Live Stats I Live Audio I Live Video I Game Notes (.pdf)

DES MOINES, Iowa - The IUPUI basketball team will seek a rare three-game winning streak when the Jaguars head west to take on Drake (0-3) at 8:05 p.m. Eastern inside Knapp Center on Tuesday night (Nov. 25). IUPUI (2-2) is coming off thrilling wins over Milwaukee and Ball State to climb to .500 for the first time since the start of the 2011-12 season. The Jaguars haven't won three straight games since December of last season when the Jaguars picked off Bradley, NC Central and Cincinnati Christian in succession. 

Tuesday's game can be heard on WNDE 1260 AM as Morgan Adcock (pxp) is on the call. The contest against Drake is a return game from the meeting of the two schools in Indianapolis last season. A year ago, Drake defeated IUPUI 75-53 in the Jungle to knot the series at 1-1 between the two programs. 

QUICK HITTERS
- A win at Drake will give IUPUI its first three-game winning streak since December of last season when the Jaguars defeated Bradley, NC Central and Cincinnati Christian.  
- Nearly half of IUPUI's points have come from the bench this season, including a 44-point effort at Purdue earlier this season. All total, IUPUI has nine players averaging between 4-10 points per game with only P.J. Boutte (10.0 ppg) averaging double-digits. 
- IUPUI is 1-1 all-time against Drake with both teams owning road wins in the series. This game is a return from last year's meeting in Indianapolis. 
- Boutte leads The Summit in assists (5.8 apg), steals (2.8) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.88).  
- This marks the 43rd season of IUPUI basketball, beginning with the 1972 campaign.
- IUPUI will play every home game at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum this season in year one of a five-year pact. IUPUI last played home games at the Coliseum from 1975-79. The building was home to the Indiana Pacers from 1967-74.  
- More than half of IUPUI's 13-man roster is newcomers this year. All total, the Jaguars welcome seven new faces this year with four Division I transfers and three true freshmen.  

FIVE COUNT - QUICK TIDBITS FROM THE LAST GAME
IUPUI 71, Ball State 69 (ot) - Nov. 22, 2014 - Indianapolis (Fairgrounds Coliseum)
BUZZER BEATER
    Junior point guard P.J Boutte had two chances to drop in a game-winner against Ball State on Saturday - fortunately, the second one went down. The Detroit-transfer misfired on a runner at the end of regulation, but atoned by dropping in a 15-footer as time expired in overtime. The game-winner capped a career-high 16-point effort for the 5-foot-9 guard. 

NOT TO BE OVERLOOKED...
    Two other IUPUI newcomers had their best games of the season as Mason Archie, II scored 13 points (5-11 FG, 2-5 3's) and Aaron Brennan pumped in 14 (7-9 FG) in the second half. Brennan played a season-high 30 minutes in his second career start. 

TURNOVERS OFFSET FREE THROWS
    IUPUI scored 26 points off 25 Ball State turnovers, helping offset a 28-9 scoring discrepancy at the free throw line. IUPUI was called for 27 fouls, leading to 35 BSU freebies. Conversely, IUPUI made just 9-of-12 (75 percent) free throws. IUPUI turned in a season-high 12 steals, including three each from Brennan and Boutte. 

TWO GAMES, TWO OT'S
    IUPUI has played two games inside the newly renovated Fairgrounds Coliseum, going to overtime on both occasions. The Jaguars are 1-1 thus far in their new home. 

40+
    Junior Marcellus Barksdale played more than 40 minutes for the first time in his college career, netting a game-high 42 minutes on Saturday. Barksdale's steady hand finished with nine points, six boards, five assists and two steals in the win.

CHASING .500
    A win today would get IUPUI above .500 for the first time since the Jaguars opened the 2012-13 season at 2-1 through three games. That year, IUPUI opened with wins over Utah Valley and Bowling Green and dropped a road contests at Michigan. 

BALANCING ACT
    Nine different IUPUI players are averaging between four and 10 points through four games, led by P.J. Boutte's 10.0 points per game. Through four games, IUPUI has already had five different leading scorers (including ties). Boutte, Marcellus Barksdale, Leo Svete, D.J. McCall and DavRon Williams have each led the squad in scoring in a game thus far. 
    IUPUI's top nine are all averaging at least 16 minutes per game as well. 

MR. INDISPENSABLE
    While Gardner has shown a deep and versatile bench, the one constant for the Jaguars this season is junior guard Marcellus Barksdale. The 6-foot-5 veteran is playing 38 minutes per game, ranking ninth in the country in that category. Barksdale is second on the team in scoring (9.0 ppg), rebounding (4.3 rpg) and assists (2.5 apg).

HAPPY HOMECOMING
    Junior guard P.J. Boutte has been outstanding in his first four games back in Indy, averaging 10.0 points, 5.8 assists and 2.8 steals per game. Boutte has led the Jaguars in assists in each of the first four games and only turned the ball over eight times. On the flip side, defensively, he collected a team-high 11 steals.

BENCH PRODUCTION
    Through two games, IUPUI's bench has scored 131 of the team's 264 points, equivalent to 49.6 percent of the team's scoring.  

FREE MONEY
    Whistles have piled up on the Jaguars in the season's first three games as IUPUI has been called for 110 fouls, while drawing just 77 fouls. All total, IUPUI has been outscored 94-56 at the charity stripe (9.5 points per game). IUPUI has yielded 134 free throw attempts, while receiving just 74 freebies, a difference of 15 attempts per game.  

SHARP SHOOTING
    While perimeter shooting was expected to be an issue this season, it hasn't been the case for the Jaguars through four games. IUPUI has hit 35.5 percent from three-point range, led by D.J. McCall (3-of-3), Mason Archie (5-of-11) and Leo Svete (6-of-17). Eight different Jaguars have hit at least one triple already this year (nine Jags made at least one three in a game last season). 

FUTURE HOST
    Good news piled up for Indianapolis and the IUPUI program over the past couple weeks as Indy was awarded the 2021 Men's Final Four and 2017 First/Second Round games.
    IUPUI will co-host this year's Final Four at Lucas Oil Stadium, along side partners from the Horizon League and Indiana Sports Corp. In 2017, games will be played at Bankers Life Fieldhouse and the Men's Final Four returns to Indy and LOS in 2021.  

NEW LOOK
    IUPUI made a change at the top at the conclusion of last season, bringing former Indiana Mr. Basketball Jason Gardner to replace Todd Howard as Head Coach. 
    Gardner was on staff at Memphis after previously coaching at Loyola for two seasons. 
    Gardner retained two of the three-man signing class and added six newcomers, including five Division I transfers. Gardner also retained Matt Crenshaw from last year's coaching staff and later hired Jon-Michael Nickerson and Scott Gillespie to round out his coaching staff. Both Nickerson and Gillespie were graduate managers at Memphis during Gardner's year with the Tigers. 

NEW DIGS
    This year marks year one as the Jaguars re-open the Fairgrounds Coliseum, bringing basketball back to the historic facility. The venue will seat 6,800 for basketball and has been fully renovated, including distinctive branding, brand new concourses, a state-of-the art sound system and a center hung double ribbon scoreboard. 
    The Jaguars opened the building with a 79-66 overtime loss to Indiana State in front of a crowd of 3,159. 
 
BETWEEN THE LINES
    The Jaguars bring back six letterwinners from last year's team, most notably senior guard Khufu Najee and junior Marcellus Barksdale. 
    Najee earned Summit League All-Newcomer honors last season after averaging 10.8 points and shooting 47.4 percent overall in 14 league games. Meanwhile, Barksdale ranked among The Summit League leaders in rebounding (6.8 rpg), assists (117) and steals (35), while averaging a career-high 8.6 points per game. 
    The other four returners are all sophomores - Elijah Ray (5.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg), Justus Stanback (3.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg), Jalen McCallum (2.5 ppg) and Josh James (2.0 ppg, 68.0 FG%). 

PLAYING PERCENTAGES
    Below are the percentages returning of IUPUI's major statistical categories in 2014-15. 
    POINTS:     39.3% returns (836/2126)
    REBOUNDS:     48.3% returns (445/921)
    ASSISTS:     59.2% returns (197/333)
    MINUTES:     46.7% returns (3,003/6,425)
    3's MADE:     25.7% returns (36/140)
    BLOCKS:     37.8% returns (37/98)
    STEALS:     52.8% returns (85/161)

LEADING STATISTICS RETURNERS
    Below is a listing of IUPUI's top returners in selected statistical categories:
    PPG: Najee (9.9), Barksdale (8.6)
    RPG: Barksdale (6.8), Najee (2.7)
    MPG: Barksdale (33.6), Najee (33.0)
    Assists: Barksdale (117), Najee (62)
    Blocks: Barksdale (24), Najee/Stanback (6)
    Steals: Barksdale (35), Najee (29)
    3's Made: Najee (16), Barksdale/Ray (7)
    FT Made: Barksdale (103), Najee (61)

JAGS ON THE TUBE
    All but one of IUPUI's home games will be televised this season on Hometown Sports & News (HTSN / RTV6.2). Greg Rakestraw and IUPUI Hall of Famer Bob Lovell will be on the call and most games will be simulcast on ESPN3. 
    
BACK ON 1260
    For the fourth straight year, IUPUI games will be broadcast on WNDE 1260 AM and on the free iHeartRadio app, available on smartphones. 
    Nearly every game will be heard over the AM airwaves in Indianapolis while every broadcast will be on iHeartRadio.
    Veteran broadcaster Will Flemming will be on the call for the second straight season. 

SCHEDULE NOTES
    IUPUI will host 13 regular season home games this season, while also hitting the road to take on teams from the Big Ten (at Purdue; Nov. 16), BIG EAST (at Xavier; Dec. 9). The home slate includes games against Indiana State (Nov. 14), Ball State (Nov. 22), Georgia State (Nov. 29), Eastern Kentucky (Dec. 13) and South Alabama (Dec. 20). 
    The home slate marks some notable opponents with in-state games against ISU and Ball State. The Nov. 29 game with Georgia State marks the return of longtime Head Coach Ron Hunter, while EKU is coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance. The South Alabama also has an Indiana tie as the Jaguars are coached by former Butler standout Matthew Graves. 
    The game against Purdue marks the first-ever meeting between the Jaguars and Boilermakers. In doing so, the Jaguars will now have played all nine Division I in-state teams.
    Other road games include return games at Milwaukee (Nov. 19), Drake (Nov. 25), Evansville (Dec. 6) and 2014 NCAA Tournament participant North Carolina Central (Dec. 29).  
GOTHAM CLASSIC
    IUPUI will play four games as part of this year's Gotham Classic, sponsored by the Gazelle Group. Three of the four games will be true road games, in addition to the home game against South Alabama on Dec. 20. 
    The Classic will begin at Howard (Dec. 15) before the home game with South Alabama (Dec. 20). From there, IUPUI will play at Richmond (Dec. 23) and Pepperdine (Dec. 27). The Jaguars will then head back east to play at North Carolina Central (Dec. 29). 
    Including the game at NC Central, the Jaguars will travel more than 6,500 air miles during that five-game stretch, including a 2,250 mile trip from Malibu, Calif., to Durham, N.C..  

DI'S ELIGIBLE
    This year's roster includes three DI transfers who practiced with the team a season ago. Detroit-transfer P.J. Boutte leads that group, having played 66 games in two years for the Titans. 
    Boutte finished as the state's career leader in assists while at Indianapolis Howe High School and was the Indianapolis Student-Athlete of the Year in 2011. 
    Senior forward DavRon Williams played in 21 games (five starts) at North Carolina Central in 2012-13 before sitting out last season and Mason Archie, II played 26 games in two years at Davidson College before joining the Jaguars. 

CLEAR FOR TAKEOFF
    The IUPUI program got a double dose of good news during the month of October, learning that both Mason Archie, II and Leo Svete would be eligible at the start of the season. 
    Archie, a Davidson-transfer, didn't enroll at IUPUI until last spring, but the NCAA deemed it would be in his best interest to be immediately eligible at the start of the season, as opposed to waiting until second semester. Academically, Archie is on pace to graduate this spring, but has two years left of eligibility. 
    Svete, a Western Michigan-transfer, missed the past two years due to separate knee injuries, but was ruled immediately eligible by the NCAA. The 6-foot-5 guard missed his senior year of high school to an injury before then missing last year at WMU to a second mishap. Svete was cleared in October and will retain all four years of his playing eligibility. He was the first player to commit to the IUPUI program after Gardner took over. 

FRESHIES
    Two true freshmen were signed by the previous coaching staff, but are expected to play key roles for this year's squad. 
    Rookie forward Aaron Brennan was a three-year starter at nearby Guerin Catholic, where he finished as the program's 
all-time leader in points and rebounds. Brennan averaged 16.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.3 blocks per game, earning a spot on the Indy Star's Super Team Second Team.
    A second freshman, D.J. McCall was named to the prestigious Indiana All-Star Team after averaging 18.9 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game at Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran High School. The 6-foot-5 guard helped Concordia Lutheran to an IHSAA Class 3A state runner-up finish in 2013, including scoring 17 points in the state championship game. 
    A third true freshman, swingman John Hubler, was later added by the current staff. Hubler averaged 15.5 points per game, earning First Team All-District 3 honors a season ago. 

FOUR DOWN
    IUPUI practices should be intense this year with four Division I transfers sitting out, including a trio of Loyola-transfers. 
    The Jaguars have backcourt depth on the way in Darell Combs (Eastern Michigan) and Jordan Pickett (Loyola). Up front, former Loyola big men Matt O'Leary and Nick Osborne will also sit out this season. O'Leary and Osborne roomed together while at Loyola.
    Of the four, three played high school basketball in the Hoosier State and Combs prepped at Thornwood High School in Chicago. 
    Combs, a 6-foot-2 guard, averaged 7.5 points and 1.4 assists per game at Eastern Michigan. Combs made six starts for the Eagles and shot 32.7 percent from three-point range while scoring in double-digits 11 times. 
    Pickett, a 6-foot guard, was limited to just five games at Loyola last season, totaling four points and five assists for the season. 
    O'Leary, a 6-foot-8 forward, played in 61 games and made five starts in two years at Loyola. Last season, the Terre Haute-native averaged 4.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game while shooting 43.5 percent from the floor.   
    Osborne, a 6-foot-8 forward, played in 59 games and made 26 starts in two years at Loyola. The Muncie-native netted 5.4 points and 4.0 boards per game last season while shooting 50.4 percent from the field.

STAFF PRODUCTION
    Few coaching staffs can match the production of the IUPUI staff during their respective playing days. All total, IUPUI's four coaches combined to score 5,588 points in their four-year careers, led by Gardner's 1,984 points at Arizona. Gardner later had his No. 22 jersey retired at Arizona. 
    Scott Gillespie scored 1,871 points in his four years at Ripon College while Associate Head Coach Matt Crenshaw tallied 938 points in four seasons with the Jaguars. 
    Lastly, Jon-Michael Nickerson scored 795 points in his four-year career at Kennesaw State. Nickerson took a circuitous path to the hardwood, originally playing professional baseball after being drafted by the Florida Marlins in the 16th round of the 2003 MLB Amateur Draft. Nickerson played rookie and Single-A ball before retiring just prior to the 2006 season.