SETTING THE STAGE
Indiana State Basketball continues its 125th season on Sunday, December 22 as they host Chicago State with tip-off set for 2:00 p.m. (ET) inside the Hulman Center. 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 353 contests, which is the third-longest active streak in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Greg Lansing is just the second head coach in the history of the program to record at least 150 victories at the helm of the Sycamores as he owns 154. 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.
Indiana State enters the week with a No. 31 RPI according to RealTimeRPI.com with a national SOS of 6 while Warren Nolan has the Sycamores at No. 35 and a national SOS of 8. ISU is the second-highest ranked Missouri Valley Conference team in the RPI behind Northern Iowa. The MVC ranks as the 7th toughest league in the country so far this year.
A Win Over Chicago State Would ...
• Improve the Sycamores to a perfect 3-0 all-time against the Cougars.
• Improve the Sycamores to 4-0 inside Hulman Center this season.
• Give the Sycamores a season-high seven game winning streak -- its longest since a seven-gamer from December 21, 2013 - January 15, 2014. That seven game winning streak included a spotless 5-0 start to Missouri Valley Conference play.
The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing (South Dakota, 1990) is 154-146 (.513) 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 91-40 in all home games, 43-79 on the road, 21-26 in neutral court contests and 50-39 in games decided by five points or less. With the Trees, Lansing is 13-14 in overtime games and 97-10 when holding teams to 63 points or less. This is coach Lansing's first all-time meeting with Chicago State. 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 154. 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 1,502-1,313 all-time on the hardwood. ISU is only the fifth Missouri Valley Conference team to record at least 1,500 all-time victories.
Television Particulars
The Sycamores game against the Cougars will be televised live nationally on ESPN3.
Tyreke Key Leads League In Free Throw's Made, Attempted & Percentage
Sycamore Basketball junior Tyreke Key has hit 68-of-76 free throw attempts this year and owns a 89.5 free throw percentage mark. That tally leads the Missouri Valley Conference and is ranked 38th-best in the country. Earlier this season, Key made 32 consecutive free throw attempts which is a new school record (in the MVC era) and is tied for 14th-best in the history of the MVC. His 68 made free throws leads the league and is 2nd-best nationally while his 76 attempts also lead the MVC and is ranked 14th-best in the country. His 18.1 ppg scoring average ranks second best in the league. He was the MVC Scoring Champion following the 2018-19 campaign.
Sycamores Leading The MVC (11th Nationally) in 3-Point FG Percentage
The Sycamores have hit 80-of-197 attempts from 3-point range so far this season which equates to a mark of 40.6 percent. That number not only leads the Missouri Valley Conference, but is 11th-best in the country. Saint Mary's (Calif.) leads the country at 47.3 percent. Individually, Jordan Barnes ranks 46th in the nation for 3-point shooting percentage by hitting 43.4 percent of his attempts from long distance.
Indiana State Looking To Extend Six Game Winning Streak This Week
Indiana State is currently riding a six-game winning streak – its best since a seven-game spurt of wins from December 21, 2013 through January 15, 2014 which included a 5-0 start to Missouri Valley Conference play. ISU will look to extend their current streak to seven as they host Chicago State on December 22.
Jordan Barnes Up To No. 3 On ISU 3-Pointers Made List
Indiana State senior Jordan Barnes owns 1,314 points in his career – which makes him the active career scoring leader at Indiana State. Barnes now has 238 3-pointers in his career and he is in sole possession of third place on the Sycamore Basketball career 3-point chart. He needs 32 more trifectas to tie Brenton Scott for second. His 1,314 career points ranks 14th in the history of the program. He needs only seven more to reach No. 13 all-time at Indiana State and pass legendary Sycamore free throw shooter Ray Goddard. As a sophomore in 2017-18, 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 154
Greg Lansing became just the second head coach in the history of the program to record at least 150 victories when he picked that milestone win on Sunday, November 24 in the Bahamas against Air Force. His 154 career victories rank second in the history of the program. 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.
Sycamores Secure Program Win No. 1,500 Against North Dakota State
Indiana State picked up historic win No. 1,500 in program history with a 71-60 victory over North Dakota State on December 3, 2019. Among the current membership only Bradley, Illinois State, Missouri State, Southern Illinois and Indiana State have won as many as 1,500 games in their program's history.
Sycamores Enjoy Two Wins And Runner Up Finish At Junkanoo Jam
The Sycamores traveled to beautiful Bimini, Bahamas last week for the 2019 edition of the Junkanoo Jam and came away with a runner-up finish as well as a 2-1 record. ISU has enjoyed great success in MTE play under 10th-year head coach Greg Lansing as the Sycamores have now earned 15 victories, including third place finishes in recent years during the Advocare Invitational, Hawaiian Airlines Diamondhead Classic and Paradise Jam. ISU finished as the runner in 2018 at the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Classic and the 2019 Junkanoo Jam.
63 Is The Magic Number
The Sycamores win by the score of 71-60 on December 3, 2019 against North Dakota State was ISU's third this year 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 97-10 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 has outscored the opposition's top five seven times this season and have earned the win six times in those situations. Under 10th-year head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 103-29 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 begins the league portion of the schedule when they host Southern Illinois at 8 pm (ET) on Monday, December 30. The game will air live on the MVC TV Network which includes Fox Sports Midwest/Indiana/Kansas City as well as NBC Sports Chicago and ESPN+.
