By Wendell Barnhouse | wendell@big12sports.com
Big12Sports.com Correspondent
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – One non-conference team managed a victory on a Big 12 Conference court this season.
Top-seeded Kansas, say hello to Northern Iowa. The Panthers won at Iowa State, 63-60, on Dec. 2. Ninth-seeded UNI (29-4) will try for a huge upset when it takes on the Jayhawks (33-2) in the second round of the Midwest Regional here at 4:40 p.m. Saturday.
Northern Iowa plays in the Missouri Valley Conference, which has teams in four Big 12 Conference states (Iowa, Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska). The Valley has produced players like Oscar Robertson and Larry Bird plus national champions in Cincinnati and Oklahoma State (before it eventually wound up in the Big 12.)
“That’s the reality of college basketball,” Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson said of the Valley existing in the Big 12’s backyard. “The Big 12 is a terrific league and we’ve got a very good, competitive league.”
Jacobson replaced Greg McDermott who left Northern Iowa to coach Iowa State. In his four seasons, the Panthers have won 88 games including consecutive MVC regular-season and post-season championships. Thursday with its 69-66 victory over UNLV, Northern Iowa won its first NCAA game since beating Missouri in 1990.
Last season as a No. 12 seed, UNI lost to No. 5 Purdue, 61-56. Coupled with the victory over the Runnin’ Rebels, Jacobson believes his team is confident.
“We had a young team a year ago,” Jacobson said. “I think last year’s experience plus having won a game will help us. We got things rolling about a year and a half ago and our guys expect to win.”
Northern Iowa relies on its defense and a solid half-court offensive approach to control games. The Panthers will want to keep the scoreboard in the 50s to 60s. If Kansas can get the score into the 70s, it has an excellent chance of winning.
“Whatever the pace is, we need to embrace it and enjoy it,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “We don’t need to get frustrated because we don’t like the pace.”
UNLV had trouble attacking the basket or getting the ball to their post players against the Panthers. Kansas senior point guard Sherron Collins and his fellow perimeter players will have to be judicious with their dribbling forays and perimeter shot selection.
“Their defense is very sound,” Collins said. “They don’t have many break downs. Offensively, they’re fundamentally sound and they try to get the defense spread out and find open shots.”
Kansas strategy
The Jayhawks will need to be patient offensively. Northern Iowa likes to defend the paint first and then force contested jump shots. Kansas should be able to get second shots but it can’t rely on chasing down its misses. When KU gets the chance, it needs to fast break and convert easy opportunities to put pressure on the Panthers’ offense.
The Jayhawks have had some defensive lapses during games and those continued in the first-round victory over Lehigh. Northern Iowa’s guards can be pressured into mistakes but Kansas’ perimeter players can’t afford to leave shooters open for 3-pointers. Jordan Eglseder, a 7-foot, 280-pound senior, is the Panthers’ top scorer but he’s lumbering and might have trouble scoring against KU’s 6-11 Cole Aldrich.
Northern Iowa strategy
The Panthers will need to handle the ball against Kansas’ defense. At times, Northern Iowa had trouble with UNLV’s pressure defense (16 turnovers) and the Jayhawks have as much length and more size than the Runnin’ Rebels. If the Panthers can attack and get to the free throw line, they’re above average (75.9 percent)
The Panthers prefer a deliberate style – they’re second in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 54.6 points per game (Kansas averages 82 per game). Northern Iowa has out-rebounded its opponents by three a game and is second nationally in allowing the fewest offensive rebounds. Keeping Kansas from dominating the glass will be crucial.
