Panthers look to defend

It could be said that the University of Northern Iowa men’s basketball team knows a thing or two about defense. It has allowed the second smallest amount of points per game (55.3) out of any National Collegiate Athletics Association Division I team in the nation. The team has defended its home court to an extent not reached by any other Panther squad since the early 1960s, completing a perfect 14-0 home record.

Come noon Friday, Panthers (25-4, 15-3 Missouri Valley Conference) will look to execute another form of defense in St. Louis, Mo. UNI enters the MVC Tournament as the title defender, coming off its second-ever MVC Tournament championship.

“We played three (MVC Tournament) games last year, and they may have been our best games (of the season),” said UNI head coach Ben Jacobson.

All five starters from last season’s “Arch Madness” championship team returned this year and have helped the Panthers achieve historic marks throughout the regular season. Besides achieving a perfect home record, UNI has set school records for overall and conference wins in a season, reached its highest national ranking, rode out the program’s longest win streak and earned its first outright MVC regular season title.

Chronicling the season, Jacobson has continually attributed the team’s success to its maturity.

“You know, it’s the same answer I give every time, but again I’ll tell you, it’s worked. These guys have done a great job of preparing,” Jacobson said. “They’ve been very consistent over the course of the season, and they’ve got a lot to stand on because of it.”

Tuesday, senior forward Adam Koch was named the Larry Bird MVC Player of the Year. While he is absent among the conference’s top 10 scorers, rebounders and blockers, Koch has provided crucial plays on numerous occasions.

“He has been extremely consistent, and because of that, he’s helped our team win a lot of games,” said Jacobson.

“I’m really appreciative to get (MVC Player of the Year), but it almost doesn’t seem right to have just one player from our team singled out and get the award,” said Koch. “When it comes down to winning individual awards, I think it reflects a lot on our teammates.”

Koch’s teammates earned some individual recognition as well. Four out of UNI’s five starters achieved all-conference honors, including senior Jordan Eglseder (second team), junior Kwadzo Ahelegbe (honorable mention) and senior Ali Farokhmanesh (honorable mention). Koch and Ahelegbe earned spots on the conference’s all-defensive team, while junior Lucas O’Rear won his second-straight Sixth-Man of the Year Award.

The Panthers might aside their individual aspirations, however, and continue to focus on fulfilling team goals that they set last fall. Although many of those marks have been reached, the team might still feel it has some unfinished business.

The champion of the MVC Tournament earns an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, and if the Panthers can defend their title, they will most likely qualify with a seed higher than any other UNI team in history.

But to get that automatic bid, the Panthers must piece together a three-game run against a competitive MVC field.

“We understand that other teams in the conference are so tough. We’ve had a lot of close games this year, some lost. We understand that this is a shot for everybody to play for a spot in the NCAA Tournament,” Koch said.

“I think as much as any year, this year, the teams that are playing on Thursday are either better or playing better than the teams that played on Thursday in the three years that I’ve been down there as our head coach,” said Jacobson.

UNI faces the winner of Thursday evening’s opening round match between the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds Drake University and Southern Illinois University Friday at noon. 

If the Panthers win their quarterfinal game, they will take on either Creighton University of Bradley University in the semifinals Saturday at 1:35 p.m.

Both the quarterfinals and semifinals will be broadcast on Cedar Falls Utilities. The championship game will take place Sunday at 1:05 p.m. and will be broadcast on CBS.

“The atmosphere down there is what I really look forward to, starting with our fans. Last year, I think we had somewhere in the neighborhood of 450 or so all-session tickets sold ahead of time, and this year, we’re just about to 1,000,” Jacobson said.