Northern Iowa-Wichita State

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Northern Iowa: The Panthers won their three MVC road games by an average of 11.7 points.... Koch is again hurting teams at the free-throw line. He is 70 of 87, giving him more makes and more attempts than any other MVC player.... UNI is comfortable at Koch Arena. It has won four of its past five games in Wichita. The teams split two meetings last season.... The Panthers can match the 1963-64 for the best start in school history with a win.... Farokhmanesh made 4 of 5 three-pointers in the last season's 78-54 win in Cedar Falls. He went 0 for 3 in WSU's 69-61 win at Koch Arena.

Wichita State: Hannah has a streak of 40 straight free throws, best in WSU's history. He leads the nation in accuracy at 95.8 percent (46 of 48). Texas' J'Covan Brown (95.2) is second.... Hannah made 8 of 12 three-pointers in two games against the Panthers last season.... WSU will face a ranked team at home for the second time this season. It's the first time since 1991-92 (No. 18 Utah and No. 4 Kansas) that two ranked teams came to WSU in the same season. The Shockers defeated then-No. 16 Texas Tech 85-83 one month ago.... Marshall is hoping the officials allow a more physical game than they did on Saturday at Creighton. The Shockers were called for 25 fouls in the 57-56 loss. "We did foul some needlessly," Marshall said. "But I thought the whistles were a little quicker than they've been. You've got to adjust."

RPIs as of Monday: UNI 15, WSU 61.

 

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No. 20 Northern Iowa heads to Wichita
Northern Iowa brings No. 20 ranking, 15-game winning streak into matchup with WSU.


When the Wichita State basketball scout team needs to simulate a high-scoring guard ? no problem. There are plenty of Shockers who can make shots.

Monday, the Shockers prepared for No. 20 Northern Iowa. There isn't anybody on campus who can convincingly play the role of Jordan Eglseder, the 7-foot, 280-pound Panther center.

WSU coach Gregg Marshall pondered putting a manager on the shoulders of a coach. With that option not practical, Jerome Hamilton (6-5) and Mason Felter (6-7) did their best.

"We try to simulate as much as we can, but it's tough," WSU center J.T. Durley said. "He's a big space-eater."

Eglseder is one of many problems the Panthers (16-1, 7-0 Missouri Valley Conference) present. They moved into the top 25 on Monday on the strength of a school-record 15-game win streak. They lead the MVC by two games over WSU and already own wins at three of the toughest places in the conference ? Creighton, Southern Illinois and Illinois State. They bring a No. 15 power ranking, offering the Shockers (16-3, 5-2) a chance to tighten the MVC race and record a precious NCAA Tournament resume-builder in the same night.

"We both have a lot to play for," Marshall said.

So did every other MVC opponent this season. The Panthers, with their physical defense and patient offense, remove all sense of play-time from the game. Playing UNI is work, and there's very little fun about it. The Panthers held Illinois State to 44 points on its home court. They held Indiana State to 40 on Saturday. They allow teams to score an average of 54.9 points and held four Valley opponents to under 50 points.

"They make you take low-percentage shots and they want you take a rushed shot, so you can play more defense," WSU guard Graham Hatch said. "They trap off people who don't shoot it well, and it's worked for them really well."

UNI does it without gambling, pressing or blocking many shots. They make every shot a contested shot and use their strength and height to their advantage.

"They play the percentages," Marshall said. "They're very physical and very tough."

UNI's offense starts with Eglseder and forward Adam Koch, two difficult matchups for defenses.

Eglseder is averaging 12.6 points and 8.5 rebounds, up from 10.2 and 6.4 a season ago. He averages 21.4 minutes, more than any of his previous seasons. Coach Ben Jacobson said staying injury-free allowed Eglesder to get in better shape.

"He was healthy last spring, summer, fall," Jacobson said. "He's been able to work out that entire time. That's what he really missed the year before."

WSU big men will try to keep him from getting the ball close to the basket. If he can use his size to back the Shockers into the lane and catch the ball, he is tough to stop.

"I've got to limit his touches as much as I can," Durley said. "If I can keep him out of the paint, I think he struggles more, like all post players."

WSU is trying to bounce back from Saturday's loss at Creighton. After a loss to Pittsburgh, WSU won nine straight. After a loss at Illinois State, WSU won five straight.

"Other teams are trying to get to the top, and we want to get to the top," guard Toure Murry said. "I think this team loves pressure and we like the heat on us, because it makes us play better. If we beat Northern Iowa, we'll feel better about ourselves."

 

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UNI debuts at No. 20 in AP men's basketball poll


The Northern Iowa men?s basketball team entered this week?s Associated Press poll at No. 20 ? the highest ranking in school history.

The Panthers (16-1, 7-0 Missouri Valley Conference) were also No. 22 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll, released today.

It is just the second time Northern Iowa has been ranked.

The Panthers appeared in the AP poll twice in 2006, for a total of three weeks. Their stays in the top 25 ended with losses, first to Creighton and then Bradley. They visit Wichita State tomorrow night.

Texas survived its first week as the No. 1 team in the poll. The second won't be any easier.

The Longhorns (17-0) moved into the top spot for the first time in school history last week and they stayed there Monday, receiving 57 first-place votes from the 65-member national media panel. They won 90-83 at Iowa State in their first game in the top spot and then beat Texas A&M 72-67 in overtime in their first home game as a No. 1 team.

Texas headed to No. 10 Kansas State on Monday night, then plays at Connecticut on Saturday.

Kentucky (18-0), which was No. 1 on eight ballots, Kansas, Villanova and Syracuse remained second through fifth. Michigan State, Duke and Tennessee all moved up one place to sixth through eighth, respectively.

Pittsburgh, which moved into the Top 25 for the first time this season just two weeks ago and has started 5-0 in the Big East, jumped from 16th to ninth. Kansas State was 10th, its first appearance in the top 10 since being ninth in the final poll of the 1972-73 season.

West Virginia was 11th, followed by Georgetown, Purdue, BYU, Gonzaga, Temple, Clemson, Wisconsin, Georgia Tech and Northern Iowa, which is ranked for the second time in school history.

The last five were Ohio State, Mississippi, Mississippi State, North Carolina and Baylor. Ohio State and Mississippi State both returned to poll after being ranked earlier in the season.

The Tar Heels (12-6), who lost two games last week and three of four, dropped from 12th to No. 24, their first time below 13th in the poll since February 2006.

Northern Iowa (16-1) moved in on a 15-game winning streak that began following a loss to DePaul in the opening round of the Paradise Jam. The Panthers were ranked for three weeks in January and February 2006.

Ohio State (13-5) was out of the poll the last two weeks but returned following victories over Purdue and Wisconsin. The Buckeyes have won three of four since the return of Evan Turner, who missed six games after breaking bones in his back while dunking. They split the games he missed, so all but one of their losses have come when Turner was out.

Mississippi State (15-3) was 18th in the preseason Top 25 but was gone quickly following a season-opening loss to Rider. The Bulldogs have won 12 of their last 13 games, including their first three Southeastern Conference games.

UConn (11-6) dropped out from 15th following losses last week to Pittsburgh and Michigan that gave the Huskies their first three-game losing streak since closing 2006-07 with four straight defeats. They were 12th in the preseason poll and ranked as high as 10th this season.

Miami (15-3) moved into the poll for the first time this season at No. 23 last week. The Hurricanes didn't fare well as a ranked team, losing to Virginia Tech and Virginia.

Florida State (14-4) saw a three-week run in the rankings end after losing to North Carolina State last week. The Seminoles, who were 25th, followed that loss with a win over Virginia Tech.