Indiana State Sycamores
Missouri Valley (18-14, 9-9)
Indiana State played a tough non-conference schedule, but came away with wins over Mississippi and Miami. They lost to teams like UCLA, New Mexico and San Diego State. However, the season started to go south in February when the grind of the always tough Missouri Valley Conference started to take its toll on Coach Greg Lansing’s squad.
Big Wins: 12/22 vs Mississippi (87-85), 12/25 vs Miami (57-55), 2/6 Creighton (76-57)
Bad Losses: 12/8 Morehead State (63-71), 1/12 at Southern Illinois (71-76), 2/12 at Missouri State (65-67)
Coach: Greg Lansing (3 seasons at Indiana State)
Why They Can Surprise:
The Sycamores have a star in 6-4 junior Jake Odum. Odum is averaging 13.8 points, 4.6 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals. He does just about everything for Indiana State and can win games pretty much on his own. But Odum does get some help from the frontcourt. Manny Arop, a 6-6 wing, and R.J. Mahurin, a versatile 6-8 power forward, are the two main scoring threats. Arop is a tough rebounder and an aggressive player, but will sometimes play a bit out of control. Mahurin is a bit more efficient and his ability to step outside and knock down the long ball will open up the defense. Justin Gant is the big body in the paint, although he too can effectively wander outside of the paint on the offensive end of the floor.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Odum and the frontcourt can get the job done. They may not be the most efficient bunch around, but Odum is clutch and Arop is a threat to put up a lot of points and rebounds despite the occasional turnover and poor shot selection. What this team lacks is another guard to help take the pressure off of Odum. Odum is a point guard, but it would also be helpful if he could spend some more time off of the ball and concentrate on scoring when needed. Dawon Cummings, a junior college transfer, is second on the team in assists, but is a long way back from Odum. Lucas Eitel can provide a much needed offensive spark off of the bench with his ability to hit the long ball and Khristian Smith will be in the mix as well. However, Coach Lansing has never really found that player to stay beside Odum and compliment his skill set.
Probable Starters:
Jake Odum, Junior, Guard, 13.8 ppg, 4.6 apg, 4.4 rpg
Dawson Cummings, Junior, Guard, 6.4 ppg, 1.7 apg
Manny Arop, Junior, Forward, 12.4 ppg, 5.2 rpg
R.J. Mahurin, Junior, Forward, 10.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg
Justin Gant, Sophomore, Center, 7.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Devonte Brown, Freshman, Guard, 3.8 ppg, 1.1 apg
Lucas Eitel, Junior, Guard, 4.1 ppg, 1.6 rpg
Jake Kitchell, Sophomore, Forward, 2.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg
Khristian Smith, Freshman, Guard, 5.1 ppg, 1.0 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 65.8 (217th in nation, 8th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 65.5 (145, 7)
Field-Goal Percentage: 43.0 (188, 9)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.6 (118, 3)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.7 (218, 7)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 32.4 (234, 7)
Free-Throw Percentage: 70.4 (140, 7)
Rebound Margin: -0.2 (189, 4)
Assists Per Game: 11.8 (245, 8)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.8 (132, 8)
Last Five Postseason Appearances:
2012 CIT First Round loss to Robert Morris
2011 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Syracuse
2010 CBI First Round loss to St. Louis
2001 NCAA Round of 64 win over Oklahoma
2001 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Gonzaga
2000 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Texas
*all team stats through 3/10
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
