CEDAR FALLS – Thanksgiving week basketball continues for the UNI men as the Panthers open the 2023 edition of the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis on Wednesday morning against No. 14 North Carolina on Paradise Island in the Bahamas.
Northern Iowa is making its third appearance in the 12-year history of the event and first since finishing as runner-up in 2017. The Panthers are 23-18 all-time in multi-team events (MTE’s) having previously won the 2010 iBN Las Vegas Classic, 2011 South Padre Island Tournament, the 2015 Cancun Challenge and the 2019 Cancun Challenge’s Riviera division.
Wednesday’s matchup with the Tar Heels will be the third between the two programs with the all-time series even at one win a piece ahead of the first neutral site game of the series. UNI notably grabbed its lone win over North Carolina back in November 2015 inside the McLeod Center as the Panthers stunned the top-ranked Tar Heels, 71-67. Northern Iowa also seeks its first win over an opponent from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) since defeating North Carolina State in the 2017 Battle 4 Atlantis.
The Panthers will play either Villanova or Texas Tech in their second game of the Battle 4 Atlantis on Thanksgiving Day, as well as Michigan, Stanford, Memphis or Arkansas on Friday. Tip times are to be announced based on results.
UNI has recorded 11 AP top-25 victories under head coach Ben Jacobson and 19 overall in program history. The Panthers last win over a ranked opponent came in November 2021 win a ten-point road win at No. 16 St. Bonaventure.
The Panthers look to bounce back in the Bahamas after a tough showing in a 74-65 loss at South Florida on Sunday afternoon. UNI grabbed an early lead but struggled to slow the Bulls’ during a 25-3 USF run in the first half while shooting just 25% from the field in the first period.
Panthers struggle in loss at South Florida • UNI’s defense struggled in the first half of its 74-65 loss at South Florida, allowing the Bulls to take the lead on a 25-3 run. • The Panthers shot just 25% in the opening period, but improved in the second stanza with 50% shooting. Jacob Hutson led all Panthers with 14 points with Michael Duax scoring 11 points. Tytan Anderson also tallied 11 points as Nate Heise recorded ten points.
Heise leads UNI in scoring through the first three games of the 2023-24 season with 14.3 points per game, as well as a team high 6.3 rebounds per game average. Anderson has notched 11.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per contest with Hutson posting a 11-point, 5.3 rebound per game average. A quartet of Panthers lead the way with five made three-point baskets each in Trey Campbell, Landon Wolf, Kyle Pock and Heise. Anderson leads all active Panthers having scored a point in 35 consecutive games.
UNI is 80-10 (.888) under head coach Ben Jacobson when scoring 80+ points, and have won 18 of its last 21 games when scoring 80 or more points.
With UNI’s next victory, Ben Jacobson can tie former Creighton and Saint Louis coach Eddie Hickey for second-place on the Missouri Valley Conference’s (MVC) all-time wins list with 337. Former Oklahoma State coach Henry P. Iba is the MVC’s all-time wins leader with 486.
NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS
Ranked 14th in the latest AP top-25 poll, the Tar Heels come to the Bahamas with a perfect 3-0 record, mostly recently scoring a 77-52 home win over UC Riverside in Chapel Hill. UNC was picked third in the ACC’s preseason poll behind longtime rival Duke and Miami (FL) with All-American forward Armando Bacot finishing second in voting for the ACC Preseason Player of the Year award. Bacot, who was a key piece of the Tar Heels’ last two NCAA Tournament teams including in the 2022 Final Four and national runner-up team, leads UNC with 22.7 points per game with nine rebounds per contest, leading North Carolina’s all-time list in rebounds and double-doubles. RJ Davis has notched 14.3 points per game while shooting 43.6% from the floor, with Harrison Ingram tallying 12 points per contest. Collectively, UNC is one of the least penalized teams in the country, averaging 10.7 fouls a game.
