TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State returns home for a pair of games beginning with Alabama A&M on Saturday at 1 p.m. and Oakland City Monday at 5 p.m. Saturday's game with the Bulldogs will be streamed on ESPN3 while Monday's game with OCU will be streamed on ESPN Plus. Both games will air on the radio on 105.5 The Legend in the Wabash Valley and on GoSycamores.com/Listen worldwide.
 
Fans wishing to purchase tickets can do so by clicking HERE, by calling 877-ISU-TIXS, or by visiting the Hulman Center Ticket Office.
 
*Indiana State University requires all campus visitors, faculty, staff and students to wear a mask while indoors, regardless of vaccination status. Full Hulman Center Guidelines can be found by clicking HERE.
 
THE SERIES WITH ALABAMA A&M
» Saturday's game will mark the first game between the two programs.
 
THE SERIES WITH OAKLAND CITY
» Monday will mark the 40th meeting all-time between the two programs. Indiana State leads the series, 35-4, and has won seven-straight games in the series. The game will mark the first meeting with OCU since 2010 when ISU defeated the Mighty Oaks, 86-42 in Terre Haute. The two teams met consistently until the 1950's and have played just three times since the turn of the century (2006, 2007, 2010).
 
UNDER NEW LEADERSHIP
» First-year head coach Josh Schertz takes over the reins of the Sycamore basketball program. Schertz takes over after a 13-year run at NCAA Division II Lincoln Memorial University where he had a career record of 337-69 (.831) en route to four national coach of the year honors. Schertz led the Railsplitters to 10 NCAA Division II Tournament appearances, won 14 total conference championships and three Southeast Regional titles, and had five seasons of 30-or-more victories.
 
LOOKING AT ALABAMA A&M
» North Dakota State enters Saturday at 1-7 overall and after dropping its last seven contests. The Bulldogs are led by a pair of double-digit scorers in Jalen Johnson (15.1 ppg) and Garrett Hicks (13.6 ppg). AAMU is averaging 56.2 points per game and are shooting 35.2 percent from the floor and 26.2 percent from distance. 
 
LOOKING AT OAKLAND CITY
» Oakland City snapped a 10-game losing streak with a 62-60 win in its last outing and enters Monday's game at 2-12 overall. The Mighty Oaks are led by Jamarcus Clark with 14.8 points and 4.9 rebounds a game while Nathaniel Schmittler adds 11.2 points and Ikechi Ajukwa rounds out the scoring threat for OCU with 10.5 points per game. In 14 games, OCU is averaging 63.5 points while holding its opponents to 75 points and 48.9 percent from the field.
 
NEESE A PROBLEM FOR OPPOSING DEFENSES
» After posting career highs across the board during 2020-21, Cooper Neese has picked up where he left off. The junior is averaging 16.9 points to lead ISU and rank third in the MVC. Neese has scored in double-figures in nine games this season, scoring 15 or more in eight games. His 26 makes from distance leads ISU and ranks fourth in the MVC.
 
» Neese put up a career-high 30 points in a loss at North Dakota State last time out. The sharpshooter recorded five makes from behind the arc while playing all 40 minutes. The game marked the 40th double-digit scoring game for Neese in his career and the seventh 20+ point performance.
 
AS HENRY GOES, SO DO THE SYCAMORES
» Cameron Henry has either made or assisted on 33 percent of all Indiana State field goals. Henry is averaging 13.4 points and 3.7 assists per game. His assists average ranks sixth in the MVC while ISU's 13.9 assists per game ranks second in The Valley.
 
» Henry has scored in double-figures in eight games for Indiana State -- including a pair of double-doubles. Over three games at the Myrtle Beach Invitational, Henry put up All-MVC like numbers. The 6-foot-6 guard averaged 17.3 points, nine rebounds and 5.7 assists per game while going for a career-high 25 points against Oklahoma in the semifinals. For his performance, he was named to the All-Tournament Second Team.
 
BLEDSON AN ALL-AROUND THREAT
» You have to see it in person to truly appreciate the offensive awareness of Xavier Bledson. The guard is second on the team with 27 assists in just seven games, recording multiple assists in all games he has seen action including a season-high seven assists at Ball State. To go with his passing, Bledson is also averaging double-figure scoring at 11.6 points per game, scoring 15 points or more in four games.
 
MOVING THE ROCK
» Indiana State ranks second in the MVC with 13.9 assists per game while sitting third with a 1.2 assist-to-turnover ratio. Five players have recorded over 10 assists with Cameron Henry leading the way with 37.
 
LINEUP LIMBO
» The Sycamores have used seven different starting lineups in 10 games this season. No starting lineup combination has been used more than three times.
 
For the latest information on Sycamore Basketball, be sure to visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from both the App Store and the Google Play Store.