SportsLine.com Report
March 16, 2000

Round 1: Texas too tall for Sycamores, 77-61

The Sycamores were within five points with nine minutes remaining, but couldn't get any closer, as Texas was too big for them -- even with the Longhorns' 7-foot center Chris Mihm on the bench in foul trouble.

Led by the 6-7 Gabe Muoneke and 6-8 Chris Owens, Texas outscored Indiana State 21-10 over the final 8:33 in Salt Lake City to put away a 77-61 first-round triumph.

"They concentrated more in the second half on getting it inside," Sycamores forward Matt Renn said. "They were huge down low."

The Sycamores, returning to Salt Lake City for their first NCAA Tournament game since Larry Bird led them to the 1979 title game, charged in the second half but couldn't cut the deficit below five.

"We had to come out from packing it in and give pressure to give us a chance to win," Indiana State coach Royce Waltman said. "But that opened it up inside, and they got easy baskets to put it away."

Point guard Michael Menser led a 14-2 run that cut Indiana State's 39-26 halftime deficit to 56-51 with 9:19 to play. Except for climbing within eight points two other times, the Sycamores would get no closer.

Menser led Indiana State with 22 points and Renn had 10. Green, the player of the year in the Missouri Valley Conference, was held to one point in the second half and five for the game -- nine below his season average.

How They Got There

Indiana State turned the corner on its rebuilding project by going 14-4 in the Missouri Valley Conference and winning the regular-season championship. But after a loss in the MVC tournament semifinals, it took an at-large bid to get the Sycamores into the 64-team field.

The crowning moment for Indiana State was a 63-60 victory over Indiana on the Hoosiers' home court in December. After a 2-4 start, the Sycamores never lost back-to-back games after mid-December.

In Terre Haute, it was more success than they've seen since Larry Bird took ISU to the NCAA championship game at the end of the 1978-79 season.

Starting Lineup

• PG Michael Menser (5-11, 160, Jr.): A scrappy defender who has had success against some of the MVC's best point guards. He really developed as outside threat, shooting 45.1 percent on 3-pointers during the season.
• SG Kelyn Block (6-2, 200, So.): One of the most improved players in the MVC, Block gave Indiana State a fourth double-digit scorer. Not much of a long-distance threat, but he knows how to get a shot by putting the ball on the floor.
• C Djibril Kante (6-7, 235, So.): Like most post players in the MVC, Kante isn't much of an offensive threat. Averaged less than five points a game. Junior Brian Giesen started in his place at MVC Tournament.
• SF Nate Green (6-5, 195, Sr.): Multi-dimensional player who coach Royce Waltman will use in a variety of roles. Averaged better than 14 points a game, and was among the MVC leaders in assists, steals and blocked shots. Would be the complete package with a better outside shot.
• PF Matt Renn (6-6, 205, Jr.): One of the underrated players in the MVC. Averaged about 11 points a game while leading Indiana State in rebounds with 7.3 a game. A little underused on a perimeter-oriented team.

Keys To Success

No secrets here: Indiana State likes to milk the shot clock and be patient with every offensive possession, then gets up and in your face defensively.

Junior Michael Menser looks like the point guard, but Nate Green will handle the ball more than anybody. At 6-5, he's a tough matchup when he gets into an offensive flow. Menser was one of the most dangerous 3-point shooters in the MVC. Sophomore Kelyn Block made a big jump to become a solid offensive threat and is capable of scoring off the dribble.

The Sycamores have an athletic forward in junior Matt Renn. When Renn is going good, so too is Indiana State.

The Coach

Royce Waltman had the right players returning, but it was still a matter of taking the Sycamores from a tie for fifth place to first. When he accomplished the feat, the prize was MVC coach of the year honors.

Waltman won nearly 200 games at DePauw and Indianapolis before taking over in Terre Haute. In three years with the Sycamores, he is 53-32.

The Bench

The Sycamores don't have a real impact player for substituting, but senior Abasi Thompson and Brian Giesen help lighten the load for the inside players. Nate Green, Michael Menser and Kelyn Block log most of the minutes in the backcourt.

Terence Avery made six starts while Matt Broermann played in 29 games.

Offense

Sycamores are very careful and calculating, but don't fall asleep -- with the exception of Menser, they like to attack the basket. ... Won seven games when they scored fewer than 60 points. ... Led MVC by averaging nearly four fewer turnovers a game than their opponents.

Defense

Limited opponents to 63.2 points in regular-season games, the best mark in the MVC. ... Green was the MVC defensive player of the year.