CEDAR FALLS – UNI men’s basketball enters the second round of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) on the road for a second consecutive game as the Panthers visit the BYU Cougars this Saturday night at the Marriott Center in Provo.
The Panthers, fresh off an 80-68 win at Saint Louis on Wednesday, look to advance to the NIT quarterfinals for the first time in program history with a win. UNI’s offense would find a massive spark on Wednesday as the Panthers hit 16 three-point shots en route to a 12-point victory. The Panthers were also able to capitalize off 21 points scored off 13 Billiken turnovers.
AJ Green led UNI with a game-high 21 points at Saint Louis off of 5 made three-point baskets, passing Seth Tuttle (2011-15) for 4th on UNI’s all-time scoring list. Trae Berhow knocked down 6 shots from beyond the arc for an 18-point performance with a team-high 7 rebounds, while Noah Carter notched 19 points in the win with a game-high 5 assists. Bowen Born scored 8 points off the bench, as Nate Heise notched 7 points and Tyhwon Pickford posted 5 points.
BYU enters Saturday’s second round game following a 93-72 win over Long Beach State on Wednesday in Provo. Despite trailing for much of the night, the Cougars used a 21-0 run midway through the second half to pull away for the 19-point win. 5 Cougars scored in double-figures, led by a career-high 20 points from Caleb Lohner, with Gideon George posting 16 and 14 from Alex Barcello.
Barcello, who was named First Team All-WCC this season, leads BYU with 17.1 points per game while shooting 43.9% from beyond the three-point arc, the 5th best average in the nation. WCC All-Freshman selection Fousseyni Traore leads the Cougars with 8.5 rebounds a game, anchoring a BYU team that ranks in the top 25 nationally in rebounds per game. The Cougars finished 9-6 in conference play this season earning the 5-seed in the WCC Tournament, falling to San Francisco in the quarterfinal round.
Saturday’s matchup will be only the second meeting all-time between the Panthers and Cougars, and first in the postseason. UNI last met BYU in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic on Christmas Day in 2015 in Honolulu, where the Cougars edged UNI 84-76. BYU shared two of UNI’s opponents from this season, defeating Missouri State in Springfield on Dec. 4 by a score of 74-68, and against the Liberty Flames at the Diamond Head Classic, which saw the Cougars take third place in the tournament with an 80-75 win.
PANTHER NOTES
The winner of Saturday’s game will play the winner of SMU and Washington State in the NIT quarterfinals next Tuesday or Wednesday on the road.
UNI is 16-15 all-time in national postseason tournaments, including 2-1 in the NIT.
The Panthers have averaged 75.7 points per game on the road this season, shooting 46.3% from the field, and 83.6% from the free throw line.
UNI holds a 76-9 record under head coach Ben Jacobson when scoring 80 or more points. The Panthers are 10-2 this season when scoring 80+ points.
AJ Green holds the 7th best free throw percentage in the nation at 91.5% this season. His career percentage of 90% is currently on pace to set UNI’s program record and become the 2nd highest mark in Missouri Valley Conference history.
AJ Green is 7 three-point field goals away from passing Matt Bohannon (2012-16) as UNI’s all-time leader in made three-pointers. Green has made 262 career shots from beyond the arc.
AJ Green is 25 points from passing Ben Jacobson (2002-06) for 3rd on UNI’s career scoring list.
Bowen Born is 5 points from joining UNI’s 500 career point club.
UNI men’s basketball at BYU (NIT Tournament – Second Round)
8 p.m. CT | March 19
Provo, Utah | Marriott Center (19,000)
ESPN+ (Roxy Bernstein: Play-by-Play / Corey Williams: Analyst))
1540 KXEL: Panther Sports Radio Network (Gary Rima: Play-by-Play / Kevin Boyle: Analyst)
