TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The Sycamores close out their season-opening three-game homestand Thursday night when they welcome the North Dakota State Bison to the Hulman Center for a 7 p.m. tip-off. Thursday will be just the third all-time meeting between the two teams with the series tied up at 1-1.
NDSU is one of five teams the Sycamores have home-and-home series with dating back to last season. ISU will also take on Miami (Ohio) and Northern Illinois this season in scheduled rematches with all but the Miami game set to compete in Hulman Center, along with having already hosted Green Bay and Ball State.
Indiana State is off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2011-12, and will be looking to improve to 3-0, also for the first time since 2011-12 when ISU started off 5-0.
Courvoisier McCauley was named Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week on Monday. He showed out in his Sycamore debut with a double-double featuring a game-high 23 points and 10 rebounds against Green Bay, and he connected for three triples in the game. McCauley averaged 18.5 points and 8.0 boards on the week with a team-high six boards against Ball State Saturday.
SERIES HISTORY
Thursday will be just the third meeting all-time between ISU and NDSU as part of a three-game agreement between the two programs. The overall series is tied 1-1 with each team taking a win on its respective home court.
The Sycamores won the first meeting between the two teams back on Dec. 3, 2019, 71-60, at home in Terre Haute. The Bison took the second and most recent meeting, 77-70, on Dec. 13, 2021 in Fargo, N.D.
LAST GAME AGAINST THE BISON (FULL RECAP)
Indiana State basketball fell 77-70 on the road to the Bison on Dec. 13, 2021. Cooper Neese recorded a career high 30 points but that was not enough as it was a tale of two halves in Fargo as the NDSU rallied from an 11-point deficit to defeat Indiana State.
Neese's career night came on 11-of-22 shooting, including five 3-pointers. Xavier Bledson was the only other Sycamore to score in double-digits as the guard dropped in 16 points on 5-for-10 shooting while also picking up five assists and a pair of rebounds.
Neese scored 11 of ISU's final 13 points including two contested 3-pointers late to pull ISU to within three points at 73-70 at the 1:22 mark, but an Indiana State foul with 27.3 seconds remaining put the Bison at the charity stripe to close out the game -- a place where NDSU was 12-of-13 throughout the game.
NDSU AT A GLANCE
The Bison were picked fourth in the Summit League Preseason Poll, and junior forward Grant Nelson was named Preseason All-Summit League First Team after averaging 10.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game last season. Nelson recorded his first-career double-double against Pacific with 19 points and 12 rebounds.
Despite being 0-3 this season, NDSU has faced a pair of top-10 teams in No. 10 Arkansas and #5 Kansas. NDSU is outscoring its opposition 129-122 in the second half this season. The Bison outscored No. 5 Kansas 40-34 after halftime, and NDSU put up 57 points in the final 20 minutes against Pacific.
Against Pacific, freshman Sam Hastreiter set an NDSU single-game record for 3-pointers made without a miss, going a perfect 7-for-7 from beyond the arc. He finished with 24 points and six rebounds and has made 9-of-11 (82 percent) from 3-point range this season.
Over the previous three seasons, NDSU ranks 50th out of 358 Division I schools in winning percentage, and the Bison have 82 wins over the last four seasons, tied for the 59th-most in all of Division I. NDSU has won at least 19 games in eight of its last 10 seasons.
LAST TIME OUT
Five different Sycamores scored in double figures Saturday afternoon as Indiana State defeated Ball State, 83-71, inside the Hulman Center.
Cooper Neese paced the Sycamores with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field, while Courvoisier McCauley and Trenton Gibson each posted double-figures in their second straight game with 14 and 12 points, respectively.
Kailex Stephens posted 11 points as he shot 9-of-10 from the charity stripe, and Jayson Kent put up 13 points off the bench including going 3-for-5 from deep.
Six Sycamores had four or more rebounds in the game, led by Courvoisier McCauley with six, all on the defensive end. ISU also collected 12 steals in the game led by Gibson and Julian Larry with three apiece and Cameron Henry and McCauley with a pair each.
The Sycamores went on a 10-0 run in the first half to gain their largest lead of the game, pushing ahead by 15 points at 33-18 with 3:48 to go in the first half. Neese and Xavier Bledson off the bench knocked down a pair of late threes, and Neese put up nine of Indiana State's last 13 points in the half on a 7-of-9 shooting clip from the field. The Sycamores led 43-31 at the break.
DOUBLE-DIPPING
In ISU's season-opener against Green Bay, Courvoisier McCauley and Trenton Gibson each notched a double-double, marking the first time two Sycamores have recorded a double-double in the same game since 1994. Further, dating back to 2003, just five Sycamores have posted a double-double in a season-opener, and all five of them have been transfers.
2022-23 RETURN TRIPS
Several familiar foes dot the 2022-23 nonconference schedule as the Sycamores feature five returners from last season. ISU will feature four teams making the return trip to the Hulman Center this winter, while the Sycamores will hit the road once to close out the home-and-home contracts.
Return Trips
2022-23 2021-22 (Results)
Nov. 7 vs. Green Bay Nov. 9 at GB - W, 81-77
Nov. 12 vs. Ball State Nov. 27 at BSU - L, 97-75
Nov. 17 vs. North Dakota State Dec. 13 at NDSU - L, 77-70
Dec. 3 at Miami (Ohio) Dec. 4 vs. MOH - W, 69-68
Dec. 22 vs. Northern Illinois Dec. 22 - Canceled (Covid)
FOLLOW THE SYCAMORES
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