Historic Win & Building Momentum

Indiana State Has Best Start in 5 Years

(St. Louis, MO) – Indiana State earned an historic win and the Sycamores are building momentum for a late season run.  ISU started the season with four straight losses, but have won 14 of their next 18 games and are off to their best Missouri Valley Conference start in five years.

Greg Lansing’s team has won four straight games, including Wednesday’s historic win over Loyola. By holding the Ramblers to just 39 points, the Sycamores set a team record for fewest points allowed in Valley game.

ISU (14-8, 7-4) is tied for third place in the Valley race and Tribune-Star writer Todd Golden says the team has legitmate frontcourt players to go with their explosive perimeter players. During the 0-4 start Golden saw signs of an improving team.

 

 

Young Forward Talent Building Momentum

Freshman front court players Jake LaRavia and Trey Williams have made a huge difference in the Sycamore attack. LaRavia originally signed with Southern Illinois Edwardsville and when there was a coaching change there, he re-opened the recruiting process.

While LaRavia has contributed all season, his play has taken off during league play. The 6’8 forward leads all Valley players by grabbing 4.2 offensive rebounds per league contest and he is second to Northern Iowa’s Austin Phyfe in total rebounds.

Golden says the Indianapolis native has a multi-faceted game.

 

 

Despite being an inch shorter, Williams is more of a traditional center. Golden says the combination of LaRavia and Williams has given ISU their best front court duo in a long time.

 

 

Veteran Guards

Four veteran guards can terrorize Missouri Valley defensive efforts. Junior Tyreke Key is the league’s defending scoring leader, senior Jordan Barnes is equal parts scorer and distributor. Sophomore Cooper Neese is deadly from deep and senior Christian Williams is finally healthy enough to fulfill some of his great potential.

Key leads ISU with a 16.1 scoring average. Barnes, has adjusted his game to help the team succeed. The producer of the most productive single-season three-point shooting performance is now making sure others are do the scoring.

The four guards combine to make over 40% of their long distance attempts. Barnes will go down as one of ISU’s all-time great players. Heading into this weekend’s game at Illinois State Barnes is ninth on the all-time scoring list, third in three-pointers, tenth in assists, eleventh in steals and fifth in minutes played. The St. Louis native is the undisputed leader of this Indiana State team.

Golden says Barnes has set the tone.

 

 

For more on Barnes see our story Reshaping His Game

Lansing – Growing a Beard & Building Momentum

We’re yet to find out the reason behind coach Lansing’s beard, but we know the tenth-year coach is building momentum by maximizing his diversified offensive assets. ISU leads the league in blocked shots and is third in defensive shooting percentages (overall and from distance).

Golden joined our ‘Valley Hoops Insider Podcast‘. During that podcast the veteran writer gives us more insights into other reasons for ISU success. After an offseason where people began to wonder about Lansing’s status, Golden tells us why the program’s second winningest coach should be retained.

Indiana State begins a two-game road trip. They travel to Illinois State on Saturday and then to Bradley next week. No ISU team in the past four years has topped eight wins during league play. Even a split of their games played along Interstate 74 would prove ISU is still be building momentum.

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