Game Day Central
Series: North Texas Leads 4-1
Radio: ESPN Radio 1130/1300 AM
Play-By-Play: Brian Fritz
Analyst: Matt Renn
Television: WTWO NBC Ch. 2
Play-By-Play: Jason Pensky
Analyst: Coach Jim Waugh
Internet: GoSycamores.com
Storylines
After opening the 2008-09 regular season on the road at Northern Illinois on Tuesday, Indiana State (0-1) returns home for its season opener today against North Texas (0-3). Tip off is set for 2 p.m. ET on Nellie and John Wooden Court at the Hulman Center.
The Sycamores had four players score in double figures and totaled 79 points in the season-opener against the Huskies, but NIU standouts Mike DiNunno and Darion Anderson scored 27 points each to lead the Huskies to an 86-79 win at the Convocation Center.
Junior Rashad Reed led the way for the Sycamores against the Huskies with 21 points, thanks to a 5-for-8 effort from three-point range. Sophomore Aaron Carter chipped in for 15 points and five rebounds for ISU while senior Jay Tunnell added 14 points and six rebounds. Junior Josh Crawford rounded out the balanced scoring effort for the Sycamores with 13 points to go along with seven rebounds and three blocked shots.
North Texas is coming off a 76-71 victory in over Sam Houston State on Thursday in Huntsville, Texas. The Mean Green picked up their second win of the season thanks in part to double-digit scoring performances from Josh White (19 points), George Odufuwa (15 points) and Dominique Johnson (16 points).
The win put an end to Sam Houston State’s 45-game non-conference home winning streak, which was the second-longest in the nation behind Duke’s streak at 58 straight wins.
North Texas is 4-1 all-time against the Sycamores. The Mean Green topped Indiana State, 78-69, thanks to Collin Dennis’ 20-point outing last year at the Super Pit in Denton, Texas. North Texas, who was a member of the Missouri Valley Conference from 1957-75, won in its only other trip to Terre Haute, a 79-72 victory over the Sycamores on Dec. 8, 1970.
About The Coaches
Kevin McKenna (Creighton ‘93) is in his second season as the head coach at Indiana State (15-16). In his first season with the Sycamores, McKenna led the team to its highest win total since the 2000-01 season and an impressive 12-2 record at home in the Hulman Center. McKenna came to Indiana State after after spending nine seasons as an assistant coach at Creighton, where he helped the Bluejays advance to four NCAA tournament appearances. From 2001-05, McKenna spent four years as the head coach (89-33) at NCAA Division II Nebraska-Omaha, where he guided the Mavericks to four consecutive 20-win seasons and three appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament.
Johnny Jones (Louisiana State ‘85) is in his eighth season as the head coach at North Texas (108-101). Last season, Jones led the Mean Green to their second straight 20-win season, which was only the sixth 20-win campaign in school history. During the 2006-07 season, he guided the Mean Green to a school-record 23 wins, including the program’s first-ever Sun Belt Conference title and its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 1988. Prior to taking over the reigns at North Texas, Jones spent time as an assistant coach at Alabama (2000-01), Memphis (1997-2000) and at his alma mater, LSU (1984-97).
Scouting The Mean Green
► North Texas is located in Denton, Texas, and has an enrollment of 34,268 students. The Mean Green are members of the Sun Belt Conference (West Division) and play their home games at the Super Pit (10,500).
► The Mean Green finished with an overall record of 20-11 in during the 2007-08 season. During conference play, UNT posted a 10-8 record which was good enough for third place in the Sun Belt West division. They eventually lost in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Tournament to Western Kentucky (70-84).
► North Texas returns two starters and eight letterwinners from last year’s team. Senior guard Collin Dennis (13.6 ppg) and sophomore guard Josh White (13.9 ppg) highlight the list of returnees.
► The Mean Green (2-1) are coming off of a 76-71 win at Sam Houston State. Before that win, the last non-conference opponent to beat the Bearkats in Bernard Johnson Coliseum was Texas A&M in Dec. of 1998. The 45-game streak was the second longest in the nation behind only Duke’s 58-straight non-conference home wins.
► Through three games, Josh White leads the way from North Texas with 18 points per game. Dominique Johnson and George Odufuwa are also averaging double figures in points with averages of 10.7 and 10.3, respectively.
Last Time Against The Mean Green
DENTON, Texas – The Indiana State men’s basketball team was looking to get back on the winning side of things on the road against North Texas. However, the Mean Green (3-0) had other ideas and stayed undefeated on the early season as they handed the Sycamores (1-2) a 78-69 loss in front of 2,531 at the Super Pit.
Indiana State was up early in the game, as sophomore Marico Stinson scored the first four points of the contest to put ISU up 4-0. The two teams then fought back and forth with two more ties before North Texas went on a 9-2 run to take a 23-16 advantage with 9:24 left in the half.
The Sycamores eventually cut the lead to three points at 23-20 on a Cole Holmstrom jumper before the Mean Green went on an 18-6 run to balloon the lead to 15 points at 41-26 with just over two minutes left on the clock. ISU would fight back to score the next five points, thanks to a layup from freshman Isiah Martin and a three-pointer from senior Todd McCoy to make the score 41-31 in favor of North Texas at the half.
The two teams traded baskets to begin the second half and the Sycamores cut the lead to single digits at eight points on a Harry Marshall jumper just under five minutes into the half. The Mean Green then took over and scored the next 10 points to widen the lead to 56-38 on a jumper by Josh White jumper that caused ISU head coach Kevin McKenna to call a timeout. Following the timeout, the Sycamores ripped off seven-straight points and cut the lead to 11 at 56-45 with 11:03 left in the game. However, ISU could not keep the momentum going and North Texas led by as much as 17 points at 72-55 with just 3:44 left in the game and held off a late Sycamore charge and held on for a 78-69 victory.
Success In Home Openers
The Sycamores suffered a season-opening loss at Northern Illinois on Tuesday, but tonight they will play their home opener and if history has anything to say about it the night could be a successful one. The Sycamores have won six-straight home openers at the Hulman Center, with the last loss coming during the 2001-02 season against Valparaiso. Last season, the Sycamores defeated Oakland City in their home opener by a score of 78-45 to give head coach Kevin McKenna his first win at Indiana State.
Protecting Their Home Floor
The Hulman Center was a tough place to play for visitors in head coach Kevin McKenna’s first season at Indiana State. The Sycamores compiled a 12-2 record at home and started the season 9-0 at home before losing to then No. 16-ranked Drake on Feb. 2. Opponents shot 29.1% from three-point range at the Hulman Center and ISU collected a +3.143 turnover margin at the Hulman Center.
Welcome To The Show
Several Sycamore rookies saw their first action in a Sycamore uniform at Northern Illinois on Tuesday. In all, six players made their debuts at Indiana State during the game while four players made their collegiate debuts: Keenan Barlow, Tyler Cutter, Jordan Printy, Carl Richard. Two of those newcomers, junior college transfers Rashad Reed and Josh Crawford, both scored in double figures with 21 and 13 points respectively.
Reed For Three
Sycamore fans may get used to hearing Rashad Reed’s name called a lot this year, especially with his prowess for shooting three-pointers. Reed was dialed in from long distance in the team’s season opener against Northern Illinois on Tuesday and made 5-of-8 three-point attempts to finish with a team-high 21 points. Not only did Reed shoot well against the Huskies, but he has shot well since taking the floor at ISU. Reed connected on 4-of-7 shots from behind the arc in the team’s fist exhibition game against Albion for 12 of his game-high 13 points and followed that up by shooting 3-for-5 from long distance for nine of his 14 points in the team’s second and final exhibition game against Division II St. Joseph’s College (Ind.).
An Impressive Debut For Crawford
At 6-11, junior transfer Josh Crawford will no doubt pose a problem for opposing defenses for Indiana State this season. On Tuesday, he gave the Huskies fits with his size and prowess in the paint, as he scored 13 points and pulled down a game-high seven rebounds against NIU. He also made his presence felt on the defensive end, as recorded three blocked shots while altering several others in 29 minutes of play in his debut with the Sycamores.
A Balanced Scoring Attack
The Sycamores have shown an ability to share in the scoring duties this season based on their performances in the team’s season opener on Tuesday at Northern Illinois and in the team’s two exhibition games. Against the Huskies, four players figured in double figures, led by Rashad Reed’s 21 points on 5-of-8 shooting from three-point range. In the team’s first game against Albion, five players scored in double figures led by Aaron Carter and Rashad Reed with 13 points each. The team followed that up with another strong scoring performance against St. Joseph’s (Ind.), with five more player chipping in with double-figure scoring efforts. This time, Jordan Printy led the way with 15 points, while Reed added 14 and Josh Crawford recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Martin And Richard Return Close To Home
For sophomore Isiah Martin and freshman Carl Richard, Tuesday night’s game at Northern Illinois was a bit of a homecoming. Both had successful prep careers in Chicago, with Martin playing at Morgan Park High School and Richard playing at Oak Lawn Richards High School. Richard averaged 15.9 points per game as a senior last season and helped lead his high school team to the IHSA Class 4A State Championship. Against the Huskies, Richard finished with seven points and six rebounds in 31 minutes of play while Martin added two points and two rebounds in 13 minutes of action.
Honoring A True Sycamore Legend
Prior to the start of lSU’s first exhibition game against Albion College, the floor at Hulman Center will officially be named the Nellie and John Wooden Court in honor of the legendary coach and his late wife, Nellie. Prior to achieving legendary success as the head coach at UCLA, Wooden began his collegiate coaching career and served two years as head men’s basketball coach, baseball coach and athletics director at Indiana State from 1946 to 1948. While earning his master’s degree at Indiana State, he compiled a 44-15 record as basketball coach while leading the Sycamores to post-season tournament appearances each year and two conference championships. In addition, coach Wooden will also be inducted into the Missouri Valley Conference Athletic Hall of Fame in March.
The Dream Season ... 30 Years Later
This season marks the 30th anniversary of Indiana State’s historic 1978-79 season that saw the Sycamores advance to the NCAA championship game. Led by consensus First-Team All-American and future NBA Hall of Famer Larry Bird, ISU compiled a 33-1 overall record, including a perfect 29-0 record during the regular season. ISU’s only loss of the season came in the championship game of the 1979 NCAA Tournament against Michigan State and Magic Johnson. Throughout the season, the current Sycamores will wear commemorative patches on their uniforms to celebrate the anniversary and will wear throwback 1978-79 jerseys in selected games during the season.
Get That Outta Here!
Albion College found it very hard to score points in the paint against the Sycamores in the exhibition opener, as the team had 11 of its shots blocked by ISU defenders. Sophomore Isiah Martin, who led the Missouri Valley Conference last season with 59 blocked shots as a freshman, collected six by himself to start the season strong. Freshman Koang Doluony added three swats of his own thanks to his wingspan of over seven feet while junior Josh Crawford and Carl Richard each added a block apiece.
Taking Advantage of Mistakes
Last season, the Sycamores forced an average of three more turnovers from their opponents than they gave up at home. Based on the team’s exhibition game against St. Joseph’s, that trend may continue for the Sycamores this season. ISU forced 25 SJC turnovers and turned those miscues into 41 of the team’s 93 points.
Pounding The Paint
Indiana State defeated St. Joseph’s by a score of 93-71 during exhibition play, thanks in part to a strong effort in the post by the Sycamores. ISU scored 32 of its 91 points in the paint against the Pumas. In addition, ISU dominated SJC on the boards by a margin of 40-28, with junior transfer Josh Crawford leading the way with 10 rebounds to go along with 11 points for the first double-double of his career at ISU.
Martin Tops In Blocks
During his freshman season, Isiah Martin surprised many people with his ability to block shots and change shots in the paint. Martin ranked first in the conference in total blocks (59) and blocks per game (1.9) last season while ranking 54th nationally in blocks per game (1.9). In addition, his 59 blocks set a new ISU freshman record and were the second-most in a single season at ISU by any player. To prove it wasn’t a fluke, Martin swatted six shots in the team’s exhibition opener against Albion College to start the season.
The Man Everyone Looks To
Indiana State fields one of its youngest teams in years in 2008, with forward Jay Tunnell serving as the team’s lone senior leader. Tunnell has played in 90 career games, with 84 starting assignments, while averaging nearly nine points and five rebounds per contest in his three seasons with the Sycamores. During his career, he’s recorded four double-double performances, including 14 double-digit scoring efforts during the 2007-08 season. In addition, Tunnel has scored 767 points in his career with the Sycamores which leaves him just 233 points shy of becoming the 31st player in school history with at least 1,000 career points.
Mahurin Signs On The Dotted Line
With just one senior on this year’s roster, Indiana State men’s basketball head coach Kevin McKenna needed to fill just one spot for next year’s team. He filled that spot with the addition of local star RJ Mahurin (Rockville, Ind./Rockville HS), who signed a National Letter of Intent with ISU to continue his education and basketball career. Mahurin, a 6-foot-8 forward, has scored 1,404 points in his career for the Rox and is just 118 points away from becoming the top scorer in school history heading into his senior season. During his junior season, Mahurin led the Rox to a sectional championship and a spot in the regional finals with a 23-4 overall record. He averaged 25.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.2 blocks per game, which earned him Honorable Mention All-State honors from the Associated Press and led to him being named the Tribune Star’s Wabash Valley Player of the Year. Mahurin was also named the team’s most valuable player and was an All-Wabash River Conference Selection.
Up Next For ISU ...
Indiana State will play its second home game of the season on Wednesday against Murray State on Nellie and John Wooden Court at Hulman Center. Tip off is set for 2 p.m. The match-up is a return game from last year’s ESPNU BracketBusters Series, in which the Sycamores came back from a 17-point deficit in the first half to earn a 79-62 win over the Racers. The win increased ISU’s winning streak to four games in a row at the time and evened their mark in BracketBuster play to 2-2 all time. The win also gave the Sycamores their second road win of the season and improved their 2008-09 record against non-conference opponents to 6-5 overall. Four Sycamores finished the game in double figures, with Harry Marshall leading the way with 16 points, 13 of which came in the second half. Jay Tunnell had a solid game with 15 points and seven rebounds, while Aaron Carter tied his career high with 14 points, all of which came in the first half. Marico Stinson rounded out the double-digit scoring for ISU with 12 points, including two makes from beyond the arc. Bruce Carter led all scorers with 21 points for Murray State, but it was not enough as the Racers suffered just their second loss of the season at home.
Courtesy: ISU Athletics
