SETTING THE STAGE
Indiana State Basketball continues its 125th season as stay at home inside Missouri Valley Conference play on Wednesday, January 15 as they host Evansville with tip-off set for 7:00 p.m. (ET) inside Hulman Center. The game will be televised live nationally on ESPN+. The game will also be broadcast on WIBQ 97.9 FM as well as streamed (audio) on GoSycamores.com.
NATIONALLY RENOWNED HALFTIME ACT "QUICK CHANGE" TO PERFORM DURING GAME
Sycamore fans will be treated to a special halftime performance from David & Dania -- the original "Quick Change" act which has been featured throughout numerous performances at NBA, NFL and NCAA Games as well as The Ellen Show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning American and most notably as a finalist in 2011 on America's Got Talent. Watch as the duo takes the fans through a magical dance act featuring numerous costume changes in the blink of an eye.
QUICK HITS
Indiana State has hit at least one 3-pointer in every game since December 20, 2008 against DePauw -- a span of 358 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 157. His career win total is second-best at ISU (and his 82 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 and Evansville are meeting for the 175th time in the history of the two programs. Indiana State has played in-state rival Evansville more than any other institution.
A Win Over Evansville Would ...
• Give the Sycamores a 9-1 record against Evansville in their last 10 meetings against the Redbirds inside Hulman Center.
• Improve the Sycamores to a perfect 7-0 at Hulman Center this season.
• Give the Sycamores wins in consecutive conference games for the first time since the end of the 2017-18 campaign.
The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing (South Dakota, 1990) is 157-148 (.515) overall in his tenth season as a head coach. He is 82-84 all-time in MVC games, including a 56-27 mark at home and a 26-57 record on the road. During his career, he is 94-40 in all home games, 43-81 on the road, 21-26 in neutral court contests and 50-40 in games decided by five points or less. With the Trees, Lansing is 13-14 in overtime games and 99-10 when holding teams to 63 points or less. Coach Lansing is 14-8 all-time against Evansville, and is 8-1 against the Purple Aces at home. 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 157. His 82 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 1,505-1,315 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 Purple Aces will be televised live nationally on ESPN+.
Jake LaRavia Reaches Records First Career Double-Double In Win Over Illinois State
Indiana State freshman is the reigning Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week and enjoyed two more solid outings by averaging 11.5 points and 8.0 rebounds as the Sycamores played at Northern Iowa and hosted Drake. He hit 10-of-16 attempts from the field (62.5 percent) to go go with four assists, one blocked shot and one steal. LaRavia posted his first career double-double – as well as the Sycamores' first double dime of the year with his 11-point, 10-rebound performance in the home win over the Redbirds. He hit 5-of-10 shots from the field with a career-best four assists, one steal and one blocked shot. He began the week by scoring 12 points and pulling down six rebounds on the road against the Panthers. LaRavia connected on 5-of-6 shots from the field in the narrow road loss.
Tyreke Key Reached 1,000 Point Club In Just 73 Games
Sycamore Basketball junior Tyreke Key posted 20 points on December 30, 2019 to go over the 1,000 career points scored milestone. Key reached the 1,000 point mark in just 73 career games which is the fourth-fastest pace in program history. Earlier this season, Indiana State junior Tyreke Key set a new school record in the Missouri Valley Conference era with 32 free throws made consecutively, which is also the 14th-best streak in the history of the league. Key averaged 15.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game as the Sycamores split games on the road at Northern Iowa and home versus Illinois State. Key hit 11-of-24 attempts from the field (45.8 percent) with a trio of 3-pointers. He also extended his consecutive free throws made streak to 18 after already enjoying a streak of 32 earlier this season. He added four assists and two steals during the two-game stretch. Key led the Sycamores with 17 points in the home win over Illinois State in which he hit 6-of-12 shots from the field and added eight rebounds. Key was credited with an assist and a steal in the win. With Illinois State closing in on the Sycamores early lead, Key took over going on a personal 6-0 run to return the lead out to double figures. He also led the Sycamore scoring attached by hitting a pair of 3-pointers to post 14 points with three assists and a steal at Northern Iowa. Key was 5-of-12 from the field at UNI. For the season, Key has hit 87-of-99 attempts from the free throw line (87.9 percent) which is second in the league and is ranked 33rd nationally. His 87 made free throws is tops in the league and is 11th in the country while his 99 attempts are third-most in the MVC and ranks 41st nationally.
Sycamores Leading The MVC (3rd Nationally) in 3-Point FG Percentage
The Sycamores have hit 114-of-281 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 third-best in the country. Saint Mary's (Calif.) leads the country at 42.1 percent.
Old School Rivalry With Evansville Renews Wednesday Night
One of the Sycamores oldest and most played rivals visits Hulman Center on Wednesday, January 15 when the Sycamores host Evansville. Indiana State owns a 92-82 advantage in the all-time series which will be renewed for the 175th time this week. The 175 meetings is the most the Sycamores own with any opponent and the 92 wins are the most Indiana State owns against any other school in program history. The 82 defeats are the second-most the Sycamores have with any one opponent – just behind the 87 times that Southern Illinois has topped Indiana State. In fact, the 136 times that ISU and Southern Illinois have played is the second-most in the Sycamore record books. The Sycamores' first meeting with Evansville was January 7, 1921 – just over 99 years ago prior to Wednesday's matchup. Indiana State's eight game home winning streak over Evansville is tied for the third-longest active streak in the league.
Sycamores Looking For First Back-To-Back MVC Dubs Since 2018
With Indiana State's home win on January 11 over Illinois State, the Sycamores enter Wednesday night's game against Evansville looking for back-to-back conference victories for the first time since the Sycamores downed Evansville on February 21, 2018 at home and then won at Bradley on February 24, 2018 to secure the No. 6 seed at Arch Madness. It has been a span of 22 MVC matchups since the Sycamores have won consecutive league match ups. 10th-year ISU head coach Greg Lansing owns the school record with 82 MVC victorites to his credit.
Shining Defensively Against Illinois State
The Sycamore defense limited Illinois State to just 52 points – which is a season-low for an Indiana State opponent. ISU held the Redbirds to just 18-of-58 shooting which is only 31 percent from the field. ISU improved to a perfect 22-0 under coach Lansing when holding teams to 53 points or less. Freshman Tre Williams set a new career high with four blocked shots as the team posted seven in the win over the Redbirds.
Jordan Barnes Up To No. 3 On ISU 3-Pointers Made List
Indiana State senior Jordan Barnes owns 1,363 points in his career – which makes him the active career scoring leader at Indiana State. Barnes now has 250 3-pointers in his career and he is in sole possession of third place on the Sycamore Basketball career 3-point chart. He needs 20 more trifectas to tie Brenton Scott for second. His 1,363 career points ranks 11th in the history of the program. He needs 69 more to reach No. 9 all-time at Indiana State and two Sycamores who have their jersey retired at ISU -- No. 54 Duane Klueh & No. 22 Carl Nicks. As a sophomore in 2017-18, he 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.
Tre Williams First Sycamore To Start First Game As True Freshman Since 2008
When he took the court as part of the Sycamore starting lineup at Dayton, Tre Williams became the first true freshman at Indiana State to do so since the season opener of the 2008-09 campaign when Carl Richard did it. Williams has taken off since that first start and has reached double figures scoring in five of his last six games. In Richard's first game he scored seven points against Northern Illinois, why Williams owned six in his collegiate and starting debut against now nationally-ranked Dayton.
Greg Lansing Second On ISU Wins List With 157
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 157 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 82 all-time MVC regular season victories.
63 Is The Magic Number
The Sycamores win by the score of 65-52 on January 11, 2020 against Illinois State was ISU's fifth 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 99-10 when allowing less than 63 points to the opposition (including a 22-0 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 10 times this season and have earned the win nine times in those situations. Under 10th-year head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 106-29 when the ISU starting five scores more than their opponent's starters.
Sycamores Enjoyed First 8-Game Winning Streak Since 2005
Indiana State enjoyed an eight-game winning streak from November 24-December 30 which was its best since an eight-gamer to open up the 2005-06 campaign. The Sycamores saw that month-long winning streak end when they put it on the line at Drake on January 4. The Sycamores fell just one win shy of posting the program's first nine-game winning streak since the 1978-79 campaign that saw the Sycamores win their first 33 games of the year en route to a berth in the NCAA Championship Game.
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.
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 hits the Valley road on Saturday, January 18 as they travel to Valparaiso for an 8:00 p.m. (ET) showdown with the Crusaders. The game will air live nationally on ESPN+.
