SETTING THE STAGE
Indiana State Basketball continues its 125th season as they hit the road for the final time in Missouri Valley Conference play on Wednesday, February 26 against Southern Illinois with tip-off set for 8:00 p.m. (ET) inside the Banterra 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 370 contests, which is the third-longest active streak in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Sycamores' only 3-pointer against Evansville came mid-way through the second half by freshman Cobie Barnes.
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 164. His career win total is second-best at ISU (and his 89 MVC wins is the most in the history of the program & 12th best ever in the MVC). He also owns the school record with five wins over nationally-ranked teams.
A Win Southern Illinois Would ...
• Give the Sycamores their first win in Carbondale since January 10, 2015 and snap a four-game skid on the road against SIU.
• Be the Sycamores' 10th MVC victory -- pushing them into double figure league wins for the first time since an 11-7 finish in 2014-15.
• Give the Sycamores their third winning streak this season of at least three games.
The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing (South Dakota, 1990) is 164-153 (.517) overall in his tenth season as a head coach. He is 89-89 all-time in MVC games, including a 61-28 mark at home and a 28-61 record on the road. During his career, he is 99-41 in all home games, 45-85 on the road, 21-26 in neutral court contests and 53-40 in games decided by five points or less. With the Trees, Lansing is 13-14 in overtime games and 104-10 when holding teams to 63 points or less. Coach Lansing is 10-11 all-time against Southern Illinois, and is 2-7 against the Salukis 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 164. His 89 MVC victories are a school record and the 12th-most in the history of the league.
A Little History
Indiana State is in its 125th season of college basketball at the school. The Sycamores are 1,512-1,320 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 Salukis will be broadcast nationally on ESPN+ as well as the ESPN app.
Jordan Barnes Up To No. 3 On 3-Pointers Made List; Top 10 In 4 Major Career Categories
Indiana State senior Jordan Barnes owns 1,515 points in his career – which makes him the active career scoring leader at Indiana State. Barnes now has 268 3-pointers in his career and he is in sole possession of third place on the Sycamore Basketball career 3-point chart. He needs two more trifectas to tie Brenton Scott for second. His 1,515 career points ranks ninth in the history of the program and during the road win at Missouri State he passed two Sycamores who have their jersey retired at ISU -- No. 54 Duane Klueh & No. 22 Carl Nicks. With his first steal against Missouri State on Feb. 16, he became the first Sycamore in program history to reach the ISU all-time Top 10 in points, 3-point field goals made, assists and steals. Barnes is just the ninth Sycamore in program history to score at least 1,500 career points. His 1,515 career points scored is No. 9 at ISU, his 268 career 3-pointers is third, his 376 career assists are for ninth and his 130 steals are also ninth. Barnes is one of three Sycamores to be in the Top 10 all-time for 3-pointers made in MVC history joining Michael Menser (283 is fourth) and Brenton Scott (270 is seventh). Barnes is tied for eighth with 268.
Christian Williams Cool Under Pressure For Sycamores At The Free Throw Line
Indiana State senior Christian Williams paced the Sycamores by averaging 15.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per game as ISU took down league-leading Northern Iowa and won on the road against Evansville. Williams hit 9-of-14 shots for the week (64.3 percent), 2-of-4 from distance (50 percent) and was 10-of-11 from the free throw line (90.0 percent). He added three assists and a steal over the course of the two-game stretch. Williams scored 14 points and hit 4-of-7 from the field, with a pair of 3-pointers in the home win over Northern Iowa. He hit all four of his free throw attempts in the final 1:14 to help seal the victory, but also drew the defensive assignment on AJ Green on the final two possessions in which he forced Green to drive in for a two-point jumper instead of trying to the try the game with 7.7 seconds left and also guarded Green as he looked at a 3-pointer which would have knotted the contest. At Evansville, he led the way with 16 points and was 5-of-7 from the field and an impressive 6-of-7 from the free throw line. He scored five of the Sycamores points during a key 7-0 run which flipped a five-point deficit with 3:34 to play into a two-point Sycamore lead. Trailing by a point with 1:07 remaining, Williams converted a conventional 3-point play which gave the Sycamores a 58-56 lead. He was fouled with 24 seconds remaining and hit both at the line to stretch the advantage out to 60-57 and was again perfect at the line with five seconds remaining to make it 64-61 and helped seal the victory.
Jake LaRavia Hitting The Offensive Glass At A Record Pace
In Missouri Valley Conference games, freshman Jake LaRavia is third in the league in rebounding at 7.9 per game, which is just behind Northern Iowa's Austin Phyfe at 9.3 caroms as well as Loyola's Cameron Krutwig at 8.3 boards. In the offensive rebounding category, LaRavia is leading the Valley by averaging 3.5 per game which is .1 ahead of UNI's Phyfe. In 1997, Indiana State Hall of Famer Jim Cruse was good for 4.4 offensive boards per game. LaRavia is looking to join Cruse (1997), ISU Hall of Fame member Matt Renn (1999), Amani Daanish (2004) and Carl Richard (2011) as the only Sycamores to lead the MVC in offensive rebounding. LaRavia owns the Sycamores' only three double-doubles of the season. He set a new career high with 13 rebounds on February 8 at Bradley. Indiana State freshman Jake LaRavia averaged 13.0 points and 5.5 rebounds as the Sycamores swept a pair of contests against league-leading Northern Iowa and on the road against Evansville. He was 11-of-17 from the field (64.7 percent), with a pair of 3-pointers and three assists as well as a trio of blocked shots. LaRavia scored eight points and pulled down four rebounds while battling early foul trouble in the win over Evansville. He scored the first bucket in both the first and second halves and his two free throws with 5:32 remaining knotted the contest at 48. Against UNI, LaRavia tied for the team lead with 18 points and paced the Sycamores on the glass with seven rebounds while going 8-of-12 from the field, with a pair of 3-pointers. His first trifecta against the Panthers came in the early going to stake the Sycamores to an 11-4 lead, and hit another a minute later to stop the Panther momentum. He rebounded his own miss to keep a late possession alive and then converted the lay-up with 6:47 remaining which pushed the ISU lead out to 59-41. UNI trimmed the Sycamore lead down to just one point as the clock went under a minute and he scored inside with 38 seconds remaining to stretch the advantage back out to 65-62 to set up Christian Williams' defensive heroics.
Nine is Fine For Indiana State
Indiana State has reached nine Missouri Valley Conference victories in a season for the first time since the 2014-15 campaign when ISU went 11-7 and captured the No. 3 seed at Arch Madness. That is also the last time the Sycamores had reached nine league victories by the 16th game. In 42 seasons of Missouri Valley Conference membership, this is just the 14th year in which the Sycamores have recorded at least nine MVC victories. Under the leadership of 10th-year head coach Greg Lansing, this is fifth time that the Sycamores have accomplished that feat. His 89 victories in MVC play is a school record and is 12th-most in the history of the league.
Sycamores Second In The MVC (15th Nationally) in 3-Point FG Percentage
The Sycamores senior Jordan Barnes has connected on 268 career 3-pointers which is third-best ever at Indiana State. He is just two behind Brenton Scott who recorded 270 in his career which is second-best all-time and only 15 behind Michael Menser for the school record. ISU has three shooters in the Valley's all-time Top 10 with Menser's 283 at fourth, Scott's 270 at seventh and Barnes tied for eighth with UNI's Matt Bohannon with 268. For the season, the Sycamores are ranked 15th nationally with a 3-point field goal percentage of .380 which is second-best in the league.
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.
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 started his first collegiate game. Williams has taken off since that first start and has reached double figures scoring eight games this season, including five league 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. With a pair of starts this week, Williams would become just the second Sycamore to start every game as a freshman with the other being John Sherman Williams who accomplished the feat in 1983 en route to an ISU Athletics Hall of Fame career.
Sycamores Set New Defensive Best In MVC Era Against Loyola Chicago
It was a night to remember on February 5, 2020 -- that's win the Sycamores limited Loyola Chicago to just 39 points -- the fewest the Sycamores have ever allowed in 43 seasons of Missouri Valley Conference play in a league game. That topped a 45-40 win over Evansville back in 2002 for the best defensive performance in the MVC era. It also was the fewest points allowed in all games since surrendering only 35 to Louisiana-Monroe back on December 21, 2011. The Sycamores continue to excel on the defensive end at home in league play by allowing an average of 49.6 points per game through six league home contests. ISU has allowed no more than 56 points to any league opponent at home this season.
Greg Lansing Second On ISU Wins List With 164
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 164 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 89 all-time MVC regular season victories -- which is also 12th-most in the history of the league.
63 Is The Magic Number
The Sycamores win by the score of 64-62 on February 23, 2020 against Evansville was ISU's 10th 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 104-10 when allowing less than 63 points to the opposition (including a 25-0 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 18 times this season and have earned the win 15 times in those situations. Under 10th-year head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 112-31 when the ISU starting five scores more than their opponent's starters.
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.
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 hosts Valparaiso on Saturday, February 29 in the regular season finale and Senior Day inside Hulman Center. Tip-off is set for 2 pm (ET). It will mark the final regular season home game for seniors Jordan Barnes, Bronson Kessinger and Christian Williams.
