Live Audio I Game Notes (.pdf)

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Just more than 48 hours removed from Saturday's game with Eastern Kentucky, the IUPUI basketball team will be back in action to tip-off the Gotham Classic on Monday evening (Dec. 15) when the Jaguars face Howard University (5-6) inside Burr Gymnasium at 6:00 p.m.. Monday's game can be heard on WNDE 1260 AM and iHeartRadio as Will Flemming (pxp) will be on the call.

IUPUI (2-7) comes in looking to snap a five-game skid on Monday. Ragged starts to the second half have plagued IUPUI of late as Xavier outscored the Jaguars 24-4 after intermission last Tuesday and EKU used a 27-7 blitz to bury the Jags on Saturday. Junior Mason Archie, II had one of his best games of the season with a team-high 12 points and career-high seven assists, but it wasn't enough as EKU captured a 73-64 victory. Freshman Aaron Brennan added 11 points and three assists in his seventh straight start on Saturday.

IUPUI will meet Howard for the first-time in school history on Monday, kicking off the four-game Gotham Classic. The tournament will continue when the Jaguars host South Alabama on Saturday, Dec. 20 inside Indiana Farmers Coliseum before playing true road games at Richmond (Dec. 23) and Pepperdine (Dec. 27).

QUICK HITTERS
- A win today would snap the Jaguars' season-long five-game losing skid and move IUPUI's record to 2-4 in true road games.
- Tonight's game opens IUPUI's participation in this year's Gotham Classic - a tournament that will see the Jaguars travel more than 6,500 miles over a 12-day stretch. All total, IUPUI will play three road games and host South Alabama on Dec. 20 in the four-game event.
- IUPUI has had nine different leading scorers this year (includes ties) through nine games. Marcellus Barksdale (three times), Leo Svete and Mason Archie (twice) are the only Jags to have led the team in scoring in more than one game.
- Nearly 46 percent of IUPUI's points have come from the bench this season, including a season-high 44-point effort at Purdue. All total, IUPUI has 11 players averaging between 2-10 points per game.
- Tonight's game is the first-ever meeting between Howard and IUPUI on the hardwood.
-This marks the 43rd season of IUPUI basketball, beginning with the 1972 campaign.
- IUPUI will play every home game at the Indiana Farmers 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
Eastern Kentucky 73, IUPUI 64 - Dec. 13 - Indiana Farmers Coliseum
SLOW START TO SECOND HALF... AGAIN
At Xavier last Tuesday, the Musketeers used a 24-4 burst to start the second half to race past the Jaguars. Against Eastern Kentucky on Saturday, it was the Colonels' 27-7 run early in the second half that ended up burying the Jaguars.
IUPUI played the entire second half without junior point guard P.J. Boutte, who was ejected for a flagrant two foul with just more than four minutes left in the first half.

TURNOVERS, POINT OFF
For the fifth straight game and sixth time this season, IUPUI yielded 20 points off turnovers in the loss to Eastern Kentucky. EKU tallied 26 points off 19 IUPUI turnovers and outscored the Jaguars 26-16 off miscues.

CALL HIM MASE
Junior Mason Archie, II had one of his best games of the season on Saturday, finishing with a team-high 12 points and career-high seven assists. Archie had just five assists all season long before handing out seven assists against EKU.

SEASON-HIGH IN...
IUPUI had a season-high four dunks against Eastern Kentucky on Saturday, including two from senior DavRon Williams. In addition, freshmen Aaron Brennan and D.J. McCall also had dunks in the loss. IUPUI also matched its season-high with 14 steals on Saturday.

49 PERCENT
IUPUI matched its season-best, hitting 49 percent from the floor against EKU. The Jags shot 54.5 percent in the first half, making 12-of-22 shots before the break.

UNCOMMON BALANCE
Eleven different IUPUI players are averaging between two and 10 points per game through nine games, led by Marcellus Barksdale's 9.8 points per game. IUPUI has already had nine different leading scorers (including ties). P.J. Boutte, Marcellus Barksdale, Leo Svete, D.J. McCall, DavRon Williams, Jalen McCallum, Elijah Ray, Mason Archie and Aaron Brennan have each led the squad in scoring in a game thus far.
IUPUI has nine players averaging at least 15 minutes per game as well.

LOW LEADER
Barksdale's 9.8 points per game scoring average would easily be the lowest total to lead the Jaguars in a single-season in program history. The lowest scoring output to lead the Jaguars in a season is 12.4 points per game by Charles Price in 2001-02.

FREE MONEY
IUPUI ranks among the nation's top 50 in free throw shooting, coming in shooting 74.2 percent overall. Individually, D.J. McCall (13-of-14) and Aaron Brennan (11-of-14) pace the Jags, but don't have enough attempts to qualify for league leaders.

41 STRAIGHT
Junior Marcellus Barksdale has now started 41 straight games, dating back to the 2012-13 season opener. No other IUPUI player has started more than nine straight games. Barksdale and Mason Archie are the only two Jags to start every game this season.

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 better than 33 minutes per game, ranking among the league's top players. Barksdale leads the team in scoring (9.8 ppg), free throws made (19) and steals (19) and is second in rebounding (4.3 rpg) and assists (2.2 apg).

BENCH PRODUCTION
Through nine games, IUPUI's bench has scored 245 of the team's 556 points, equivalent to 44.1 percent of the team's scoring. The IUPUI bench has outscored the opposition in seven of the season's nine games.

WHISTLES UNKIND
Whistles have piled up on the Jaguars this season as IUPUI has been called for 212 fouls, while drawing just 162 fouls (5.6 foul differential/game). All total, IUPUI has been outscored 176-115 at the charity stripe (6.8 points per game). IUPUI has yielded 247 free throw attempts, while receiving just 155 freebies, a difference of more than 10 attempts per game.

FUTURE HOST
Good news piled up for Indianapolis and the IUPUI program in November 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.

The full IUPUI Game Notes can be seen by clicking here