 10th-year head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 94-10 when allowing less than 63 points to the opposition (including a 21-0 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 and again against McKendree, San Jose State, Wright State, Truman State, Colorado, UNLV, Evansville, Valparaiso, Illinois State and Northern Iowa. Under 10th-year head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 97-28 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 are in 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, 2017 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
Indiana State opens play in the Junkanoo Jam on Thursday, November 21 against Duquesne. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. (ET). The three-game, four day tournament will played in Bimini, Bahamas and will be televised on FloHoops on a pay-per-view basis.
