UNI men’s basketball expected to be among MVC favorites despite transfer portal departures

CEDAR FALLS — Signs of the arrival of the 2024-25 college basketball season are happening in Cedar Falls.

The Northern Iowa men’s and women’s basketball teams will take part in the third annual Main Street Madness event at River Place Plaza in town Thursday night. And Ben Jacobson’s UNI men’s basketball team will go from its summer practice schedule of eight hours per week to its season schedule of 20 hours this weekend.

“Can’t wait to get to work,” Jacobson told The Gazette on Wednesday. “February, March and April are the most exciting time — you’re coming down to the end of the regular season for a championship, you’re in the (Missouri Valley Conference) tournament, you’re into the NCAA tournament — that’s the most exciting time.

“But, my favorite time of the year is October. Where we’re with the guys every day and practicing and seeing them all the time.”

UNI still has experience despite transfers

With the MVC set to announce its annual preseason poll and all-conference teams next week, a small amount of clarity may be brought into what’s an unclear outlook for the league this season. Bradley senior point guard Duke Deen is the only returnee among last season’s first, second and third team All-MVC honorees.

Jacobson’s Panthers are likely to find themselves among the conference’s favorites despite a fourth-place MVC finish a season ago and seven players departing via the transfer portal in the offseason.

The return of seniors Tytan Anderson and Jacob Hutson, along with junior guard Trey Campbell, gives UNI as much — and in most cases more — returning starting experience and production as any of its MVC opponents.

Anderson — who averaged 11.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game last season — returns as one of the MVC’s best double-double threats and has expanded his game this offseason.

“Where we’re really fortunate is Tytan’s skill level — he’s worked hard to improve that each and every year and he did it again this offseason,” Jacobson said. “He put in a bunch of time on his ball handling and he shot a ton of jump shots.”

Campbell has put together two efficient seasons, but will see his usage rate increase as a junior, offering challenges he has yet to encounter in his Panthers career.

“The usage rate will go up and one of the things I talked to him about the other day is that he’s going to get defended a little bit differently, I think, this year because of what he’s done the last two years,” Jacobson said. “So, talked to him a lot about his routine. Being more physical, more assertive defensively.

“He’s worked hard in the weight room. He’s physically different than he was a year ago and he’s a lot different than he was two years ago and he needs to play that way defensively.”

UNI men’s basketball injury update

The Panthers are almost completely healthy with little more than a month until the season tips off and practice time increasing.

After Max Weisbrod (foot) and Kyle Pock (knees) both missed time during summer workouts, the former is back to full health and the latter is at 90 percent, according to Jacobson.

“(Weisbrod) stuck around in August and used up some of his eight weeks that he wasn’t able to use in June and July and got some really good workouts in,” Jacobson said. “(Pock) was a part of everything we’ve done the last week to 10 days. That knee has responded well to some of the treatment that he did at the end of July and early August.”

UNI opens its 2024-2025 season at home against Dubuque on Monday, November 4th. Tip-off at McLeod Center is at 7pm.

UNI men’s basketball 2024-25 nonconference schedule

Monday, Nov. 4 — Dubuque, 7 p.m.

Thursday, Nov. 7 — Milwaukee, 7 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 10 — UC Irvine, 1 p.m.

Thursday, Nov. 14 — at Wichita State, TBA

Tuesday, Nov. 19 — Western Illinois, 7 p.m.

Thursday, Nov. 28 — vs. North Texas, 7 p.m. (at NIT Season Tip-Off; Kissimmee, Fla.)

Friday, Nov. 29 — vs. TBD, 5:30 or 8 p.m. (at NIT Season Tip-Off; Kissimmee, Fla.)

Saturday, Dec. 7 — Northern Illinois, 5 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 13 — Nebraska-Omaha, 7 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 16 — Montana, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 21 — vs. Washington State, TBA (at Las Vegas)