At this point in the basketball season, University of Northern Iowa head coach Ben Jacobson is happy that his Panthers are still playing, although he would prefer that tonight?s opponent wasn?t fellow Missouri Valley Conference member Bradley.
The Panthers (20-14) tangle with the Braves (18-16) at 7 p.m. in the McLeod Center in a quarterfinal-round matchup in the CollegeInsider.com tournament. UNI defeated Bradley 68-65 in Peoria, Ill., Feb. 10 after an 84-53 romp Jan. 12 at the McLeod Center.
?I would have preferred to not have a league opponent for another round or possibly two rounds if we were to win and advance, but with three Valley teams in the final eight, there was a chance this was going to happen,? Jacobson said Monday during UNI?s weekly coaches? luncheon.
Like the Panthers, the Braves are a little different team than they were early in the season or even six weeks ago.
?Will Egolf did not play in our first game. He played in our second game and played pretty well in that game, but is really playing well right now,? Jacobson noted. ?Egolf is their 6-9 power forward ... he makes 3-point shots, he?s scoring on the block, and Tyshon Pickett has continued to get better and better as the year has gone on, so their two inside guys are the most different from a month and a half ago until now.
?Then their three starting guards have been good all year ? (Dyricus Simms-Edwards, Walt Lemon Jr. and Jake Eastman). Lemon is a hard guy to keep out of the lane. He?s so fast with the basketball and does such a good job in transition. Then at their place, Simms-Edwards made a bunch of 3s in the second half. He really got rolling and we had a hard time stopping him. And Eastman?s always been a good player.
?They?re good.?
Transition defense will be a key tonight, Jacobson continued.
?I think the one thing that we?ve got to work hard to do is to keep them out of the lane. In transition and in the halfcourt, Simms-Edwards and Lemon do such a good job of getting the ball in the paint, and we?ve got to find a way to stay in front of them and keep them out of the lane.
?Then also with Pickett and Egolf, they score it well enough in the lane. We?ve really got to defend the paint. As Simms-Edwards showed, though, at their place, it isn?t like you can just stand back and put five guys in the lane because they can make shots and they can make 3-pointers.?
On another note, Jacobson said his NCAA Tournament bracket looks a lot like a game of tic-tac-toe.
?The guys in the office are all happy,? Jacobson noted. ?They got me. I had Gonzaga winning the whole thing, so my assistant coaches were celebrating (Sunday).?
The Panthers (20-14) tangle with the Braves (18-16) at 7 p.m. in the McLeod Center in a quarterfinal-round matchup in the CollegeInsider.com tournament. UNI defeated Bradley 68-65 in Peoria, Ill., Feb. 10 after an 84-53 romp Jan. 12 at the McLeod Center.
?I would have preferred to not have a league opponent for another round or possibly two rounds if we were to win and advance, but with three Valley teams in the final eight, there was a chance this was going to happen,? Jacobson said Monday during UNI?s weekly coaches? luncheon.
Like the Panthers, the Braves are a little different team than they were early in the season or even six weeks ago.
?Will Egolf did not play in our first game. He played in our second game and played pretty well in that game, but is really playing well right now,? Jacobson noted. ?Egolf is their 6-9 power forward ... he makes 3-point shots, he?s scoring on the block, and Tyshon Pickett has continued to get better and better as the year has gone on, so their two inside guys are the most different from a month and a half ago until now.
?Then their three starting guards have been good all year ? (Dyricus Simms-Edwards, Walt Lemon Jr. and Jake Eastman). Lemon is a hard guy to keep out of the lane. He?s so fast with the basketball and does such a good job in transition. Then at their place, Simms-Edwards made a bunch of 3s in the second half. He really got rolling and we had a hard time stopping him. And Eastman?s always been a good player.
?They?re good.?
Transition defense will be a key tonight, Jacobson continued.
?I think the one thing that we?ve got to work hard to do is to keep them out of the lane. In transition and in the halfcourt, Simms-Edwards and Lemon do such a good job of getting the ball in the paint, and we?ve got to find a way to stay in front of them and keep them out of the lane.
?Then also with Pickett and Egolf, they score it well enough in the lane. We?ve really got to defend the paint. As Simms-Edwards showed, though, at their place, it isn?t like you can just stand back and put five guys in the lane because they can make shots and they can make 3-pointers.?
On another note, Jacobson said his NCAA Tournament bracket looks a lot like a game of tic-tac-toe.
?The guys in the office are all happy,? Jacobson noted. ?They got me. I had Gonzaga winning the whole thing, so my assistant coaches were celebrating (Sunday).?
