UNI freed up a bit with offensive shift

CEDAR FALLS — In non-conference play, offense seemed to be the least likely thing the Northern Iowa men's basketball team would need to address.

With Wes Washpun, Paul Jesperson, Matt Bohannon and Jeremy Morgan each able to shoot and create shots, offense looked like the most stable end of the floor as the team entered mid-December having beat two of the best teams in the country — both of which have potent offenses.

But as the struggles of the last few weeks unfolded, the offense hit a low point last Wednesday at Missouri State, self-described by Coach Ben Jacobson and his players as stagnant. Whatever the reasons, Jacobson and his staff were forced to re-evaluate what they were doing offensively. That culminated in a shift against Drake, moving the ball-screen around the perimeter instead of anchoring it to the top of the key.

Jacobson expanded Monday at his weekly press luncheon on why he went that direction as the course for change.

'Just watching the game at Southern Illinois and the game against Missouri State, we just had the guys standing around too much. We wanted to find something that was going to allow them to pass the ball, to move and in doing that, what happens is you get some guys in different places on the floor,' Jacobson said. 'On Saturday, Wes was attacking the defense from different places on the court. It wasn't just from the top of the floor where the opponent's defense was able to look at him and have a pretty good idea of what's coming. He had the basketball a number of times on the sideline or on the wing and was able to attack and play from there.

'The bottom line was we were just standing around too much. … We gave it just a little thought, talked about what we wanted to do and gave the guys a different alignment.'

Jesperson, Bohannon and Morgan were much more heavily involved in using the ball screen as well. Morgan and Bohannon got layups and to the free throw line as a result. Jesperson created matchup issues, which Jacobson was hoping for when the switch was made.

'Jeremy used the ball screen — we haven't done much of that. We tried to post him some, but we hadn't had him using the screen on the ball. He made some good plays going to the basket,' Jacobson said. 'Paul using the ball screen can be difficult to guard when you've got a 4-man and 5-man defensively having to defend that action. That helped us.'

The new flow of the offense, then, becomes more ad-lib and free-range for the guys on the floor to dictate, as opposed to running set plays out of the high ball screen and possibly letting the defense size up what UNI is planning to do in a given possession.

The sets the Panthers (10-7, 2-2 Missouri Valley Conference) have won't go away completely, but Jacobson expects the way the offense was deployed against Drake to be much more of the norm going forward.

He also likes how it removes an element of thinking from the game. Players' memories aren't working as much overtime on the floor, letting them be more in the moment and in the flow of the game.

'One of the things it did for our players was it also takes some of the thinking out of it,' Jacobson said. 'Offensively, when it's more structured and you're calling a number of different actions, that forces them to think and remember. We've got a lot of different plays. That can tie them up sometimes. But I don't feel like they were questioning themselves or what we were doing. I don't feel it was that.

'We'll still mix in some of the things that have been good for us. Not in any way scrapping all the stuff we've worked on, so we can sprinkle in some quick hitters and get some guys in certain spots. This is something that is and can be very good for our team.'

UNI once again leaves the comfort of McLeod Center — where the Panthers are 6-1 this season — and waits to see if the offensive adjustments will hold and bring with them the first back-to-back wins since beating North Dakota and North Texas on Nov. 28 and 30.

Jacobson loves routine, and he's hoping getting back in theirs will allow his players to take what they've worked hard on and carry it to the Hulman Center in Terre Haute, Ind., for a 6 p.m. matchup Wednesday night against Indiana State.

'The (month of) travel is starting to wear off. The guys are generally feeling a little more rested and a little more like we were in a normal routine. … I hope that helps us play a little better on the road,' Jacobson said. 'I think sometimes though it may feel like you're a long ways away (on the road), I think sometimes you're not as far as what it might appear. My hope is we can get a little better routine, get a little better rested and being close, we'll play better Wednesday.'

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