Making the Grade: UNI men's basketball, Dec. 2-9

The bar is set very high for the Northern Iowa men's basketball team — by themselves — so when a game like Richmond happens, it sticks out like a sore thumb.

Obviously there's a lot of season to go, and the Panthers (6-2) could very well rid themselves of the bad habits that lead to poor performances defensively, but it appears there is plenty of opportunity for teams to exploit UNI the way Richmond did with its offense and the way George Mason did on the boards. The margin for error is not high for these Panthers, so uneven execution can be exposed much easier than it might've been in the past.

Each week of the season, we'll break down the Panthers' offensive and defensive performance and give them grades, as we'll as highlight each player who contributed significantly and his individual performance. This week's Making the Grade highlights Games 7 and 8, on the road against Richmond and George Mason.

Schedule/Results

UNI at Richmond; L, 82-67

UNI at George Mason; W, 73-65

Offense

B+ Why: There's not much to complain about for the UNI offense this week in the way of execution. The Panthers continue to succeed in their small variety of offensive looks — with the screen and roll, the drive and kick and in set plays. UNI got production in several situations out of all three looks, and players were decisive in their actions.

When Paul Jesperson and Matt Bohannon have a quick trigger and are in rhythm, very few shots are bad shots. They continue to impress, and were efficient from the floor in a pair of games that could've been better across the board. UNI finished the road games in Virginia at 1.053 points per possession on offense, slightly down from the 1.085 overall this season, and that was partly due to cold shooting stretches in both games.

The offense had flow, but it just wasn't as explosive or efficient as last week, and when opposing teams play offense like Richmond did, UNI's has to be at its highest point to compete. Offensive rebounding wasn't great, as has been the case much of the season. Granted, that number will rarely be through the roof with so many on the perimeter, but with some combination of Bennett Koch, Ted Friedman or Klint Carlson on the floor, it has to be more of a priority.

As good as this offense has been, there's still plenty more it can become.

Defense

C- Why: This week offered another reminder for UNI followers and fans to do their best to not compare this year to last year — especially on defense. It being the focus for Ben Jacobson and Co. did not and will not change, but that doesn't mean consistency is even close to a certainty.

UNI appeared to toss some zone in at times in both games to keep the inside attack at bay with small lineups in, but the Panthers got burned in both games regardless of the system they ran. In what served as the poorest UNI defensive performance in recent memory, the Richmond game was a cavalcade of errors. No matter what the Panthers tried, the Spiders had an answer. Closeouts and defensive rotations were slow in several stretches. When Richmond went inside and UNI's perimeter defenders stayed home, one of the two scoring forwards put it in the basket. When UNI crashed to double, the ball was kicked to a shooter and that shooter knocked it down more often than not.

Rotations and on-ball guarding was much better against George Mason, but UNI got bombarded on the glass — out-rebounded 49-32 overall, with 23 offensive rebounds from the Patriots. Even with Paul Jesperson's career night with 12 rebounds, the rest of the Panthers left much to be desired. Guys like Koch (1.5 rebounds per game this week), Ted Friedman (1.5 rpg this week) and Klint Carlson (4 rpg this week) must improve in the block on the glass, or this will continue.

Players (in last two games)

Paul Jesperson, guard

— Had most likely his best week ever as a Panther this week, shooting a high percentage from both ranges and rebounding better than he ever has. His confidence is through the roof, and his shot selection has been outstanding. He had a few hiccups along the way, but for the most part more than held up his end. He had a Player Efficiency Rating of 28 against George Mason (15 is average).

Wes Washpun, guard

— There's little coincidence that when Washpun is off offensively, the Panthers' offense can't necessarily keep up with high-powered opposing offenses. Washpun was absent for much of the Richmond game offensively, which has been a rarity this season. He made up for it against George Mason, and the offense flowed much better as a result. His consistency is vital to UNI's success.

Matt Bohannon, guard

— Much like Jesperson, Bohannon is carrying himself very well this season, and that continued this week. He, like everyone, struggled on some closeouts and didn't rebound as well as he has early this season. As a leader of the team, there's certainly no doubt how his example will be set going forward.

Jeremy Morgan, guard

— As has been the case so often, Morgan was the most consistent defensively this week, but even he had trouble against Richmond. When there's no good solution in-game, it's hard to be successful. He didn't rebound all that well, and was a total non-factor on offense with just two made baskets in the two games.

Bennett Koch, forward

— His offense still is viable and valuable, and he showed more of the flash he had last week in both games on the road this week. The issue has been and will be rebounding. He has the height but not necessarily the size to be physical on the block, and much of rebounding is physical placement and leverage. If that improves, UNI's inside presence takes a leap.

Wyatt Lohaus, guard

— Felt like Lohaus had much more success this week off the ball than when he was running the point with Washpun on the bench. He's being asked to do several things, and he just appears more comfortable when he can set and shoot, rather than create with the dribble.

Klint Carlson, forward

— His hybrid power/small forward role is going to come with some growing pains, and they showed in both games this week. He's still not fully acclimated to playing significant minutes, and that reveals itself when he's forced to guard players who can score in the post.

Ted Friedman, forward

— Friedman had a burst of scoring against Richmond, but that was obviously for naught. Still, that's an extremely positive development if you're UNI, which will take any and all contributions from him offensively. But like Koch, he needs to offer more than 1.5 rebounds per game. Defense and rebounding is what will keep him on the floor.

Aarias Austin, guard

— First time this season he's had back-to-back games where he felt like an afterthought on both ends. He just did not get going in either game, and struggled as most did defensively. There's much better to come from Austin on both ends of the floor.

Upcoming Games

UNI at New Mexico, 8 p.m. Saturday at WisePies Arena in Albuquerque, N.M.

UNI vs Iowa State, 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines

*Full disclosure on grades:

First things first, that's by subjective view after covering and re-watching games. Second, grades are an aggregate of the week, based on an 11-point scale. A is worth 11, A- 10, and so on through F, which is 0. Offense and defense are given a grade for each game and then averaged for the week.

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