Northern Iowa heads to Florida, searching for early season answers

CEDAR FALLS — The exhibition game against Bemidji State, the season-opening blowout of Coe, they don't tell you much at all about this Northern Iowa men's basketball team.

A scrimmage against Wisconsin a couple of weeks ago does, though the results are NCAA-required confidential. What won't be secret are the three games the Panthers are playing this weekend in Orlando, Fla.

The Tire Pros Invitational is a high-powered, eight-team tournament consisting of UNI, Arizona State, Oklahoma, Tulane, Missouri, Davidson, Clemson and 11th-ranked Xavier. Northern Iowa gets Arizona State in the first round (3:30 p.m. Thursday), then either Oklahoma or Tulane on Friday.

Saturday's opponent is to be determined.

'You saw us play Bemidji, you saw us play Coe. Between that, we got to see our team play against a team like we're going to see in these three games,' UNI Coach Ben Jacobson said. 'In the scrimmage against Wisconsin, we learned a lot about our team and where we're at, some of the things we have to do better. That's going to continue.

'Being this early, we're going to find out a lot about our guys and where we're at. The other thing I would say is that's the way it's supposed to be. Arizona State is very good, there are other teams in the field that are very good. That's the way it's supposed to be. We want to be on the floor against teams that are at this level.'

What we do know about UNI is Jacobson has a nine-man rotation planned: Jeremy Morgan, Klint Carlson, Bennett Koch, Juwan McCloud and Wyatt Lohaus as starters, and Ted Friedman, Spencer Haldeman, Hunter Rhodes and Jordan Ashton off the bench. Freshman Isaiah Brown and red-shirt freshmen big men Luke McDonnell and Justin Dahl will see sporadic minutes.

Jacobson said the thought was there to red-shirt swingman Brown, but he has played well enough to where the coaching staff believes he'll help at some point this season. Freshman forward Tanner Lohaus is red-shirting, as expected.

'It seemed like the two practices before that and then the first half against Coe, we started to see some of the progress at the defensive end, where more guys were on the same page,' Jacobson said. 'Started covering up for each other a little bit. Offensively, it's going to be a work in progress. We've got to figure out what's best for this team. Some of that might be some things we did last year, some of it might be some things we did two years ago, some of it might be things that are brand new to what we've been doing. One of the most important things for us as coaches with this team is figuring out, helping our guys, and getting them in position to be successful.'

Arizona State is off to a 2-0 start. The Sun Devils, under second-year head coach Bobby Hurley, run a high-octane offense that employs a pair of point guards in juniors Tra Holder and Shannon Evans II.

Holder is averaging 23.5 points in two games, Evans 19.5. Swingman Torian Graham has come off the bench to average 20.5 points.

'A very good basketball team,' Jacobson said. 'Spread you out and drive it at you. They start two point guards, and both guys can really drive it. Both guys make 3s. The rest of their lineup is guys who are very versatile. They're undersized at the center position with their starter, but big enough to play that spot. He's a guy who makes 3s and drives it.

'We're going to see a good one on Thursday. That's going to be a challenge.'

l Comments: (319) 398-8259; jeff.johnson@thegazette.com