Northern Iowa

[lostinamerica]

YTD: 0-0

Northern Iowa(-1') over Butler (1*)

I have no delusions when it comes to my basketball knowledge or aptitude at basketball handicapping. What I have is experience at wagering my own money, and occasionally a knack at spotting a good thing or a stinker, and then acting profitably, when the arena is the human drama of athletic competition.

There is a proportionate buzz of anticipation about this year?s Northern Iowa basketball team, and my sense of it is that the expectations have a solid foundation. I?m adopting a SIMPLE strategy of backing the Panthers until my judgment is proven wrong, or injuries take a toll, or the like.

I have to mention a few things that have sold me on this team going in. Coach McDermott impresses me as a good one at knowing how to utilize what he has and getting the most out of them. I think the newbies have fit in nicely with what the team has going. While a strong front line is without a true center and there are some murky questions at point guard, I think this team will find some answers. This is a veteran team that showed heart and hustle last year without really achieving their goals, and I haven?t caught a misstep in months when it comes to those in and around the program speaking with an attitude of quiet confidence and anticipation. And it wasn?t like I needed any convincing, but I did a double-take when I saw that last year?s team was 9-2 ATS to close out the season.

I won?t pretend to be able to pick my spots based on knowledge of what an opponent brings in terms of matchups and situational factors, which is when I would surely screw myself over. Things get off to an eye-popping start by being tagged as the favorite against a team that went deep in the NCAA tournament last year (to show what I don?t know, I ?guessed? that Butler would be favored by 6!). But the things I'm counting on with this team include being fairly adept at matching up with and causing problems for teams with various styles, and dealing well with hostile environments on the road. We?ll see.

GL

 

[Master Capper]

Excellent write-up very informing!!

 

[TDP]

I appreciate your honesty regarding capping basketball and especially your approach. Look forward to reading your future posts...GL TO YOU...

 

[lostinamerica]

YTD: 0-1 (-1.10*)

Northern Iowa(+10) over Iowa State

A big test in this outing after a big building block got away against Butler.

The "Waterloo Courier" had a great article on the game that never made their internet edition. Quickly, a couple of quotes were from UNI coach McDermott: "We got beat by a great program that refused to believe that they were in any danger of losing that game at any period of time. What I impressed on my guys in that lockerroom afterward is that's where we have to get. I think we're much closer than we've ever been."; and Butler Coach Lickliter "seemed almost embarrassed to slip away with a win": " We were very fortunate. I haven't said this very often, but it's a shame tonight. It's not a shame that we won, but it's a shame that there had to be somebody that came up on the other end. I think you're looking at a real classy program that's extremely well-coached, and one that I'm hoping will do a lot of celebrating this year. I am very impressed with Northern Iowa."

Adding a little "unofficial $$$" on UNI (+425ML) and Michigan(-2) over Butler.

GL

 

[lostinamerica]

YTD: 1-1 (-0.10*)

Northern Iowa(-6') over Louisiana Tech (1*)

The Panthers badly need a win and get an opportunity on the home court, so that's a good thing. Looking ahead, it may be that some tough losses to start the season will set up a different start to the second season when conference play opens at home against Evansville on 1/3/04. But that's a long way off, and while I am not likely to see any of their games except the televised game against Iowa, I suspect the 40+ turnovers in the last two games means they are still a work in progress when it comes to their murky questions at point guard.

GL

 

[lostinamerica]

YTD: 1-2 (-1.20*)

Furman(+13) over Northern Iowa (0.50*)

With the probable exception of the Butler game, Northern Iowa hasn't contolled the tempo at all in any of their games. Even their scoring spurts have had a rag-tag quality. I don't see why this is the game to change things around and thrash a team that has shown well. I'll just go lightly against the Panthers here (duck and cover on that foolishness), but I'm still looking for a strong showing from this team on the season.

GL

 

[lostinamerica]

YTD: 2-2 (-0.70*)

Iowa(-4' & -5) over Northern Iowa (1*)

The only reason I didn't fully commit to this play last night at -4' is because my Olympic account is the one that is fairly light right now, and I wanted to spread the action to some books with substantial cash balances.

This is about the line I would have expected if UNI was playing well - which they are not.

The only play in this little Northern Iowa endeavor I felt was being forced was laying 6' points against LaTech. Tonight's side feels like a very solid play.

UNI had better make it a battle for a while, but I've already noted the Panthers complete inability to control the tempo of play in any game this season, and in the end, too much Iowa is the call.
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WATERLOO COURIER (12/8/03):

Less than 100 miles of highway separates Iowa and Northern Iowa.

On the basketball court, the distance may be even wider.

The Panthers and Hawkeyes renew their men's basketball rivalry Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the UNI-Dome. According to head coach Greg McDermott, the two teams will walk on the floor from different directions.

"They're kind of at the opposite end of the spectrum from where we are right now," said UNI's leader.

The Panthers have built a 2-3 overall record while slugging through a challenging ? and frustrating ? stretch of games. They lost to Butler at the buzzer, dropped a tight game at Iowa State, beat Louisiana Tech on Matt Schneiderman's dramatic 3-point goal and then fell to Furman Saturday at the end of an ice-cold Saturday from the field.

Iowa, on the other hand, is unbeaten at 6-0 bidding for a Top-25 ranking. The Hawkeyes have a significant neutral court win over Louisville. Coach Steve Alford's team also showed it could come from behind Saturday when it edged Northern Illinois, 65-57, after trailing by 13 points in the second half of the Hawkeye Challenge title game.

Iowa puts a deeper, more balanced crew on the floor than the one that handed UNI a 63-54 defeat 12 months ago at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The return of senior forward Glen Worley has put another experienced player in the rotation. The Hawkeyes also are mentally tougher, according to McDermott,

"They play with a lot of confidence," he said. "I think they have settled on their rotation.

"We are going to have our hands full."

Saturday night, Brody Boyd kept his hands busy.

The senior guard made a career-high seven steals, a key factor in an Iowa defense that sparked the second-half rally.

Boyd also scored 10 points, while Jared Reiner had 12 of his 13 in the final 20 minutes.

Pierre Pierce produced 16 points to lead the Hawkeyes, and that's not a surprise. Pierce is averaging 16.3 per game, one of four players in double figures. Charles City graduate Greg Brunner scores 14 per game, followed by Reiner (11.7) and Boyd (11.5).

"Greg Brunner is playing outstanding right now," said McDermott. "I think everyone knows what Jared Reiner is capable of, and Jeff Horner does a great job of running the team. There are not a lot of weaknesses in their lineup right now. They have guys who can shoot it, they have an inside presence and they have depth."

For Northern Iowa, offense has been a three-man game. Schneiderman owns the best per-game average at 15.4, with Ben Jacobson (15.0) and David Gruber (11.4) are not far behind.

Beyond the leaders, though, the dropoff is steep. The next man on the scoring list tallies about six per game.

 

[lostinamerica]

Beautiful.

A run over the last four games is the only reason I made $50 rather than lost $100 with wagers on U.N.I. games this season, but then again, my daily capping efforts have always been far removed from the college hardwoods. But the money was there to be made.

http://desmoinesregister.com/sports/stories/c6902854/23694005.html

A tip of the cap to the Missouri Valley Conference Champions.

GL

 

[ego74]

great game last night. one of the best i've seen this season. congrats to northern iowa, hope they can put together a couple wins in the big dance!!!