SETTING THE STAGE
Indiana State Basketball continues its 125th season on Saturday, December 7 against Wright State with tip-off set for 2:00 p.m. (ET) inside the Nutter Center. The game will be televised live worldwide on 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 351 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 152. 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 picked up program win No. 1,500 on December 3 against North Dakota State. The Sycamores are the 5th team among the current Missouri Valley Conference membership to win at least 1,500 basketball games.
A Win Over Wright State Would ...
• Give the Sycamores their second all-time win against the Raiders in two all-time contests.
• Give the Sycamores their first win in the state of Ohio since a December 19, 2009 win at Toledo by the score of 55-54.
• Give the Sycamores a season-high five game winning streak -- its longest since another five-gamer from November 9 - December 1, 2018. That five game winning streak was capped with a 69-63 win over Wright State inside Hulman Center.
The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing (South Dakota, 1990) is 152-146 (.510) 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 90-40 in all home games, 42-79 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 12-14 in overtime games and 97-10 when holding teams to 63 points or less. Coach Lansing is 1-0 all-time against Wright State, with that win coming inside Hulman Center. 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 152. 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 1,500-1,313 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 Raiders will be televised live nationally on ESPN+.
Tyreke Key Sees Consecutive Free Throw Streak End At 32
Indiana State junior made 32 consecutive free throw attempts between November 17 and December 3, 2019 before missing his final attempt against North Dakota State. Key led the Sycamores with 27 points as he added eight field goals, including a pair of 3-pointers in the victory over the Bison. Key's 32 consecutive made free throws is a school record in the MVC era and is tied for the 14th longest streak in Missouri Valley Conference history. For the season, Key has hit 50-of-54 free throw attempts for a 92.6 percent clip which leads the Valley and is 24th-best nationally.
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.
Taking Care Of The Rock Against The Bison
Indiana State limited their turnovers to a season-best five in the 71-60 win over North Dakota State. It was the lowest turnover total by a Sycamore team since a 2013 contest against Creighton. The Sycamores only turnover in the entire second half came in the final seconds when they intentionally took a shot clock violation in the waning seconds of the victory over the Bison.
Jordan Barnes Up To No. 3 On ISU 3-Pointers Made List
Indiana State senior Jordan Barnes owns 1,285 points in his career – which makes him the active career scoring leader at Indiana State. Barnes now has 235 points in his career and he is in sole possession of third place on the Sycamore Basketball career 3-point chart. His 1,285 career points ranks 15th in the history of the program. He needs only 16 more to reach No. 14 all-time at Indiana State. 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 152
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 152 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 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.
Jordan Barnes Torches Nets And Named To Junkanoo Jam All-Tournament Team
Indiana State senior Jordan Barnes had a week to remember in Bimini, Bahamas as he averaged 16.7 points per game and connected on 11 3-pointers over the three-game stretch as the Sycamores earned victories over Air Force and Loyola Marymount. He blazed the nets at a 15-of-24 (62.5 percent clip) and was 11-of-20 (55.0 percent) from long range. He converted 9-of-11 free throw opportunities and owned 11 assists as well as five steals. The only contest that Barnes didn't reach double figures was the opener against Duquesne in which he scored eight points and the Dukes escaped with a three-point win. His best game came on Friday, Nov. 22 when he tied a career-high with 29 points and hit 8-of-10 shots, including a 7-of-9 mark from downtown. He added five rebounds, four assists and two steals in the win over the Lions. His seven 3-pointers in the contest also tied a career high. Barnes finished off the week with a 13-point outburst in the win over Air Force, in which he was 4-of-5 from 3-point range and added a late charity toss to seal the victory. For his efforts, he was named to the Junkanoo Jam All-Tournament Team.
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 five times this season and have earned the win four times in those situations. Under 10th-year head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 101-29 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
The Sycamores will pause for Final Exams next week before returning to action on Wednesday, December 18 against Tennessee State. Tip-off from Hulman Center is set for 7:00 p.m. (ET).
