Sunday, February 13, 2022 3:00 p.m.
Gentile Arena, Chicago, Illinois
The Ramblers face off with Northern Iowa on Super Bowl Sunday for a nationally-televised game on ESPN2 that will determine the top spot in the MVC standings. The Panthers have won 10 of their last 12 games and five in a row to take the top spot in the MVC by a fraction of a game. Loyola is looking to rebound from a 68-61 rock-fight loss at Bradley and re-assert their hold on the top seed for their final Arch Madness.
UNI was originally thought to be one of the top teams headed into the 2021-22 season. The Panthers were picked to finish third in the MVC preseason poll, and had nearly as many first-place picks (6) as the defending-champion Ramblers (8). But UNI had some terrible losses to open the season-- dropping their home season opener to Nicholls State and a not-even-close loss at home to Vermont-- and looked badly out of sorts as they limped to a 4-7 start to the season.
Since the start of the new year, it's been a whole new UNI team. The dean of MVC Coaches, Ben Jacobson, totally re-fitted his lineup and his approach. The Panthers began the season with a two forward, three guard lineup, and went through several starting combinations. By the third game of the conference season, Jacobson settled on a winning starting combo: one forward and four guards. But instead of the forward you might think (*cough* Phyfe *cough*), 6'6" sophomore forward Noah Carter became the lone starting frontcourt man.
Most MVC fans know that 6'4" junior guard AJ Green is a fantastic player-- the Larry Bird Player of the Year in 2019-20 as a sophomore-- who missed most of 20-21 with a hip injury. Yes, he's back and playing great for the Panthers, leading the team in ppg (18.3), assists (45), free throws (98), free throw percentage (89.9%), and made threes (66). But the most interesting wrinkle this year is the addition of Noah Carter to the starting five, and going with four guards. Carter started the first game of the season and didn't play well, and was relegated to sixth man. He was restored to the starting five in the third conference game, and since then has averaged 17.0 ppg, 4.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and shooting 62.8% inside the arc and 88.1% on freebies.
Six-foot-four senior guard Tywhon Pickford, 6'5" guard Trae Berhow, and 6'4" freshman Nate Heise round out the starting lineup. Pickford starts and contributes 4.8 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, but 5'11" freshman Bowen Born gets more minutes and makes more of an offensive contribution. Born averages 6.2 points and 1.8 assists, and is fantastic from the free throw line (88.9%). Berhow averages 9.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and shoots threes at a 38.2% clip. Nate Heise is the most fascinating of the guards, though, as he leads the team in rebounding (5.2 per game) and adds 9.3 points, a good outside stroke (39.3% on threes), and shot-blocking ability (third on the team with 9). At 6'4", Heise's small forward/power forward skill set creates a lot of mismatches.
Super senior Austin Phyfe's playing time is reduces to about 14 minutes per game, but he continues to contribute (5.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game). Six-foot sophomore guard Antwan Kimmons (who's given Loyola fits in the past), 6'9" redshirt freshman forward Cole Henry, and 6'6" freshman forward Tytan Anderson also get considerable playing time.
If you're thinking of UNI as they were several years ago-- a conventional team with big, lumbering forwards and three-point-shooting Midwestern gym rats-- there's still some of that. It's in UNI's DNA. This new-look UNI, however, is a very different animal. They are able to play and win games scoring 85+ points in regulation, or slow things down to beat SIU while scoring only 53. They have four guards who can rebound, a mobile front court player who can shoot outside or drive and finish. They're built for MVC mis-matches, and aside from a two point loss at Bradley (prior to their re-tooling), a three-point OT loss at Valpo, and an OT home loss to Drake, they're on target to win the league.
Loyola and UNI usually have fierce matchups. The Ramblers lead the series, 13-11, and eight of the last 12 games between the two have gone to OT or have been decided by six points or less. This one is for first place and a leg-up on a tie-breaker, yes, but also to get the Ramblers back on track and focused on the MVC title race.
Loyola game notes: https://loyolaramblers.com/documents/20 ... _13_22.pdfUNI game notes: https://unipanthers.com/documents/2022/ ... Loyola.pdfTV/Streaming video: ESPN2
https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=01 ... af89ec103eRadio/Streaming audio: https://loyolaramblers.com/watch/?Live=106&type=LiveLive stats: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=369450Vegas odds: Loyola by 8.5
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