TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The 2022-23 regular season is finally here as Indiana State welcomes the Phoenix of Green Bay to Hulman Center on Monday, November 7, with tipoff time set for 7 p.m. ET. The game will be carried live on ESPN3 and 105.5 The Legend.

Green Bay is one of five teams the Sycamores have home-and-home series with dating back to last season. ISU will also take on Ball State, North Dakota State, Miami (Ohio), and Northern Illinois this season in scheduled rematches with all but the Miami game set to compete in Hulman Center.

The Sycamores dominated in their lone exhibition leading up to the 2022-23 season as ISU topped visiting Tusculum this past Tuesday, 86-53. Kailex Stephens led four Indiana State players in double-digit scoring with 21 points, while Jayson Kent added 11 rebounds in the ISU win.

Seven different Indiana State players made their Sycamore debut on the court against the Pioneers with Trenton Gibson and Courvoisier McCauley both earning their first starts of the year in the exhibition against Tusculum.

SERIES HISTORY
Monday's contest features the sixth meeting all-time between the Sycamores and the Phoenix. The Sycamores fell in the first two matchups between the programs back in 1994 and 2010, but rebounded to win each of the last four games, including last season's 81-77 win in Green Bay, Wis.

LAST GAME AGAINST THE PHOENIX (FULL RECAP)
Kailex Stephens had a coming out party in his first regular season action after a season-ending injury a year ago. The forward willed Indiana State from a 12-point deficit after recording 16 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in the 81-77 victory over Green Bay Tuesday night inside the Kress Center. Cooper Neese scored 18 including a go-ahead bucket in the second half. Neese shot 6-for-15 while knocking down a pair of three-pointers.

With ISU on top 79-77 with 32 seconds, the Phoenix were able to get two shots up before Stephens grabbed the rebound and was fouled. Stephens went on to hit both of his free throws to ice the game and give first-year head coach Josh Schertz his first career win at Indiana State.

GREEN BAY AT A GLANCE
Green Bay was selected 10th overall in the Horizon League preseason poll as the Phoenix received 111 total points in the voting. Green Bay received the selection after posting a 5-25 overall record on the year with a 4-16 mark in Horizon play in 2021-22. The Phoenix roster underwent a complete overhaul in the offseason with Green Bay bringing in 10 new players, including six transfers and three true freshmen.

Green Bay lost all three of their leading scorers from the 2021-22 season with Donovan Ivory (11.9), Kamari McGee (11.6), and Emmanuel Ansong (11.0) all moving on. The Phoenix won both of their exhibition games this preseason with Green Bay topping St. Norbert (50-45) and Michigan Tech (72-66) over the last two weeks leading up to the regular season. Eight of the Phoenix players hail from the state of Wisconsin on the 2022-23 roster.

LAST TIME OUT
Shots fell early and often for Indiana State as the Sycamores topped Tusculum in Tuesday night's exhibition at Hulman Center, 86-53. Kailex Stephens paced four Sycamores in double-digits with a game-high 21 points, while Jayson Kent added a team-high 11 rebounds as Indiana State led from start-to-finish in the season-opening exhibition.

ISU scored 16 of the first 20 points and carried a double-digit lead throughout a majority of the first half and led by as many as 27 at the break. The Sycamores' lead peaked at 38 points on a Masen Miller layup at the 11:36 mark in the second half as ISU coasted to the nonconference win. Stephens went a game-best 10-of-13 from the floor and added five rebounds and three steals in 22 minutes. Robbie Avila added 13 points and three boards off the bench, while Xavier Bledson posted 12 points and six assists in the game. Trenton Gibson was the fourth Sycamore in double-digits as the Tusculum alum scored 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting and added four assists against his former team.

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)

BRINGING BACK EXPERIENCE
Despite losing seven letterwinners to the transfer portal, Indiana State finds itself in a favorable position as the Sycamores return four starters (Cooper Neese, Cameron Henry, Kaile Stephens, Julian Larry) from last year's squad -- the only institution among the league's 12 members to do so.

The Sycamores also return six of their top seven scorers from the 2021-22 season with Cooper Neese (15.0), Cameron Henry (14.3), Kailex Stephens (9.8), Xavier Bledson (9.1), Zach Hobbs (6.3) and Julian Larry (5.7) all back in the mix for playing time this year.

WELCOME TO THE NEWCOMERS
The Sycamores roster welcomes nine newcomers to the floor in the 2022-23 season highlighted by five players with extensive NCAA experience. Joining the Sycamores roster this season include a trio of graduate transfers coming to Indiana State. Guard Courvoisier McCauley (DePaul), Trenton Gibson (Tusculum), and Cade McKnight (Truman State) all come to the Sycamores after graduating from their previous institutions.

Guard Masen Miller (Truman State) and wing Jayson Kent (Bradley) come to the Sycamores with three years of eligibility remaining. ISU's roster also features four freshman with the addition of the highly-touted center Robbie Avila, as well as guards Rob Martin, Jaden Schertz, and Isaac Holmes.

FOLLOW THE SYCAMORES
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.