Sunday, January 7, 2018 3:00 p.m.
McLeod Center, Cedar Falls, Iowa
Two struggling teams meet Sunday afternoon to try to regain their poise after an awkward start to conference play. The Ramblers have lost three out of their last four games after turning heads with a 10-1 start. The UNI Panthers were picked to finish 2nd in the MVC, but have lost five games in a row, including their first three conference games.
UNI had the league’s most challenging non-con schedule, including opening up against the defending national champions. After a season opening loss at #9 North Carolina, the Panthers picked up impressive wins against SMU, NC State, and UNLV. But since a close win at home over UT Arlington on December 7, the Panthers haven’t had a D1 win.
Coach Ben Jacobsen has had the same starting five in every game this season. Senior forwards Bennett Koch and Klint Carlson handle the frontcourt; guards Isaiah Brown, Tywhon Pickford, and Juwan McCloud are in the backcourt. At 6’10”, Koch leads the team in scoring (13.1 points per game), blocks, free throws made, and field goal percentage (.579). He averages 6.7 rebounds per game. Six-seven Klint Carlson averages 9.5 points and 6.1 rebounds.
Six-four freshman guard Tywhon Pickford has been phenomenal for UNI in the early going. He averages 9.3 points per game, which is very good for a freshman, but his rebounding is amazing—he’s second in the league in rebounding at 8.9 per game. Isaiah Brown is a 6’7” sophomore who takes a lot of shots from the perimeter; he averages 6.5 points and is second on the team in made threes (20). Sophomore Juwan McCloud is 5’10” and averages 8.6 points per game while leading in assists and steals.
Coming off the bench are 6’1” sophomore Spencer Haldeman and 6’2” junior Wyatt Lohaus, two outside shot specialists who receive the lion’s share of the minutes from the bench. Lohaus averages 8.6 points per game and Haldeman averages 7.9. Six-foot-nine senior center Ted Freidman (0.9 points per game) and 6’9” freshman forward Austin Phyfe (1.6 ppg) also see time in just about every game.
The Panthers still play their deliberate style, grinding out possessions with tough defense. UNI’s 61.1 average points allowed per game leads the MVC and ranks ninth in all of Division 1. The problem for the Panthers has been scoring, specifically field goal percentage. UNI’s 42.1% field goal percentage is last in the MVC, and they rank 7th in three-point percentage. Aside from Koch, none of UNI’s remaining starters shoot better than 40.4%. And Koch has had problems staying on the court because of foul trouble. In games this year where Koch gets four fouls or more, the Panthers are 0-4; in UNI’s D1 wins, Koch averages 28.8 minutes, and in their losses he averages only 23.7.
The Ramblers have lost their last two road games, and the Panthers have lost their last two home games. After starting the season averaging 77.9 points per game in their first 11 contests, Loyola has averaged only 59.5 points on offense in their last four. UNI is averaging only 53.7 points on offense since conference play started.
Loyola game notes:
http://www.loyolaramblers.com/documents/2018/1/5//UNI_Away_Notes_1_7_18.pdf?id=4783
UNI game notes: http://www.unipanthers.com/documents/2018/1/5//16_Loyola_at_UNI.pdf?id=3664
TV/Streaming video: ESPNU http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3215420/loyola-vs-northern-iowa-m-basketball
Stats: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=191321
Vegas odds: Pending
