UNI leaning on leadership for road trip

CEDAR FALLS — It's road trip time for Northern Iowa men's basketball.

After five out of six games so far this season at McLeod Center, the Panthers won't play another one in Cedar Falls until Dec. 30 against Bradley and the start of Missouri Valley Conference play.

There are trips to New Mexico, Des Moines and Hawaii on the horizon, but first it's a pair of games in Virginia against Richmond (Saturday) and George Mason (Tuesday). Five days away from campus is a much different animal than a two-day trip a week ago to North Dakota.

Fortunately for Ben Jacobson and his staff, there's plenty of experience and maturity in the locker room to guide the players through things and not lose sight of the task at hand.

'That's where it helps to have Bo (Matt Bohannon) and Wes (Washpun) and Paul (Jesperson) and Jeremy (Morgan) with the number of places we went and things we did last year — to have more than just one or two guys that have done this,' Jacobson said. 'You'd like to say, in some ways, each of the guys feels like every day is important. But my experience has almost always been every day is more important to a senior. So having three seniors, what we do each day is really important to them.'

Yes, the 'one day at a time' trope is not unique to Jacobson — or any coach. He tries his hardest to keep focused on the team ahead, but when travel plans dictate taking a broader view of a trip, it increases the difficulty of keeping a team's tunnel vision toward its next opponent.

'The most important thing is not allowing yourself to think about the extended trip,' Jacobson said. 'If you can find a way to just pay attention to what you're doing each day — now it's hard when you go on a trip like this — but that's the key.

'You can't play both games on Saturday, you can only play one game on Saturday. Finding a way to do that and navigate that can be a tricky thing.'

Jacobson has long valued leadership among his players, and as he mentioned, many are left from last year's team that spent several extended trips on the road.

The way the 2014-15 squad came together on those trips is something he hopes happens again this year. Panther fans got to see some sibling-type rivalry in the 'All Access' show that gave a peak to some intense Xbox/Play Station battles, and as much as on the court, a trip like this could have benefits off it as well.

Who brings the gaming console is to be determined, though.

'The nicest thing about it is you're together with all your teammates. Coach has said to make sure the locker room, that family, is the most important thing to you,' Bohannon said. 'Being able to understand that here and being able to keep that going on the road is really important. It's going to take a little leadership, but we're excited for it. It's going to be a lot of fun out there.

'We like to be together and have some fun. I'm sure someone will get (the video games) figured out over the next couple days.'

On the court, it's obvious this trip is very valuable — and not just because of wins and losses

The Panthers (5-1) played well in their first road game, but the talent level rises substantially. UNI has taken lessons in preparation this season — namely out of the Colorado State game, about which Jacobson said 'helped me more than it helped our players. That game certainly has made a difference already.'

If they want to beat a possible tournament team in Richmond and an up-and-down George Mason, they have to take those lessons to heart — all while leaning on senior leadership to keep the preparation and focus high. Proving to themselves they can gel and succeed on a long road trip could bode well in March.

'We were really aggressive with our offense, really unselfish, we rebounded the ball (at North Daktoa). Things we pride ourselves on, we did all of them. That was good to see in our first road game,' Jacobson said. 'Now, Richmond is better than North Dakota. Richmond is a legit NCAA Tournament-type team. Now we'll see what we are against a team of that caliber in a place very passionate about basketball and see if we can do the things we take pride in. I'm excited to see if we can do those important things at a high level against a good team and get back home.'

UNI faces Richmond on Saturday at 5 p.m. and George Mason on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

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