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College Basketball: UNI picked third in MVC preseason poll

CEDAR FALLS – UNI men’s basketball’s AJ Green is tabbed as this year’s Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year, and the team is picked third in the conference’s preseason poll.

The Panthers have landed in the top half of the league standings in 17 out of the last 18 years and received six first-place votes and 354 total points. This year’s squad returns nearly the entire roster from the previous season, including 2020 Larry Bird MVC Player of the Year honoree Green, who comes back from a season-ending injury.

In addition to Green’s first team preseason honors, teammate Austin Phyfe earned a spot on the MVC’s second team.

The Panthers won four of their final five games overall – including a 65-60 triumph over the Illinois State Redbirds in the opening round of Arch Madness – before their conference quarterfinal contest with the Drake Bulldogs was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols. Phyfe and Trae Berhow are among the league’s active scoring leaders, and Tywhon Pickford is the top active MVC player in rebounding.

MVC teams have combined to post a nonconference home record of 89-8 (.918) over the past two years, including a 34-2 record at home in non-league play last year. It’s believed to be the best two-year stretch in conference history.

For the first time on record, Drake has been picked as the preseason favor­ite in the MVC. Drake’s previous high ranking in a league preseason poll was in 1988-89, when the Bulldogs were picked to finish third that season.

MVC preseason poll:
Drake
Loyola
UNI
Missouri State
Southern Illinois
Bradley 
Valparaiso
Evansville 
Indiana State
Illinois State
Poll determined by panel of league sports information directors, media, coaches.

2021-22 MVC Preseason Teams
FIRST TEAM
AJ Green, UNI Jr. G 6-4 Cedar Falls, Iowa
Tyreke Key, Indiana State Sr. G 6-3 Celina, Tenn.
Isiaih Mosley, Missouri State Jr. G 6-5 Columbia, Mo.
Roman Penn, Drake Sr. G 6-0 Calumet City, Ill.
Gaige Prim, Missouri State Sr. F 6-9 Aurora, Colo.

SECOND TEAM
Marcus Domask, Southern Illinois Jr. F 6-6 Waupun, Wis.
ShanQuan Hemphill, Drake Sr. F 6-6 Gary, Ind.
Ben Krikke, Valparaiso Jr. F 6-9 Edmonton, Alberta
Austin Phyfe, UNI R-Jr. F 6-9 Waverly, Iowa
Lucas Williamson, Loyola Gr. G 6-4 Chicago, Ill.

THIRD TEAM
Shamar Givance, Evansville Sr. G 5-10 Toronto, Ontario
Ja’Shon Henry, Bradley Sr. F 6-6 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Lance Jones, Southern Illinois Jr. G 6-1 Evanston, Ill.
Rienk Mast, Bradley So. F 6-9 Groningen, Netherlands
Braden Norris, Loyola R-Jr. G 6-0 Hilliard, Ohio

Preseason Player of the Year: AJ Green, UNI

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