Making the Grade: UNI men's basketball Feb 2-10

There's not a whole lot the rest of the Missouri Valley Conference can say it does better than No. 12/13 Northern Iowa at the moment, and because of that, the Panthers are becoming the trendy dark-horse pick among national pundits and analysts.

Coach Ben Jacobson is trying to keep all that from getting his team off track, and from the way the players seem to shake off the hype – or embrace it, whichever works for them – his example seems to be working.

UNI had another perfect week, pushing its win streak to 11, and inching them closer to the potential regular season championship game at Wichita State on Feb. 28 in Wichita, Kan.

Schedule/Results

UNI at Indiana State; W, 61-51

UNI vs Drake; W, 69-53

Offense

B+

Why: A lot's been made lately about how low-possession games are frustrating for fans and a slow game isn't as interesting to watch. Some on Twitter bemoaned the fact that UNI and Drake each only had around 48 possessions apiece on Saturday, which is 17 possessions lower than the national average per 40 minutes. But in those 48 possessions, the Panthers scored a whopping 1.43 points per possession – nearly a half-point per possession more than the national average.

A scorching shooting night helped plenty, going 64.1 percent from the field and 55 percent from 3-point range. Only eight turnovers were important too, but what might've been the key was 15 team assists on 25 made shots. The Panthers shared the ball very well against Drake. Against Indiana State, there were some issues – including 12 turnovers – with rushing offensive sets and mistakes in transition trying a little too hard to make a difficult pass work. Once they relaxed in the second half, things flowed much easier.

When UNI is hitting consistently from outside, combined with what Seth Tuttle brings in the post, there aren't many teams who can handle them. The difficulty has been, and will continue to be, getting their shooters open consistently and letting them get in a rhythm like they did against Drake. Settling for jump shots isn't what Jacobson wants to do going forward, but it needs to be there when the inevitable Tuttle double team comes.

Defense

A-

Why: Never let it be said that Ben Jacobson is stuck in his ways. Yes, he might drive home the same points about defense and rebounding week-in and week-out, but within those elements, he's certainly shown the ability to shake things up to get the most out of his group.

The best example of that this week was how he deployed his post defenders against the MVC's version of the Twin Towers in Indiana State's Jake Kitchell (6-foot-10, 233 pounds) and Justin Gant (6-foot-9, 240 pounds). In the first matchup, UNI decided to stay one-on-one with both, and Gant beat them up inside. This time, though, Jacobson had his post defenders double every single time either player touched the ball inside the 3-point line. Whoever the opposite post defender was would sprint to a double, and a weak-side guard would cover his space while keeping an eye on his man. The double-teams kept both players from doing much – if any – damage in the post, forcing way more jump shots than the Sycamores would've liked. Both combined for 10 total points and 4 of 12 shooting.

Against Drake, the UNI defense had a lapse in the beginning of the second half where rotations on the perimeter were a bit slow and there was a general malaise about them that allowed the Bulldogs to get back within 9 points after scoring 20 in the first 10 minutes of the second half. A timeout and bit of a wakeup call corrected things, and UNI still held Drake to 53 points despite shooting 47.6 percent for the game and 50 percent in the second half.

Players (in the last two games)

 

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Seth Tuttle, forward

– What a down week for the Panthers' best player – he only averaged 15.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists (leading the team in all three categories this week). That's sarcasm, of course, but when 15- and 16-point nights feel average, you know a player is having a special year. The space between Tuttle and everyone else for MVC Player of the Year grows each week.

Nate Buss, forward

– Buss continues to be an effective change of pace when he comes in, especially on offense. Opposing bigs have a hard time guarding him on the perimeter, and he's still cashing in on short jumpers. If his rebounding improved, he'd likely get even more run than he's been getting.

Paul Jesperson, guard

– If not for Matt Bohannon's shooting day (we'll get to that in a minute), his would've been the most outstanding of the week, going 4 of 5 from deep against Drake. He didn't even need a screen or action to knock one down, which is unique to his season. Having a second guard who can shoot like he does is becoming invaluable.

Matt Bohannon, guard

– Yeah, there's a reason he gets shadowed like he does by opposing defenses. From the outset of Saturday's game, his shot was as pure as it's ever been for him – there was no way he was going to miss. His confidence is sky-high shooting right now, which bodes well for the Panthers.

Jeremy Morgan, guard

– Seems like once every fourth game or so, he'll break out for 10-plus points and be much more active offensively. At Indiana State was one of those nights as he went 4 of 10 from the field for 12 points. He also had a career-high nine rebounds in that game. Most importantly, though, he appears to be stepping into a leadership role on the floor.

Wes Washpun, guard

– No highlight reel dunks this week, but he took care of the basketball and facilitated well – especially during the long stretches of no media timeouts during the Indiana State game. His performance against Drake was particularly curious, as he didn't have a field goal attempt, but dished out six assists.

Deon Mitchell, guard

– His minutes have dropped significantly over the past few games with how well Washpun has played – evidenced especially at Indiana State, where he only played nine minutes, but had three turnovers. He was playing very well in the middle of conference play, but has seemingly returned to the struggles of early this season.

Wyatt Lohaus, guard

– Lohaus didn't see much time (five minutes) in Terre Haute, but he got plenty of run against Drake, and played well. He had seven points, but his best play was an underneath pass to a wide-open Marvin Singleton after a baseline drive. He's a smart player, and it's shown all season.

Marvin Singleton, forward

– Not a huge week for Singleton, unless you count his being featured on the latest installment of the Panthers' All-Access show. His impact always comes when everyone is paying attention to Tuttle or Washpun, something likely to happen again soon.

Upcoming Week

UNI vs Illinois State, 7 p.m. Wednesday at McLeod Center in Cedar Falls

UNI at Missouri State, 3 p.m. Sunday at JQH Arena in Springfield, Mo.

Past weeks: Nov. 15-22; Nov. 23-30; Dec. 1-8; Dec. 8-15; Dec. 16-23; Dec. 23-30; Dec. 30-Jan. 6; Jan. 6-12; Jan. 12-20; Jan. 20-27; Jan. 27-Feb 2

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