UNI women’s basketball optimistic entering MVC tournament

CEDAR FALLS — The Northern Iowa women’s basketball team enters the Missouri Valley Conference tournament with perhaps its best chance of reaching the NCAA Tournament since its last appearance in 2017.

The Panthers, who finished third in the MVC regular-season standings, recorded regular-season wins over the tournament’s top-two seeds — Southern Illinois and Missouri State — and enter the MVC tournament optimistic about a return to the Big Dance.

“We know that we can play with anybody,” UNI head coach Tanya Warren told The Gazette. “It’s just a matter of continuing to believe, even when things aren’t going the way we think they should go. We’re going to be dancing. We’ve just got to decide, do we want to dance at prom, or do we want to dance at the ball?”

When it comes to stepping out of the rigors and routine of the regular season and diving into tournament basketball, Warren says the preparation doesn’t change.

Knowing personnel and executing the scouting report will still be paramount, particularly against a unique Valparaiso team (11-18) in Friday night’s quarterfinals at TaxSlayer Center in Moline (8:30 p.m., ESPN+). The Beacons’ offense is stubbornly built to only shoot 3s and layups.

“Defensively we’re going to have to be able to communicate. We’re going to have to understand personnel,” Warren said. “Now, we will change it up in terms of what we’re going to do defensively on dead balls and timeouts and stuff like that. Which we didn’t do in the first two meetings in hopes that it slows their ability to cut and their ability to screw you up (with their) screening.”

A UNI win Friday night would either set up a rubber game against No. 2-seed Missouri State (23-6), or in the event of an upset, last-place Bradley (4-23) — or more likely — in-state rival Drake (17-12) would be its semifinal matchup.

Whomever the Panthers (20-9) play, Warren admitted that she couldn’t help but think this week about how much it would mean to help send three highly decorated seniors — Karli Rucker, Bre Gunnels and Nicole Kroeger — to their first NCAA Tournament.

“If I’m being honest, nothing would mean more to me for so many reasons to be able to share that moment with Karli, Bre and Nicole and this team. But especially those three seniors, who could have graduated (but) decided to come back,” Warren said. “I think that they’re very deserving. Now we have to go out and prove it.”