UNI has several off-season questions

CEDAR FALLS - Look at that victory total one last time, Panther fans. Northern Iowa's 30-5 record could be untouchable for a long, long time.

But that doesn't mean a return to the NCAA Tournament next winter is out of the question.

UNI's puzzle pieces will have to fit just so, however, in 2010-11.

Here's a look at UNI's current inventory, and five questions the Panthers will be presented with early next season

-Can Dunham and Moran Produce? The Panthers' departing seniors - like Adam Koch, Jordan Eglseder and Ali Farokhmanesh - accounted for 53.2 percent of UNI's scoring this season, and 44.8 percent of the Missouri Valley Conference champions' rebounding.

Needless to say, that production won't easily be replaced.

At the very least, holdovers like Kerwin Dunham and Johnny Moran must seriously increase their aggressiveness on offense. Both Dunham and Moran were immensely prolific scorers as preps, but curiously saw their scoring numbers decrease this winter.

Dunham and Moran must shoot with little conscience next season.

-Can Ahelegbe shoulder a bigger load? Junior guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe irritated many Panther fans this season with his inconsistency.

But the Minnesota native seemed to mature late in the season, earning MVC Tournament most outstanding player accolades and producing positive assist-to-turnover ratios in four of UNI's last six contests.

UNI was 6-0 this season when Ahelegbe scored 14 points or more. When the point guard put an emphasis on slashing into the lane, UNI had some of its most impressive performances, like against Wichita State and later UNLV.

Next year, the pressure will be immense for Ahelegbe, who stands a decent chance of being the MVC's preseason player of the year. And, most of UNI's clutch plays must be made by him. If he's unflappable, the Panthers could again be a player in the Valley race, and win around 20 games.

-How will Adam Koch be replaced? Koch, the reigning Larry Bird MVC Player of the Year, was UNI's steadying force this season and its best game-in, game-out performer.

The 6-foot-8 forward's clutch play also will be appreciated far more when he's gone. Yes, he missed two key free-throws late in the Sweet 16 loss to Michigan State, but before that Koch had shot 91.7 percent from the charity stripe in the final five minutes of games this season.

The all-around play of Koch - who averaged 11.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game - will sorely be missed in UNI's lineup. However, last offseason's departure of Antonio Jones could allow UNI to use a scholarship on a versatile juco recruit soon.

-How will Eglseder be replaced? Obviously, it'll be a long time before a Panther center casts as long a shadow as Eglseder, the first 7-footer in school history. And, the fact that Eglseder was left-handed added to opponents' difficulty in defending him, helping explain his averages of 12 points and 7.3 rebounds per game as a senior.

Quite simply, Eglseder can't be replaced. The best UNI can hope to do is form a center-by-committee next season. Lucas O'Rear can irritate opponents, though he's somewhat undersized at 6-6. Jake Koch could slide to center when UNI wants to run more in transition. Sophomore-to-be Austin Pehl is fairly athletic at 6-10, though he lacks an array of post moves. Also, incoming freshmen Chip Rank and Doug McDermott are expected to see action early in the post.

But make no mistake: the center position will be a major question mark for UNI heading into next winter.

n Will O'Rear return? As solid as Lucas O'Rear is on a basketball court - where he has earned back-to-back MVC sixth man of the year awards - he has a legitimate future in professional baseball, where he possesses a fastball that tops out at around 93 mph. And, obviously, UNI no longer has a baseball team.

So, will O'Rear return for his senior campaign?

“I have no clue, honestly,” O'Rear told The Courier late in the regular season. “I mean, possibly is there baseball? Yeah. But I'm not focused on that right now. But I'm not saying I'm not gonna give it a try. We'll just see where that goes in the future. As of right now, I'm coming back” to UNI.

If O'Rear returns, he can at least provide some of the spark that Farokhmanesh provided UNI with late this season.

By Kelly Beaton, The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier