UNI men’s basketball has talent, experience

CEDAR FALLS — The calendar has yet to turn to November, but Northern Iowa men’s basketball coach Ben Jacobson knows he has a good team, and not because the Missouri Valley Conference’s preseason poll told him so.

“That ranks right up there with my fantasy football (team) tonight,” Jacobson said jokingly Monday during media day. “Our preference is to be picked first.”

Rather than the No. 2 spot in the preseason poll, the talent, experience and depth that exists on the UNI roster already has shown returns in preseason practices. And when it comes to this team living up to its preseason prognostication and realizing its potential, Jacobson’s answer was uncomplicated.

“Practice like crazy,” Jacobson said. “We have a good team. Now, they want to be great. If you’re going to be a great team you have to practice like crazy. And there’s going to have to be a little give and take. If things continue the way they are, depth is going to be a real positive for us. But, for (depth) to really be a difference-maker for us, you’ve got to give a little bit of yourself. No matter who you are, if you’re starting or first guy off the bench.”

Jacobson added he’s got the right group of players who can give, allowing the team’s depth to flourish.

Assistant coach Seth Tuttle added practices have become reminiscent of the 2014-15 team he starred on.

“We’re seeing it right now,” Tuttle said of highly competitive practices. “Our second five (in 2014-15) in practice would kick our butts sometimes. Like two times a week they would beat us and that forced us to come ready to practice on a daily basis. We’re seeing that right now.”

Tuttle also said being able to “beat up” on each other at practice, given the team’s depth, has played a big part in being where they are right now.

Just recently the Panthers were able to beat up on someone besides themselves, playing Wisconsin close in a few periods of a secret scrimmage.

“The day before the scrimmage, and the scrimmage, we were really loud, energetic (and) competitive. Everyone was fired up. So, I think that’s the biggest thing, is everyone wants to win,” UNI transfer center Jacob Hutson said. “We have a lot of competition for the roles on the team.”

Hutson — who headlines a group of four newcomers on this year’s team that includes highly touted freshmen RJ Taylor, Wes Rubin and Kyle Pock — looks poised to start and play a big role on offense and defense.

Offensively, he’s being asked to man the spot of UNI’s flow offense that’s responsible for a lot of decision-making and ball distribution, but thankfully for Jacobson and his team, the Minnesota native has previous experience with the scheme.

“(There were) some similar concepts when he was playing for (Loyola-Chicago),” Jacobson said about Hutson’s freshman season. “He’s picked it up well in the time that he’s been here. He’s got the sense and the feel for it.”

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Along with Hutson’s arrival, the return of Bowen Born, Tytan Anderson, Michael Duax, Landon Wolf and Trey Campbell — UNI’s top-five scorers last season — offers a lot of promise for the Panthers offense.

UNI also figures to get a boost from the return of guard Nate Heise, who missed all but two games last season with a broken finger.

Heise, who Jacobson and graduate manager Austin Phyfe said has been impressive this preseason, also will be looked upon to help lead a much-needed defensive renaissance this season.

“We were awful last year defensively,” Jacobson said. “We’ve spent a lot of time working (on that). So we have got a defensive team we can count on.”