CEDAR FALLS – With three home games remaining on the season, UNI men’s basketball returns home to the McLeod Center on Saturday afternoon as the Panthers face off against the Sycamores of Indiana State in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) action.
The Panthers look to snap a season-long 4-game losing streak following a difficult loss at Evansville on Wednesday, while the Sycamores have won 4 straight heading to Cedar Falls, rolling past Valparaiso earlier this week at home.
Meeting for the second time in two weeks, UNI looks to split the regular season series after falling to Indiana State 79-71 in Terre Haute back on Jan. 28 at the Hulman Center. The Panthers are 21-11 all-time against the Sycamores at home since the 1991-92 season.
UNI will wear their road black uniforms in recognition of Rising Coaches’ Equality and Inclusion Day, a nationwide campaign in college basketball to promote equality in the national conversation. Fans are also encouraged to wear black.
UNI men’s basketball vs. Indiana State
- 1 p.m. CT | Feb. 11, 2023
- Cedar Falls, Iowa | McLeod Center (6,650)
- ESPN3 (Brad Wells: Play-by-Play / Matt Schneiderman: Analyst)
- Panther Sports Radio Network (J.W. Cox: Play-by-Play
UNI PANTHERS
UNI struggled to contain Evansville’s three-point shooting and limit giveaways in its 71-59 loss to the Purple Aces on Wednesday. While the Panthers were able to force 7 Evansville fouls and shoot 42% from the field in the first half, UNI struggled to maintain possession with 11 turnovers.
While off to a slow shooting start, UNI held the Aces scoreless for the first seven and a half minutes of the second half as Evansville missed its first 11 shots of the period. The Panthers meanwhile were able to jump out to 10-0 run and cut their opponent’s lead down to 7 points with just over 13 minutes to play. Despite the defensive stops and effort to slow Evansville’s three-point shooting, turnovers continued to haunt the Panthers down the stretch as the Aces outscored UNI 11-3 in fast breaks in the second stanza. UNI was held to 39.3% shooting for the game while Evansville flourished offensively, hitting 50% of its shot attempts.
Tytan Anderson led the Panthers with 14 points and 12 rebounds for his MVC-leading tenth double-double of the season in the loss, while Landon Wolf scored 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc and 5 rebounds. James Betz finished the night with 10 points as Bowen Born scored 9 points with 3 assists.
Born has averaged 18.9 points per game in league play this season, and ranks fourth in the MVC in total points scored (463) and third in overall average (18.5 points per game).
Born’s 10 highest scoring games of his career have all come this season.
- 30 points at Drake (Feb. 1)
- 30 points vs. Northern Illinois (Nov. 26)
- 29 points vs. Evansville (Dec. 3)
- 27 points vs. Southern Illinois (Jan. 7)
- 27 points vs. Towson (Dec. 17)
- 27 points vs. Toledo (Dec. 6)
- 25 points at Illinois State (Dec. 31)
- 23 points vs. Missouri State (Dec. 28)
- 23 points vs. Murray State (Jan. 10)
- 22 points at Bradley (Nov. 30)
Anderson’s 10 double-doubles lead the MVC and rank 22nd most in the nation. He also leads the league in rebounds per game (9.3) and defensive rebounds per contest (7.08). Anderson’s league-best 233 total rebounds this season are 25th most in the country. The Eldridge, Iowa native entered the season averaging 1.9 points and 2.0 rebounds per game.
Seven freshmen in the MVC this season have scored 150+ points in their first season on the floor, including three Panthers in Michael Duax (248 points), Landon Wolf (184 points) and Trey Campbell (183 points).
Collectively, the Panthers lead the nation in points per game scored by in-state players, as Iowa-born players have accounted for 69 points a game.
The Panthers have averaged 15 personal fouls per game, second fewest in the MVC this year. As a result, UNI has also averaged 17.4 free throw attempts per game, third most in the conference.
Head coach Ben Jacobson can surpass former Creighton coach Dana Altman as the second-winningest coach in MVC history in conference only games with a victory. Both Jacobson and Altman have won 182 games in league play. Former Oklahoma State coach Henry P. Iba won 187 games against conference opponents from 1934-70.
Entering Saturday’s slate of games, 3 teams are tied for first place in the MVC standings at 11-4 (Drake, Southern Illinois and Bradley). The Panthers sit 3 games back of first place at 8-7, tied with Murray State.
INDIANA STATE SYCAMORES
Posting the MVC’s highest scoring offense at 78.8 points per game, the Sycamores shot the lights out in their previous game at Valparaiso on Wednesday, knocking down 17 three-point shots while also dominating in the rebounding battle. Courvoisier McCauley led Indiana State with 15 points, while true freshman Robbie Avila scored 14. Preseason Second Team All-MVC guard Cooper Neese scored 11 points in the win.
Seeking its sixth top-four finish in the league standings in the last 13 seasons, Indiana State posts the MVC’s top shooting unit, knocking down 47.9% of its shot attempts while also distributing the ball well with a league-best 15.9 assists per game.
McCauley, leads the Sycamores’ potent offensive attack with 16.5 points per game on 43.9% shooting, plus 5.8 rebounds per contest. Cameron Henry has notched 10.7 points this season, with Neese (10.5 PPG) and Avila (10.1 PPG) both averaging over 10 points a game. Julian Larry meanwhile leads Indiana State with 3.3 assists per contest.
Five Sycamores scored 10+ points in their last outing against the Panthers, led by 20 points from Xavier Bledson. Henry, Neese and Zach Hobbs each scored 14 points, while Avila scored 10.
