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OMAHA, Neb. - The IUPUI basketball team will conclude a six-day, two-game road trip on Sunday (Jan. 18) when the Jaguars take on Omaha (7-10, 1-4 Summit) at 2:00 p.m. Eastern inside Ralston Arena.That game can be heard on WNDE 1260 AM as Will Flemming (pxp) is on the call from courtside. IUPUI (6-12, 2-2) has alternated wins and losses over the past nine games, most recently dropping a 68-53 count at South Dakota State on Wednesday night (Jan. 14). 

IUPUI is seeking its first-ever win against the Mavs, coming into the contest at 0-4 all-time against Omaha. The Mavs swept last year's season series, including an 88-66 win in Omaha on Feb. 27. 

This year's group is already ahead of last year's pace, having matched the program's win total from a season ago (6) and doubling the number of Summit League wins under first-year Head Coach Jason Gardner. Since the start of league play, IUPUI is holding foes to just 40.7 percent from the floor while shooting nearly 44 percent at the offensive end. Junior Marcellus Barksdale (11.3 ppg) and seniors Khufu Najee (9.8 ppg) and DavRon Williams (8.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.8 bpg) have been the team's top performers in Summit League play. 

QUICK HITTERS
- IUPUI sits at .500 in league play for the first time since the start of the 2011-12 season when the Jags opened 2-2 before dropping seven straight.
- IUPUI has already matched last year's win total (6) and the program's league win total from the last two years combined (2).
- IUPUI comes in having lost four straight to Omaha and is 0-2 inside Ralston Arena. 
- In four league games, IUPUI is shooting better than 44 percent from the field, while holding foes to 40.7 percent. 
- Senior Khufu Najee became the 10th different Jaguar to lead the team in scoring this season with his 11 points at ORU. IUPUI has had 10 different players score in double-figures in a game and boasts eight players scoring between 4.8 and 9.1 points per game.
- Senior DavRon Williams has led IUPUI in rebounding in 11 of 18 games, including the last six outings.
- More than 45% of IUPUI's points have come from the bench this season, including a season-high 44-points at Purdue.    
- 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
South Dakota State 68, IUPUI 53 - Jan. 14 - Brookings, S.D. (Frost Arena)
SLOOOOOOOOOOOOW START
    IUPUI got off to an incredibly slow start at South Dakota State on Wednesday, going scoreless for the first nine-plus minutes as the Jacks built a 15-0 lead. The Jaguars missed their first 12 shots and turned it over four times in the opening nine minutes. IUPUI cut the lead to 30-20 by halftime and closed within three early in the second half, but never overtook the hosts in the 15-point defeat. 

RAY DAY
    Sophomore Elijah Ray finally broke the scoring drought with a three-point play opportunity at the 10:38 mark of the first half and finished the game with a season-high 12 points. The 6-foot-6 Ray hit 5-of-10 shots and grabbed three boards off the bench. 

WHISTLE BLOWERS
    IUPUI was on the wrong side of the whistle at SDSU, being called for 25 fouls while the Jacks were called for just 13. The foul different led to a 37-14 difference in free throw attempts and 28-8 disparity in makes.
    "I thought we reached and fouled them way too much and just didn't do a good job of moving our feet (defensively)," Head Coach Jason Gardner said. 

STREAKING
    IUPUI has now lost 10 straight to South Dakota State, including five straight at Frost Arena. 

KHUF IN DUBS
    Senior Khufu Najee showed he's continuing to round back into form after missing more than a month to an abdominal injury. The 6-foot-4 senior hit 5-of-10 shots, scoring 11 points to hit double-digits for just the second time this season. 

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PERSPECTIVE
    IUPUI has already matched the program's win total from each of the past two years (6) and the program's league win total from the last two seasons combined (2 - 1 each in 2013 & 2014). Bear in mind, three of IUPUI's six wins a season ago came against non-Division I competition. 

FOURTH GRAD
    IUPUI gained national publicity earlier this season, entering the season with three players having already completed their degree requirements (Marcellus Barksdale, Khufu Najee and DavRon Williams). That group grew to four at the end of December as fourth-year junior Mason Archie, II finished his undergraduate course work as the Indianapolis-product is now pursuing his Master's degree. 

UNCOMMON BALANCE
    Eight different IUPUI players are averaging between 4.8 and 9.1 points per game, led by Marcellus Barksdale's 9.1 scoring average. IUPUI has had 10 different leading scorers (including ties) with P.J. Boutte, Marcellus Barksdale, Leo Svete, D.J. McCall, Khufu Najee, DavRon Williams, Jalen McCallum, Elijah Ray, Mason Archie, II and Aaron Brennan have each led the squad at least once. 
    IUPUI has 10 players averaging double-digit minutes. 

LOW LEADER
    Barksdale's 9.1 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. 

HITTING 70
    IUPUI is 3-0 this season when scoring at least 70 points and 3-12 when failing to reach that number. 

SLIM WINS 
    IUPUI is 5-2 in games decided by five points or less this season and have won their six games by a combined 20 points. The Jaguars' largest margin of victory this season was the 71-65 victory over South Alabama on Dec. 20. 

SECOND SEASON
    Since the start of Summit League play, IUPUI has been better defensively and more efficient offensively. In four games, IUPUI is shooting nearly 44 percent from the floor while yielding just 40.7 percent overall.

FIRST HALVES
    IUPUI is allowing just 22.8 points per game in the first halves of Summit League games, having allowed 25 at Fort Wayne, 23 at ORU, 13 to Denver and 30 at SDSU. Opponents have shot just 31.2 percent (29-of-93) overall against the Jags in the first halves of Summit League games.   

KNOCK DOWN
    IUPUI is 6-3 this season when shooting a higher field goal percentage than its opponent and 0-9 when being outshot. The Jaguars have yet to hit 50 percent or better from the field in a game this season. 

AB LEADS THE WAY
    Since the start of league play, freshman Aaron Brennan is shooting a league-best 71.4 percent (10-of-14) from the floor. He's 10 percent higher than his closest competition (Kasperbauer-USD). 

50 STRAIGHT
    Junior Marcellus Barksdale has now started 50 straight games, dating back to the 2012-13 season opener. No other IUPUI player has started more than 14 straight games (Aaron Brennan). Barksdale is the only Jag to start every game this season. 

BENCHMARKS
    Marcellus Barksdale hit some career milestones at N.C. Central on Dec. 29, scoring his 500th career point and grabbing his 350th career rebound. 

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 32.4 minutes per game (6.5 more than his closest competitor), ranking among the league's top players. Barksdale leads the team in scoring (9.1 ppg), free throws made (55) and steals (35) and is second in rebounding (4.6 rpg) and assists (2.4 apg). Barksdale has already matched his steal total (35) from a season ago. 

BENCH PRODUCTION
    Through 18 games, IUPUI's bench has scored 478 of the team's 1,060 points, equivalent to 45 percent of the team's scoring. The IUPUI bench has outscored the opposition in 15 of the season's 18 games.

MR. REBOUND
    Senior DavRon Williams has earned his stripes on the glass this season, accounting for IUPUI's top six rebounding games of the year. Included among those six are three double-digit rebounding efforts, including a career-best 13 at N.C. Central.
    Williams has led IUPUI in rebounding in 11 of 18 games, including the Jaguars' last six.   

GRADE CHECK
    Seven members of the team posted a 3.0 GPA or better during the fall semester. Included in that group were Aaron Brennan, Josh James, D.J. McCall, Khufu Najee, Matt O'Leary, Nick Osborne and Justus Stanback. 

 
The full IUPUI Game Notes can be seen by clicking here