Heating Up: Northern Iowa Panthers

Each day until Selection Sunday, we'll take a look at one team that is on the rise, generating buzz, from the Big East, Big Ten to the Ohio Valley and MAC. This week's team is the top team to date in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Team: Northern Iowa
Conference/Standing: 1st Place in Missouri Valley Conference
Record: 17-6 (11-1)
Key Wins: 59-51 @ Southern Illinois, 69-66 @ Creighton, 61-58 @ Bradley, 59-55 vs. Illinois State
Key Losses: 84-85 vs. Indiana State (F/2OT), 77-84 @ Illinois-Chicago
Tournament Projection: NCAA

The Scoop

It seems every year Northern Iowa is one of a cluster of teams in the exciting Missouri Valley Conference that finds their names on the bracket buster list. This year they may very well be on the very top of that list.

Riding an 11-game winning streak, something that has not been accomplished by a UNI team since the 1963-64 season, the Panthers are extremely hot, taking wins in three of the most difficult gyms in America, including Southern Illinois, Creighton and most recently, a three-point thriller at Peoria, Illinois to take down Bradley, sweeping them in the season series.

Northern Iowa is led by their vicious backcourt tandem of point guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe and shooting guard Ali Farokhmanesh. Between the two, Northern Iowa gets 21.7 points per game, with Ahelegbe chiming in with a solid assist/turnover ratio of 1.3, with 3.3 assists a game, and Farokhmanesh as the deep-threat with a 39.6% average from beyond-the-arc, dropping nearly three a game.

While they boast the 5th best winning streak in the country to date, Northern Iowa doesn’t exactly stand out as monsters in the conference stat categories. They are average a modest 67.5 points per game, while giving up 63 points defensively, while pulling down 24 defensive rebounds.

Where they Excel

The Panthers do the small things right, including an MVC best assist/turnover ratio of 1.1, surrendering a league low 11 turnovers per game. They have a rebounding defense that is giving up just 30.5 per game, but perhaps their best and most important stat, is their league-leading field goal percentage of 47%. Their precision shooting from the field helped them in their big upset at Bradley this week, in which they shot an impressive 21 of 40 (52.5%).

Where they Struggle

While Northern Iowa shoots exceptional from the field, they do miss shots, and with a league-worst 7.8 offensive rebounds per game, which has killed their rebounding offense, where they are at just 32 per game out of 736 total rebounds. The Panthers are also surrendering as much three-pointers as they hit, giving up 35.8% to the opposition, while connecting at 36% themselves.

Three point shooting is what killed the Panthers the most, in their only conference loss vs. Indiana St. They shot an abysmal 10 of 24 from beyond-the-arc. The deep ball also saved Northern Iowa in their last shocker at Bradley, in which Johnny Moran drained the game-winning three with five seconds left. They shot 7 of 15 (46.7%) in that game.


He Said it

One thing I really like about this team is their unselfish play, and the fact that we have different guys that have stepped forward at different times for us. We've had all five starters at one time or another get to 20 points in a single game, and all five are averaging near double-figures. It's been different guys on different nights for us.

-Northern Iowa Head Coach Ben Jacobson



Get to know the Panthers:

PG: Kwadzo Ahelegbe……11.1 PPG, 75 assists/56 turnovers, 11 steals and 72.6% free throw shooter.
SG: Ali Farokhmanesh……10.6 PPG, 55 of 139 (39.6%) from three-point range, 39 assists/29 turnovers and 81.3% free throw shooter.
F: Adam Koch…………….11.5 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 104-133 (78.2%) free throws and leads team with 265 points.
F: Johnny Moran………......9.8 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 39% from three-point range, 76.7% free throw shooter and 58 assists/38 turnovers.
C: Jordan Eglseder………...9.5 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 63.9% free throw shooter and 25 blocks.

*Sixth Man is Forward Lucas O’ Rear, who has 5.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 67.6% free throw shooter, and is averaging a bench best 22.5 Minutes per game.*








Catch tomorrow's edition of Heating Up, when I take a look at the Northeast Conference leaders to date, the Robert Morris Colonials.