UNI no 1-year wonder

As engaging as the Northern Iowa men's basketball team was last year, it may equal or surpass that this season.

The Panthers won their first Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title a season ago and then won the Valley tournament before a first-round loss to Purdue in the NCAA tournament.

At 6-0, UNI has a one-game lead at the one-third pole of this year's Valley race. The Panthers play Indiana State tonight at the McLeod Center. Though it would make UNI Coach Ben Jacobson grind this teeth to read this, UNI should be 7-0 by 9 p.m.

Win tonight, and the Panthers have a school record for consecutive wins with 15. In Division I, only Kentucky and Texas have won more than their last 14 games. UNI has won in Valley snakepits Creighton, Southern Illinois and Illinois State. It has beaten teams from the Big Ten, Big 12 and Big East conferences.

How? Their talent and experience shoulder the load, of course. But while this team is far from dull most nights, fundamental things are the reasons for its success.

UNI has veterans who truly know their roles. Tonight, Jacobson will put out the same starting lineup for the 30th straight game. Senior forward Adam Koch, a gem, will make his 83rd consecutive start. Junior point guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe will start for the 55th straight game.

Then there's the man in the middle. Jordan Eglseder is having the kind of season it was widely believed he could have when he signed with then-UNI head coach Greg McDermott out of Bellevue.

Eglseder was a key component of the Panthers' success last year, but the 7-foot, 280-pounder has beefed up his game. Three times, he has been the Valley's Player of the Week. He simply dominated Illinois State in Normal last Saturday.

Probably because it was its sixth game in 15 days, UNI gave a rather pedestrian performance here Tuesday night in its 52-50 win over Bradley. That didn't stop Braves Coach Jim Les from lauding Eglseder and his teammates.

“Having Jordan around the basket,” Les said, “he's not necessarily a big shot-blocker, but he's a presence around the lane.

“I think their defense is really consistent. They have five guys in tune with their schemes, talking and working, physical. They're very smart at that end of the court.”

Said UNI starting guard Ali Farokhmanesh: “I definitely think it's a better team than it was last year.”

But, he added, “We're only 16 games in. There's 14 left. It's a long season and we've got a long ways to go.”

That's the kind of comment his coach appreciates.

“We've got a lot of work to do in practice,” Jacobson said Tuesday, happy to have had a little gap in the schedule before tonight's game. “That's the most important thing. Now we can get better at practice.”

Coach Jake was asked if he has mentioned the school record for consecutive wins to his squad.

“I don't talk about it at all,” he replied, and that was that.

Effort and execution, he'll discuss. He has gotten plenty from his guys these last two seasons. But stopping halfway through a season to accept congratulations, that's not his way. Or this program's.