Making the Grade: UNI men's basketball Diamond Head Classic trio

It wasn't the prettiest of trips to Hawaii for the Northern Iowa men's basketball team. Sure, the weather was better than back home, but performances were definitely worse than what the Panthers left everyone with when they flew out of Des Moines.

UNI did good things in Hawaii, but the bad was far more eye-catching and at times alarming. Coach Ben Jacobson said it best in a phone interview with The Gazette this week: fundamentals need to improve. That will be the key word in this week's Making the Grade.

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 11, 12 and 13, at the Diamond Head Classic against Hawaii, Washington State and BYU.

Schedule/Results

UNI vs Hawaii; L, 68-52

UNI vs Washington State; W, 63-59

UNI vs BYU; L, 84-76

Offense

B- Why: The skeleton for what's made UNI successful this season was there for the Panthers on their Hawaii trip. The high ball screen and drive and kick were there. The off-ball screen action to get (primarily) Matt Bohannon open for a layup in the lane was there. The spacing was there. There were some very good individual performances, and Wes Washpun still is leading this offense effectively.

But unfortunately for UNI, there were too many missed shots, not enough offensive rebounds and — especially in the Hawaii game — way too many turnovers. Ball control was an issue for several stretches, and at times in all three games. The worst, obviously, came in the Hawaii game. Even Washpun averaged four turnovers per game during the trip, with the team averaging just shy of 12 (11.7). A lot of that had to do with very good defenses, but the offense felt rushed and inconsistent too much of the trip.

To Jacobson's credit, he said Tuesday he needs to make a coaching adjustment for when Washpun isn't on the floor, because Wyatt Lohaus simply isn't the same player — nor should he have to be (more on this later). Open shots will fall eventually, and the proof of that came in the Washington State and BYU games. It's patience getting there and weathering rough patches that could become the concern.

Gaining confidence inside (also more on that later) also will go a long way to helping get and keep shooters open headed into Missouri Valley Conference play.

Defense

C Why: The high point of the three games in Honolulu came in UNI's ball pressure. The Panthers forced 15 turnovers per game on the trip, with a high of 19 against Washington State. They did a nice job denying passes and guarding on the perimeter.

The breakdowns came, as Jacobson said Tuesday, on the fundamental level pretty much everywhere else.

UNI was late on help, failed to rotate in backside help on double teams, and didn't box out well at all. The Panthers also had issues defending ball screens with ballhandlers getting into the lane or getting shots from it. They would see stretches where it improved, but more where it struggled. A key component to UNI defending that ball screen has been the weak side helper getting out to deny the dribble and take the opponent out of what they want. Too many times, that double wasn't tight enough to the primary defender, allowing the ballhandler to split the defenders and get what he wanted anyway.

Foul trouble was an issue for a few players — but not necessarily as a team — in all three games, highlighting a struggle with the new freedom of movement rules. That's only going to get more touchy and more important in MVC play. Between that and a significant rebounding deficit, these three games left a ton to work on — and some to forget entirely. This defense remains very much a work-in-progress.

Players (in last three games)

* To view more data, click here.

Jeremy Morgan, guard — Morgan was the most consistent player for UNI in Hawaii. He was sharp defensively the vast majority of the time, was efficient (again) on offense, and didn't make a ton of mistakes. Scoring isn't his primary role for this team — he's their top defender first and a scorer second — so when he leads UNI in scoring, it's either a really solid stretch for him or not so much for others. This week was the former.

Wes Washpun, guard — Washpun got a bit of a lesson in the new foul rules on this trip, as well as a reminder he's breakable. The fall he took against Washington State — directly onto his tail bone — left him sore for the rest of that game, but proved his toughness at the same time. He was a bit sloppy in a few spots with the ball — particularly against Hawaii — but remains the heart of the offense.

Paul Jesperson, guard — There have been some peaks and valleys for Jesperson this season shooting-wise, and that was personified at the Diamond Head Classic. He battled foul trouble and streaky shooting, but never appeared to lose confidence in his shot. As long as he doesn't lose that, games like Iowa State can happen more consistently.

Matt Bohannon, guard — Broke a 21-game streak of 3-pointers made after going 0 of 2 against Washington State. He responded to that 2-point effort with 21 against BYU, reminding everyone just how lethal he is from deep when he's on. He had a better trip than his numbers show, but wasn't as consistent as he has been or the Panthers need him to be.

Klint Carlson, forward — Next to Morgan, Carlson had the best three-game stretch for UNI. He's improved greatly from his first few games, and has developed — with plenty of room to go — into a reliable guy on both ends of the floor. Jacobson doesn't toy with starting lineups, but Carlson is eating into Bennett Koch's playing time more and more.

Wyatt Lohaus, guard — Hawaii was very unkind to two sophomores on the UNI roster, and Lohaus was one of them. He was put in a situation where he had to play significant minutes at the point in place of Washpun against Hawaii, and struggled mightily in doing so. He looked sped up and over his head far too often, thanks mostly to being asked to do the same things as Washpun. That should change and as it does, he will likely settle back in. He's a smart, talented player, despite what happened in Hawaii.

Bennett Koch, forward — … and this was the other sophomore who struggled. Koch has not had a great December overall, and it culminated in Honolulu. He scored three total points, shot 9.1 percent from the field and grabbed five total rebounds in three games. His confidence looked shaken on both ends of the floor. It looks more mental than physical at this point, which can easily be corrected. For his playing time, it needs to happen fast.

Upcoming Games

UNI vs Bradley, Wednesday, Dec. 20 at McLeod Center in Cedar Falls

UNI at Southern Illinois, Saturday, Jan. 2 at SIU Arena in Carbondale, Ill.

*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