SETTING THE STAGE
Indiana State Basketball opens the home portion of the schedule on Saturday, November 19 at 6 p.m. (ET) inside Hulman Center against Missouri-St. Louis. The Sycamores are led by junior Brenton Scott through the first two games beginning at Northern Illinois with 28 points, including a game-tying 3-pointer at the regulation buzzer and 25 more in an overtime victory over in-state rival Ball State. The Tritons are 2-1 on the young season and dropped a narrow decision in an exhibition contest against MVC member Southern Illinois, 72-67. Hunter Reine leads the way with a 12.3 ppg average.
QUICK HITS
- Indiana State is 74-9 when holding teams to 63 points or less under seventh-year head coach Greg Lansing (and 17-0 when limiting teams to 53 or less).
- Indiana State has earned 60 close victories (five points or less) since 2005. Under Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 34-20 in close games.
- Greg Lansing is just the sixth head coach in the history of the program to record at least 100 victories at the helm of the Sycamores. He needs 10 more to tie John Longfellow for fifth on the ISU all-time victories list.
- Sophomore Brenton Scott owns 140 trifectas in his career which is sixth-best in the history of the program.
- Junior Matt Van Scyoc has scored over 1,000 career collegiate points as he tallied 807 in two prior seasons at The Citadel plus 276 with the Sycamores. He now has 1,083 career points scored during his career with the two institutions.
- The Sycamores have opened the season with back-to-back overtime games. It is the first time Indiana State has played consecutive overtime games since the 1986-87 season when they dropped extra times against Saint Louis and Eastern Illinois. It is the fifth time in school history the program has played back-to-back overtime games and the first time it has happened in the first two games of the year.
- Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing owns four victories over nationally-ranked teams during his tenure, which is tied for the school record with Bill Hodges and Royce Waltman.
- The Sycamores own a 50-37 record in “bounce-back” games under seventh-year head coach Greg Lansing following a loss.
An Indiana State Win Over Missouri-St. Louis Would ...
• Improve the Sycamores to a perfect 3-0 against the Tritons all-time.
• Be the Sycamores’ first victory in a home opener since an 82-73 win over Ball State on Nov. 9, 2013.
The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing (South Dakota, 1990) is 110-89 (.553) overall in his seventh season as a head coach. He is 60-48 all-time in MVC games, including a 41-13 mark at home and a 19-35 record on the road. During his career, he is 63-22 in all home games, 31-52 on the road, 16-15 in neutral court contests and 34-20 in games decided by five points or less. Lansing is 0-0 against Missouri-St. Louis and is 0-0 against the Tritons at home. With the Trees, Lansing is 8-8 in overtime games and 74-9 when holding teams to 63 points or less. 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 is tied with Bill Hodges and Royce Waltman for most victories over a nationally-ranked team (four) in the history of the program. Lansing is currently sixth on the Indiana State all-time coaching victories list and needs 10 more to tie John Longfellow for fifth.
Television Particulars
The Sycamores’ home opener against Missouri-St. Louis can be seen live world-wide on The Valley On ESPN3.
A Little History
Indiana State is currently in its 121st season of college basketball at the school. The Sycamores are 1,457-1,256 all-time on the hardwood.
Great Scott Over 20 Points In Both Games So Far This Season
Indiana State junior Brenton Scott paced the Sycamores with 28 points as he hit 10 shots from the field, including a trio of 3-pointers and was 5-of-6 from the free throw line in a narrow season opening loss at Northern Illinois. He came back with 25 more points to lead the way in the 80-74 overtime victory at Ball State. Scott scored nine Sycamore points in a row during a stretch early in the second half as part of a run that turned what was as big as a 12 point deficit earlier into a 47-42 Sycamore lead with 11 minutes remaining. Scott was also key as he helped the Sycamores erase a seven point lead for the Huskies in the final 37 seconds as he hit a 3-pointer in transition at the buzzer to tie the game at 72 and send it into overtime. Scott had a run of seven consecutive points against the Cardinals and a key bucket to keep pace with Ball State in the final minute of regulation.
Oh So Close! Everett Clemons Nearly Posts Triple-Double At Ball State
Indiana State senior guard Everett Clemons scored 11 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to record the Sycamores’ first double-double of the season. But as he also posted a career-best nine assists (of the team’s 13) he narrowly missed his first career triple-double and the first by a Sycamores since Jake Odum did it in the 2011 Old Spice Classic (now Advocare Invitational). There have been just two triple-doubles in the MVC era of Sycamore Basketball with Odum owning one as well as Larry Bird in 1979.
Freshman Jordan Barnes Makes Spectacular Debut
Indiana State freshman Jordan Barnes made quite an impression in his collegiate debut as he hit a pair of 3-pointers and was a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line en route to scoring 14 points on the road at Northern Illinois. He added five rebounds, one assist and one steal. Barnes helped erase the Sycamores’ seven point deficit late at Northern Illinois by making all four of his free throws and then had a driving lay-up with nine seconds remaining to trim the lead down to 71-69. Barnes found an open Brenton Scott on the first possession of overtime which staked the Sycamores to an early extra time advantage. Barnes scored his first collegiate points with a 3-pointer late in the first half which helped keep the Sycamores within striking distance of the Huskies.
Scott’s 3-Point Shooting Moving Up ISU Career Ranks
Indiana State junior Brenton Scott is continuing to make his mark on the Sycamore Basketball Record Book in regards to 3-point shooting and points scored. Through 65 career games he has hit 140 3-pointers which ranks sixth-best all-time and is just nine behind Chad Adkins (1996-99) for fifth place. He has attempted 355 3-pointers in his career which ranks seventh and needs only eight more attempts to move past Travis Inman (1988-92) for sixth place.
Old Rivalry Renewed With Ball State Tuesday Night
Indiana State played one of its oldest rivals on Tuesday, November 15 as they traveled to Muncie, Ind., to take on Ball State. The Cardinals are one of six programs in which the Sycamores have played at least 100 times. With Tuesday’s 80-74 overtime victory, ISU leads the all-time series by a 73-58 count, and has won 24 times on the road (including twice in Worthen Arena). The Sycamores have now won five of the last six in the series including twice on the road in the last three attempts.
Brenton Scott Named To Preseason All-MVC First Team
Indiana State junior Brenton Scott was named to the Preseason All-MVC First Team as announced by the league office on October 25. Scott, who is the only returning first or second team all-conference selection from last season, picked up his first ever all-conference honor last year after being named The Valley’s Freshman Of The Year in 2015. The Sycamores have had at least one all-conference selection in each of the last nine years which is the third-longest active streak among the current membership of the MVC.
Sycamores Picked To Finish Sixth In Missouri Valley Conference Race
Indiana State was picked to finish sixth in the Missouri Valley Conference according to a preseason poll of league head coaches, sports information directors and a media panel. Defending league champion Wichita State was also picked to win the league. The Sycamores are coming a 15-17 record last year and a sixth place finish in the MVC race. Indiana State reached the semifinals of Arch Madness of the fourth time in the last six years last season.
Brandon Murphy An MVC Scholar-Athlete Selection
Indiana State sophomore Brandon Murphy carries a 3.25 GPA in Communications and was named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete Team as an honorable mention selection. Murphy averaged 4.9 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. In MVC contests, Murphy averaged 5.3 rebounds per game to rank 12th in the league. He pulled down 2.0 offensive rebounds per game to rank third while his 2.4 offensive rebounds per MVC game was second in the conference rankings. Murphy posted his first career double figure scoring output with 10 points in a home court victory over Wyoming. He tallied a career-high 12 rebounds in an overtime contest at Missouri State.
63 Is The Magic Number
The Sycamores win by the score of 65-57 on March 4 vs. Illinois State was ISU’s 10th last season in which they held an opponent to 63 points or less and earned the victory. Under seventh-year head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 74-9 when allowing less than 63 points to the opposition (including a 17-0 mark when holding teams to 53 or less).
Good Starter On The Battery
Indiana State’s starting five outscored the opposition’s top five in 16 games last season. Under seventh-year head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 70-21 when the ISU starting five scores more than their opponent’s starters after doing so in the win over Bradley last year.
Sycamores Have Had Success In Bounce Back Games Under Head Coach Greg Lansing
In the last seven seasons, the Sycamores have been known as a team with the ability to bounce back from defeat. Since the 2010-11 campaign, the Sycamores are 50-37 in a game which follows a loss. Indiana State last rebounded from a loss at Northern Illinois to down Ball State by the score of 80-74 in overtime on November 15.
Sycamores Own Third-Best Record In MVC Play Over Last Six Seasons
In the last six seasons under the direction of head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores have amassed a total of 60 Missouri Valley Conference victories. Those 60 MVC wins by coach Lansing are second-most in the history of the program as he trails only Royce Waltman who won 69 league games during his tenure. Additionally, the 60 MVC victories for the Sycamores since the 2010-11 campaign ranks third-best among current conference members. Wichita State’s 93 leads the league while Indiana State has 60 and Northern Iowa is second with 67. The next closest program behind the Sycamores in Evansville which owns 55 victories while Illinois State owns 53.
Greg Lansing Selected For Induction 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.
Sycamore Success Against “Power 6” Teams Under Greg Lansing
With its 83-70 victory over Notre Dame two years ago, the Sycamores have won back-to-back games against the Atlantic Coast Conference as ISU downed Miami (Fla.) on December 25, 2012 as part of the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Classic. Under fifth-year head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 5-7 against teams from “Power 6” Conferences, and all 12 of those contests have either come on the road or on a neutral court.
Sycamore Success Inside Hulman Center Under Greg Lansing
The Sycamores are 63-22 (.741) inside Hulman Center under sixth-year head coach Greg Lansing. The Sycamores have won 53 of their last 71 home games. Additionally, the Sycamores have won 41 of their last 54 MVC games at home. The Sycamores were 10-4 at home last season. Indiana State owns a win in their last meeting with every MVC opponent at home with the exception of Wichita State and Southern Illinois. The longest stretch of consecutive home victories is against Illinois State which has now reached nine.
Up Next
Indiana State travels to Orlando, Fla., and Walt Disney World for the 2016 Advocare Invitational next week as they open with Iowa State on Thanksgiving Day at 12:30 p.m. (ET). The game will nationally televised on ESPN2 and world-wide on the WatchESPN app.
