Making the Grade: UNI men's basketball Dec. 16-23

Headed into Saturday, there were plenty of people predicting a Northern Iowa victory against Iowa, but few (if any) predicted such a dominant defensive display.

And after a four-year wait between weeks ranked in the polls, the Panthers were only away one week as the lone game of the week gave the Panthers their 10th win of the season, and vaulted them back into the AP Top 25 (No. 23) and USA Today Coaches Poll (No. 24). The postgame news conferences couldn't have been more different between UNI and Iowa, with the Panthers having firmly solidified their place as — at least — the No. 2 program in the state.

The players got a few days off for the holidays, but will return to practice the evening of Christmas Day in preparation for their final non-conference game against South Dakota State.

SCHEDULE/RESULTS

UNI vs Iowa (in Des Moines); W, 56-44

OFFENSE

Grade:

B+

Why:

If the grades were based on halves from Saturday, the 1st half would not have graded well for UNI against Iowa. The Hawkeyes were able to frustrate the Panthers with their well-documented size advantage, and had completely shut out Seth Tuttle and Marvin Singleton. The paint was basically a no-fly zone, as UNI only had six points in the paint and only got to the free throw line once in that first half. The most success came from getting the ball to Tuttle either at the elbow or low post and having him redistribute to an open shooter when Iowa collapsed on the double team. He had two assists to Matt Bohannon and Paul Jesperson on 3-pointers — Bohannon's on the second possession.

But whatever Coach Ben Jacobson said at halftime worked, because between UNI's shift in offensive strategy and Iowa's floundering play on both ends, there was a significant shift. The Panthers used screens and their motion offense to get desirable matchups in the post, and exploited it. Tuttle was 3 of 3 from the field and got to the line twice (3 of 4) for all nine of his points, and had another assist to Jesperson from the post to a corner 3. The rotations got him away from Gabe Olaseni to Jarrod Uthoff on a few occasions, and he was able to score fairly easily.

Jacobson said at practice last Thursday he thought the two teams would run as much as possible, given the ability to do so, but it ended up more like the Richmond or Denver games than the VCU game. And though they're getting more comfortable on this end, the offensive rebounding continues to struggle, with just three all game against Iowa.

DEFENSE

Grade:

A

Why: Like in college classes, there's no 'A+' option in Making the Grade, so consider this the top grade a unit can receive. Yes, Iowa shot (very) poorly in the second half and seemed a mess even when running their offense — well-covered territory here, here and here — but there's no doubt much of that can be attributed to what Northern Iowa was doing defensively.

There's little doubt it was their best half of defense this season, giving up 15 points on 3 of 24 shooting and forcing 10 turnovers against a team featuring the multi-talented (and likely professional basketball player) Aaron White and the 7-foot-1 Adam Woodbury. UNI wasn't using backside help with much effectiveness in the first half, as Iowa was making some smarter decisions with the ball and dribbling less. But after a few Iowa shots didn't fall and UNI had gotten back in, the Panthers pounced on extended dribbling from the guards and posts holding the ball. Backside help from guards made up for the size advantage and frustrated the Iowa bigs on multiple occasions — the most volatile of which was Washpun's block of Aaron White.

And though the advantage was there, UNI bigs did an admirable job one-on-one against Iowa. The best example was Bennett Koch's block of Woodbury, who turned to the hoop after an entry pass and was turned back away. Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery gave the best definition of the UNI defense, in that he said their ability to guard the inside in different ways turns man-to-man into a kind of zone if shots aren't falling. Essentially, the paint became a wasteland for the Hawkeyes. Play like that in the Missouri Valley Conference will give them a shot at challenging Wichita State for the title.

PLAYERS (in last game)

Paul Jesperson, guard

(1 GP, 0 GS) — 10 points, 50.0 FG (3 of 6), 50.0 3FG (3 of 6), 50.0 FT (1 of 2), 2.0 reb, 1.0 ast.

Jesperson was named the MVC Newcomer of the Week for this performance, and it's hard to argue against. All three of his 3-pointers came from the corner and none bigger than with 1:37 left in the first half. UNI was trailing 26-20, and his 3 on a drive-and-kick from Washpun kept the lead from being nine at halftime. He's been consistent since that lull early this season, something the Panthers have relied on heavily.

Seth Tuttle, forward

(1 GP, 1 GS) — 9 points, 75.0 FG (3 of 4), 0.0 3FG (0-0), 75.0 FT (3 of 4), 8.0 reb, 4.0 ast.

As mentioned above, his first half against Iowa: not great. His second half, though, was vintage Seth Tuttle. He had the court awareness to exploit the matchups when he had them, but was smart passing as well. Maybe more importantly, five of his eight rebounds came in the second half, a few of which he stole right out of the hands of Olaseni – who had four offensive rebounds by himself.

Wes Washpun, guard

(1 GP, 0 GS) — 7 points, 42.9 FG (3 of 7), 0.0 3FG (0 of 0), 33.3 FT (1 of 3), 2.0 reb, 2.0 ast.

Iowa was focused on shutting him down in the paint, and for the most part they did so – when it came to scoring, at least. Washpun annoyed the Iowa guards on defense and when UNI ran, he ran them well in the fast break. He did have a few iffy moments when trying to run the clock, but not enough to detract from his overall performance.

Jeremy Morgan, guard

(1 GP, 1 GS) — 7 points, 50.0 FG (2 of 4), 33.3 3FG (1 of 3), 100.0 FT (2 of 2), 3.0 reb, 0.0 ast.

Morgan has a pretty good record in Wells Fargo Arena (hold that thought), having been a state champ with Iowa City West, and continued to play well there. And he did it while battling the effects of a midweek flu. He returned from being sick most of the first half – he left with a bucket early in the game — to score four more points, grab three rebounds and get a steal in the second half. Toughness showing through commitment.

Matt Bohannon, guard

(1 GP, 1 GS) — 6 points, 33.3 FG (2 of 6), 40.0 3FG (2 of 5), 0.0 FT (0 of 0), 1.0 reb, 2.0 ast.

A fairly quiet night, but like Jesperson, hit some timely shots from deep. As has been said all year, some nights he'll be expected to shoot a lot, others not so much — Saturday being the latter. He shared the ball well and was one of seven Panthers with a steal.

Wyatt Lohaus, guard

(1 GP, 0 GS) — 6 points, 33.3 FG (2 of 6), 0.0 3FG (0 of 2), 100.0 FT (2 of 2), 1.0 reb, 0.0 ast.

Speaking of good in Wells Fargo Arena, Lohaus stayed undefeated there with the win Saturday. He got significant minutes and played in crunch time. He looked a little overeager in the first half, but that's understandable given the circumstances. He settled in, hit some big shots — one on the baseline, a floater over Woodbury — and provided a stable presence UNI needed.

Deon Mitchell, guard

(1 GP, 1 GS) — 4 points, 50.0 FG (2 of 4), 0.0 3FG (0 of 0), 0.0 FT (0 of 0), 1.0 reb, 1.0 ast.

Also had a quiet night, but was productive. He missed another layup at the rim, but finished on his other two tries there for his four points. He wasn't used much against Iowa, but as was seen against VCU, that's dictated a lot by matchups. There will be plenty of times this year he and Washpun will be on the floor at the same time.

Bennett Koch, forward

(1 GP, 0 GS) — 3 points, 50.0 FG (1 of 2), 0.0 3FG (0 of 0), 50.0 FT (1 of 2), 2.0 reb, 0.0 ast.

Koch only played 11 minutes, but made all 11 count. His block of Woodbury might've been the play of the game given experience and size differences between the two. He also put a slick move on the 7-footer at the other end that netted him his only basket of the game. He's earning more PT every time out.

Marvin Singleton, forward

(1 GP, 1 GS) — 2 points, 50.0 FG (1 of 2), 0.0 3FG (0 of 0), 0.0 FT (0 of 0), 5.0 reb, 0.0 ast.

Second straight struggle game for Singleton, but that was expected with his style and size compared to Iowa. The senior has the build of a forward but the height of a guard, so against Big Ten opponents, he's not going to have a field day. But against MVC opponents? Different story. He still got five rebounds and was solid defensively.

Nate Buss, forward

(1 GP, 0 GS) — 2 points, 33.3 FG (1 of 3), 0.0 3FG (0 of 2), 0.0 FT (0 of 0), 2.0 reb, 0.0 ast.

In games where UNI is in high-scoring situations, Buss will be huge. In games where the pace is ultra-slow (compared to the already slow pace), he's not going to stand out in the box score. He did hit one of his newly-patented turnaround jumpers in the lane for his only points, and had two blocks on the defensive end.

UPCOMING WEEK

UNI vs South Dakota State, 2 p.m. Sunday at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls

Past weeks: Nov. 15-22; Nov. 23-30; Dec. 1-8; Dec. 8-15

l Comments: (319) 368-8884; jeremiah.davis@thegazette.com