CEDAR FALLS -- Conference contender or middle of the pack?
Starting tonight against Missouri Valley Conference co-leader Wichita State, the Northern Iowa men's basketball team will play four of its next five games in the friendly confines of the UNI-Dome.
A perfect homestand and the Panthers position themselves to make a run at the conference title in the final two-plus weeks of the regular season.
A stumble or two and coach Greg McDermott's team likely finds itself battling for a spot in the middle of the league standings.
UNI, which is in a stretch of four games in eight days, hosts Indiana State Wednesday then travels to Drake Saturday before returning home for Evansville and Southern Illinois next week.
"This stretch is going to shape our season," UNI head coach Greg McDermott said Sunday. "We have to protect our home floor. We've let one slip away, so it's of vital importance we don't lose another one.
"It's a lot easier said than done."
The Panthers (13-5, 4-3 MVC), coming off a frigid 33-percent shooting performance in a 71-65 loss to Bradley Saturday, trail Wichita State and SIU for the conference lead by two games.
Illinois State is a half-game ahead of UNI for third place after its overtime road win at Creighton Saturday.
"If we get our offense back, we should be OK," said junior Ben Jacobson. "I think we've got our toughness back on the defensive end right now, and hopefully we can continue to do that.
"We'll be in the Dome where the guys have shot the ball really well this year, so hopefully the guys will get their confidence back."
After surpassing 70 points in 11 of their first 13 games, the Panthers have failed to crack the 70-point plateau in the last five.
A lot of it stems from the familiarity each team has with its opponents in conference play.
Some of it, though, is UNI missing open looks. The Panthers have shot less than 35 percent in three of their last four halves.
"I don't feel it's a lack of good looks at the basket," McDermott said. "We're just in a little bit of slump right now shooting the basketball."
The Dome could cure those ills for a Panther team that hasn't lost consecutive games this season.
UNI has shot better than 50 percent from the field in seven of its eight home games.
The Panthers also have made 10 or more 3-pointers in two home outings -- Iowa State and Wagner.
"Hopefully, we can win all these games at home, get on a bit of roll, and then we'll have a little bit of a swagger going on the road," Jacobson said.
Scouting Wichita State
The Shockers are the only league team with three conference road wins, and they are tied for the conference lead at 6-1 after Saturday's home win against Southern Illinois.
The only road hiccup for coach Mark Turgeon's team was at Indiana State.
"You could argue they are as good of a team as we've played all year," McDermott said. "There's not a lot of weaknesses.
"They can defend, they can rebound, and they take care of the basketball. They have four guys in their lineup who have been in the system for a long time and have a thorough understanding of what coach Turgeon wants done."
Jamar Howard, Rob Kampman and Randy Burns are four-year starters, while 6-foot-10 center Paul Miller is in his third season as a starter. Kampman, 6-8, is a Forest City High School graduate.
More impressively, it's been the production of the Shockers' bench.
Sophomore Kyle Wilson is the team's second-leading scorer at a little more than 11 points per game, while freshmen PJ Couisnard and Sean Ogirri log significant minutes. Ogirri is shooting better than 40 percent from the 3-point line and is tallying more than eight points a game.
"Their depth is as good as anyone we've played, and it's because they've stayed with it consistently," McDermott said. "It was evident against Southern Illinois when Kampman and Miller didn't play as much and they went to a couple of freshmen.
"They're rolling right now, so hopefully we can find a way to slow them down."
Starting tonight against Missouri Valley Conference co-leader Wichita State, the Northern Iowa men's basketball team will play four of its next five games in the friendly confines of the UNI-Dome.
A perfect homestand and the Panthers position themselves to make a run at the conference title in the final two-plus weeks of the regular season.
A stumble or two and coach Greg McDermott's team likely finds itself battling for a spot in the middle of the league standings.
UNI, which is in a stretch of four games in eight days, hosts Indiana State Wednesday then travels to Drake Saturday before returning home for Evansville and Southern Illinois next week.
"This stretch is going to shape our season," UNI head coach Greg McDermott said Sunday. "We have to protect our home floor. We've let one slip away, so it's of vital importance we don't lose another one.
"It's a lot easier said than done."
The Panthers (13-5, 4-3 MVC), coming off a frigid 33-percent shooting performance in a 71-65 loss to Bradley Saturday, trail Wichita State and SIU for the conference lead by two games.
Illinois State is a half-game ahead of UNI for third place after its overtime road win at Creighton Saturday.
"If we get our offense back, we should be OK," said junior Ben Jacobson. "I think we've got our toughness back on the defensive end right now, and hopefully we can continue to do that.
"We'll be in the Dome where the guys have shot the ball really well this year, so hopefully the guys will get their confidence back."
After surpassing 70 points in 11 of their first 13 games, the Panthers have failed to crack the 70-point plateau in the last five.
A lot of it stems from the familiarity each team has with its opponents in conference play.
Some of it, though, is UNI missing open looks. The Panthers have shot less than 35 percent in three of their last four halves.
"I don't feel it's a lack of good looks at the basket," McDermott said. "We're just in a little bit of slump right now shooting the basketball."
The Dome could cure those ills for a Panther team that hasn't lost consecutive games this season.
UNI has shot better than 50 percent from the field in seven of its eight home games.
The Panthers also have made 10 or more 3-pointers in two home outings -- Iowa State and Wagner.
"Hopefully, we can win all these games at home, get on a bit of roll, and then we'll have a little bit of a swagger going on the road," Jacobson said.
Scouting Wichita State
The Shockers are the only league team with three conference road wins, and they are tied for the conference lead at 6-1 after Saturday's home win against Southern Illinois.
The only road hiccup for coach Mark Turgeon's team was at Indiana State.
"You could argue they are as good of a team as we've played all year," McDermott said. "There's not a lot of weaknesses.
"They can defend, they can rebound, and they take care of the basketball. They have four guys in their lineup who have been in the system for a long time and have a thorough understanding of what coach Turgeon wants done."
Jamar Howard, Rob Kampman and Randy Burns are four-year starters, while 6-foot-10 center Paul Miller is in his third season as a starter. Kampman, 6-8, is a Forest City High School graduate.
More impressively, it's been the production of the Shockers' bench.
Sophomore Kyle Wilson is the team's second-leading scorer at a little more than 11 points per game, while freshmen PJ Couisnard and Sean Ogirri log significant minutes. Ogirri is shooting better than 40 percent from the 3-point line and is tallying more than eight points a game.
"Their depth is as good as anyone we've played, and it's because they've stayed with it consistently," McDermott said. "It was evident against Southern Illinois when Kampman and Miller didn't play as much and they went to a couple of freshmen.
"They're rolling right now, so hopefully we can find a way to slow them down."
