SETTING THE STAGE
Indiana State Basketball continues its 125th season as they hit the road in Missouri Valley Conference play on Saturday, January 4 as they travel to Drake with tip-off set for 6:00 p.m. (ET) inside the Drake Knapp 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.
QUICK HITS
Indiana State has hit at least one 3-pointer in every game since December 20, 2008 against DePauw -- a span of 355 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 156. 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 Drake contest on an eight-game winning streak which is the longest since an 8-0 start to begin the 2005-06 campaign. With a win, the Sycamores would own a nine-game spurt which would be the longest since the 1978-79 season in which ISU won 33 in a row en route to a berth into the NCAA Championship Game.
A Win Over Drake Would ...
• Give the Sycamores a season-high nine game winning streak -- the program's longest since a 33-gamer over the course of the 1978-79 campaign which ended in the NCAA Final Four.
• Snap a four game skid in the all-time series against Drake.
• Be the Sycamores' first 2-0 start to league play since a 5-0 spurt out of the gate in 2014-15.
The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing (South Dakota, 1990) is 156-146 (.517) overall in his tenth season as a head coach. He is 81-82 all-time in MVC games, including a 55-27 mark at home and a 26-55 record on the road. During his career, he is 93-40 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 98-10 when holding teams to 63 points or less. Coach Lansing is 9-9 all-time against Drake, and is 3-6 against the Bulldogs 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 156. His 81 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 1,504-1,313 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 Bulldogs will be televised live nationally on ESPN+.
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. This season, Key has hit 72-of-80 free throw attempts and owns a 90.0 free throw percentage mark. That tally leads the Missouri Valley Conference and is ranked 24th-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 72 made free throws leads the league and is 11th-best nationally while his 80 attempts also lead the MVC and is ranked 47th-best in the country. His 18.2 ppg scoring average ranks second best in the league. He was the MVC Scoring Champion following the 2018-19 campaign.
Sycamores Look For First 9-Game Winning Streak Since 1979
Indiana State is currently riding an eight-game winning streak which is its best since an eight-gamer to open up the 2005-06 campaign. The Sycamores will take that winning streak and put it on the line at Drake on Saturday, January 4. With one win, the Sycamores will own a nine-game winning streak which would be the longest 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 Leading The MVC (5th Nationally) in 3-Point FG Percentage
The Sycamores have hit 93-of-225 attempts from 3-point range so far this season which equates to a mark of 41.3 percent. That number not only leads the Missouri Valley Conference, but is fifth-best in the country. Saint Mary's (Calif.) leads the country at 44.0 percent.
Jordan Barnes Up To No. 3 On ISU 3-Pointers Made List
Indiana State senior Jordan Barnes owns 1,329 points in his career – which makes him the active career scoring leader at Indiana State. Barnes now has 242 3-pointers in his career and he is in sole possession of third place on the Sycamore Basketball career 3-point chart. He needs 28 more trifectas to tie Brenton Scott for second. His 1,329 career points ranks 13th in the history of the program. He needs 18 more to reach No. 12 all-time at Indiana State and former Academic All-American Matt Renn. 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.
Greg Lansing Second On ISU Wins List With 156
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 156 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 81 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 68-56 on December 30, 2019 against Southern Illinois was ISU's fourth 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 98-10 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 nine times this season and have earned the win eight times in those situations. Under 10th-year head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 105-29 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 continues its two-game road swing through the state of Iowa on Tuesday, January 7 when they travel to Northern Iowa for an 8 pm (ET) tipoff.
