UNI gets 5-seed, buoyed by strong support

CEDAR FALLS — There was a moment, just after Coach Ben Jacobson and forward Seth Tuttle did a live interview on CBS and just before the Selection Sunday show began, where the usually straight-laced Jacobson was a little overwhelmed.

He wanted to thank the few hundred fans in attendance at Gallagher Bluedorn Performance Art Center who had come to watch and support the Panthers as they found out what seed and where and who they'd play in the NCAA Tournament. But as he went to do that, the crowd jumped on its feet and cut him off with a standing ovation.

Jacobson, the fans and the players would all soon learn that UNI is a 5-seed, headed to Seattle and will play Wyoming in the second round of the Big Dance. That moment, and the ones waiting to see their name pop up brought more to the surface than he expected.

'Things to me are usually down the middle, right? This one was strange though, almost like you couldn't wait to see your name come up,' Jacobson said. 'All that says is that's how big of a deal this is. This is as good as it gets.

'I knew people were going to show up. People were talking about it around town, so I knew there'd be a crowd in here, but not this kind of crowd and the enthusiasm they showed for our guys. That was awesome.'

The ninth-year coach of the Panthers has repeatedly gone out of his way to acknowledge the UNI fans who have ridden the wave of national attention and created a raucous backdrop for the Panthers when they got their live look-in during the Selection Show special.

'My hands are still a little sweaty right now,' said senior Deon Mitchell. 'It's just an exciting feeling, having the community come out and support us like this. It just feels great for us.

'You watch stuff like this on TV growing up, and it's always something you want to accomplish.'

All the UNI fans who have shown support, either on social media or at McLeod Center have done so, Jacobson said, because they feel a close connection with the team.

'It really speaks to the job our guys have done. People don't show up on game night and they don't show up on Sunday afternoon if they aren't attached to the players and attached to what they're doing as a group,' Jacobson said. 'It's easy to get attached to these guys, and that's a real credit to the players and what they're doing.'

How many of those fans get to travel all the way to Seattle, though, remains to be seen.

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From a logistical perspective, the time change and distance will play a factor. Having to travel across a few time zones has been known to bite teams in the past. But to ask the players, that's not close to a concern. Especially considering they've never been in this tournament, nothing will take away from their focus.

'I'm sure we'll go out there with plenty of time to get accustomed to that,' Tuttle said. 'When the ball gets thrown in the air, all that stuff doesn't matter anymore. You can think about it, talk about it or worry about it, but once that ball gets thrown up in the air, none of it matters anymore.

'We've been pretty focused and locked in on doing what matters and doing what we're good at and what it takes to win. We'll get past that when it's time to go.'

With such a long layoff and time to rest after a long regular season and conference tournament — plus the fact that Jacobson went so deep into his bench every night — the coaches aren't worried either.

Jacobson actually really likes the stretch from the MVC Tournament to the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

'Physically I don't know if the rest they got was as needed as in years past,' Jacobson said. 'But mentally it's really good for everybody.

'Now that we know our opponent, tomorrow they've got a little more life to them. Because yesterday we didn't have a scouting report, we didn't have a team to get ready for two days ago. That part of it is most important for this team.'

As for the game or games themselves, UNI is in the East Region, with Villanova the No. 1 seed in that region, and a date with either No. 4-seed Louisville or No. 13-seed UC-Irvine should the Panthers get past the dreaded 5-12 jinx.

Jacobson compared Wyoming with his team in terms of style of play, saying 'there's a couple similarities between the two programs.'

A noted college basketball junkie, Tuttle has watching the Cowboys a little bit as well, and expects the similarities to show on the court as well.

'They play pretty similar to us, I felt like, when I watched; you can tell they're smart players and share the ball well,' Tuttle said. 'They're always looking for a good shot on the offensive end and play tough defense. They do the small things that make a team (play) really well. I'm not a professional scout by any means, but I've watched a couple times and I know they're going to be a really good team and a great challenge for us.'

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