SETTING THE STAGE
The Indiana State Sycamores play their final Missouri Valley Conference game on Saturday, February 27 as they host Bradley for Senior Day. The game is set for a 2:00 p.m. (ET) tip-off and can be heard locally on 95.9 FM The Duke as well as online via a link on GoSycamores.com. This game will be broadcast world-wide on The Valley On ESPN3. The Sycamores are 13-16 on the season and are 7-10 in MVC play. Saturday's contest will be the final home game for seniors Devonte Brown, Khristian Smith and Brandon Burnett. Bradley is 5-25 on the season and 3-14 in MVC play. They are led by freshman Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye who is averaging 9.4 points per game.
QUICK HITS
- Indiana State is 72-9 when holding teams to 63 points or less under sixth-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 34-19 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 13 more to tie John Longfellow for fifth on the ISU all-time victories list.
- Devonte Brown scored a career-high 27 points in the win at Drake. He set the school record for highest free throw percentage in a game with his 14-of-14 showing at Saint Louis. He is the league leader in both free throws made and attempted and ranks seventh nationally with 232 attempts as well as 10th nationally with 177 makes. He became the 37th member of the Indiana State 1,000 Point Club on January 27 versus Missouri State. Brown is in the Top 10 for both career free throws made and attempted at ISU.
- Sophomore Brenton Scott has 71 made 3-pointers this year which is tied for third in the ISU history books. He needs 20 more to tie Michael Menser (1999-00) for second. Additionally, Scott owns 130 trifectas in his career which is tied for seventh-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 228 this season with the Sycamores. He now has 1,035 career points scored during his three seasons with the two institutions.
- The Sycamores have enjoyed nine different winning streaks of at least four games under coach Lansing, including a four gamer in early January of 2016.
- 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 48-36 record in “bounce-back” games under sixth-year head coach Greg Lansing following a loss.
An Indiana State Win Over Bradley Would ...
• Give the Sycamores a 7-2 record at home during MVC play as well as a 10-4 mark overall.
• Give the Sycamores five victories in their last six meetings with the Braves.
• Be the Sycamores seventh win in a row over the Braves inside Hulman Center.
• Be the Sycamores' 60th MVC victory under sixth-year head coach Greg Lansing.
The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State head coach Greg Lansing (South Dakota, 1990) is 107-87 (.552) overall in his sixth season as a head coach. He is 59-48 all-time in MVC games, including a 40-13 mark at home and a 19-35 record on the road. During his career, he is 62-22 in all home games, 30-51 on the road, 15-14 in neutral court contests and 34-19 in games decided by five points or less. Lansing is 8-3 against Bradley and is 5-0 against the Braves at home. With the Trees, Lansing is 7-7 in overtime games and 72-9 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 13 more to tie John Longfellow for fifth.
Television Particulars
The Bradley game will be televised world-wide on The Valley On ESPN3.
A Little History
Indiana State is currently in its 120th season of college basketball at the school. The Sycamores are 1,454-1,254 all-time on the hardwood.
Sycamore Duo In League Only Scoring Top 5
In league games, Devonte Brown ranks third with an 16.5 ppg average while Brenton Scott is right behind him as he owns an 16.1 ppg mark in fourth place. During the MVC campaign, Brown has reached double figures scoring in 15 league games and Scott has done it in all but two. Devonte Brown has five 20-point scoring efforts and Scott also owns five including a 30-point outburst against Northern Iowa and a 28-point showing at Loyola on January 30.
Devonte Brown Ranked Highly Nationally In Free Throws Attempted & Made
Indiana State senior Devonte Brown was a perfect 14-of-14 at the free throw line in non-conference play at Saint Louis, which is a new Indiana State single-game record topping Jake Odum's previous best of 13-of-13 at Bradley in 2014. For the season, Brown is ranked 10th nationally with 177 free throw makes (fourth-best in a single season at ISU) and is seventh nationally with 232 free throw attempts (fifth-best in a single season at ISU). He leads the MVC in both categories. For his career, Brown has 411 made free throws to rank seventh on the ISU chart while his 595 free throw attempts ranks fifth-best.
Sycamores Have Had Success In Bounce Back Games Under Head Coach Greg Lansing
In the last six 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 48-36 in a game which follows a loss. Indiana State last rebounded from a loss at Loyola to down Drake by the score of 63-56 on last week. Following Wednesday's loss at Northern Iowa, the Sycamores will be looking to bounce back on Saturday afternoon against Bradley.
Everett Clemons Continues To Be A Rebounding Machine In Valley Play
Everett Clemons continues to make his mark on the glass as he ranks fourth in the MVC in conference games for rebounds per game with an 6.9 average. He tallied a career-best 16 rebounds from the point guard position at Southern Illinois on January 20. Clemons' 16 rebounds are the most in a single-game by a Sycamore since former All-MVC selection Matt Renn tallied 15 on his senior day against the Salukis in 2001. Overall, Clemons ranks fifth in the conference for rebounds per game with a 6.3 mark, which leads the team. He has had five double digit rebounding efforts over the course of the season, including three during MVC play.
Khristian Smith & Devonte Brown Climbing The ISU Career Scoring Chart
Through 127 career games, senior Khristian Smith continues his climb with the Indiana State Basketball Career with 1,151 points scored. He is currently 25th on the Sycamore scoring list and needs 17 to tie Jay Tunnell for 24th. Devonte Brown has also played in 127 career games and has amassed 1,125 career points. Brown ranks 26th on the ISU scoring list and trails Smith by 26 points. If Smith can score 18 more points and Brown can tally 43 more they both will finish inside the Top 25 all-time in scoring at ISU.
Devonte Brown Named MVC Player Of The Week
Devonte Brown had an impressive week for the Sycamores as he scored 26 points at Southern Illinois and then posted 24 more in the win over Evansville to earn his second career MVC Player of the Week Award. Brown averaged 25.0 points and 5.0 rebounds and hit 14-of-27 shots from the field (51.9 percent). He added a 3-of-5 from bonus distance with six assists. Brown opened the week by going 7-of-14 from the field (50 percent) and hit 12 free throws as he scored 26 points and tallied six rebounds at MVC second place Southern Illinois. He came back with 24 more points in the home win over Evansville as he hit 53.8 percent of his shots and was 3-of-4 from long distance to go with five rebounds and six assists. Brown scored the final nine points of the first half as the Sycamores used a 15-2 run over the final four and a half minutes to turn a one-point lead into a 45-31 halftime lead over the Purple Aces. He scored the Sycamores' first points of the second half to make it 11 points in a row and his 3-pointer with 9:22 on the clock opened up a 63-48 lead to answer a 7-0 Evansville run. Brown went on to score 15 points in Wednesday night's win over Missouri State to become the 37th member of the Indiana State Basketball 1,000 Point Club.
Sycamores Own Third-Best Record In MVC Play Over Last Five Seasons
In the last six seasons under the direction of head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores have amassed a total of 59 Missouri Valley Conference victories. Those 59 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 59 MVC victories for the Sycamores since the 2010-11 campaign ranks third-best among current conference members. Wichita State's 92 leads the league while Indiana State has 59 and Northern Iowa is second with 66. 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 has been selected for induction into the Iowa High School Athletic Association Basketball Hall of Fame as part of their 2016 class. Lansing and the other selected inductees will be honored individually at halftime of the Iowa Class 4A State Championship Game at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines on Saturday, 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 will be just the 10th father/son duo to both be inducted into the Hall of Fame since 1969.
63 Is The Magic Number
The Sycamores win by the score of 63-56 on February 2, 2016 vs. Drake was ISU's eighth this season in which they held an opponent to 63 points or less and earned the victory. Under sixth-year head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 72-9 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 has outscored the opposition's top five in 15 games so far this season. Under sixth-year head coach Greg Lansing, the Sycamores are 69-21 when the ISU starting five scores more than their opponent's starters after doing so in the win over Drake.
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 62-22 (.738) inside Hulman Center under sixth-year head coach Greg Lansing. The Sycamores have won 52 of their last 70 home games. Additionally, the Sycamores have won 40 of their last 53 MVC games at home. The Sycamores are 9-4 at home this 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 victories is against Illinois State which has now reached nine.
Jordan Barnes Inks National Letter Of Intent With Sycamore Basketball
On National Signing Day (November 11), the Indiana State Basketball program received a NLI from Jordan Barnes, a 5-11, 155 point guard from St. Louis, Mo., who is a senior at Christian Brothers College High School. He helped his team win Missouri's Division 5 State Championship in 2014. No stranger to the spotlight, Barnes connected on a double-clutch, 3-point buzzer-beat for the St. Louis Eagles, his AAU team last summer in a play which was featured on ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 plays. As a junior, Barnes averaged 15 points, six assists and two steals per game. He was rewarded for his outstanding play by being named a first team all-conference selection. In addition to his other offensive exploits, Barnes is a 48 percent shooter from 3-point range. Barnes played for head coach Justin Tatum at Christian Brothers.
Sycamores Record 25th 20-Plus Point Margin Of Victory In Their Valley History
While any win in the Missouri Valley Conference is tough to come by, a win by 20 or more points is even more rare for the Sycamores. Since Indiana State joined the league for the 1977-78 campaign, Indiana State has earned 25 victories by at least 20 points. The Sycamores' win by 21 points over Drake on Valentine's Day 2015 was its first over 20 points since a 2011 victory over Northern Iowa by 25 points. Indiana State added a 20-point win over Southern Illinois on February 21 for its second of the season. Indiana State's 65-44 victory in 1998 at Northern Iowa is the program's only road win by at least 20 points against a MVC opponent.
Up Next
The Sycamores will begin play in the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament on either Thursday or Friday (March 3 or 4) next week at the Scottrade Center in Saint Louis. The official bracket will be released on Sunday morning.
