UNI, Texas A&M to Play Sunday for Sweet 16

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#11 UNI (23-12) vs. #3 Texas A&M (27-8)
Sun., March 20, 2016 • 6:45 p.m. (CT)
Oklahoma City, Okla. • Chesapeake Arena (17,367)

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Television
truTV
   Play-by-Play: Carter Blackburn
   Analyst: Mike Gminski
   Sideline: Jaime Maggio

Radio
Panther Sports Network
   Play-by-Play: Gary Rima
   Analyst: Kevin Boyle
Flagship - NewsTalk 1540-AM KXEL

OPENING TIP
• UNI (23-12, 11-7 MVC) will take on No. 3-seeded Texas A&M (27-8, 13-5 SEC) in the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament. Tip is set for approximately 6:45 p.m. Sunday at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla.

• The UNI-Texas A&M game on Sunday will be broadcast on truTV. Tip is set for 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Oklahoma-VCU game set to start at 4:15 p.m. (CT).

• UNI scored one of the NCAA Tournament's most memorable victories on Friday as Paul Jesperson banked in a half-court shot at the buzzer to give the Panthers a 75-72 win over No. 6-seeded Texas.

• The Panthers have recorded five victories in their eight trips to the NCAA Tournament.

• UNI has won seven straight games and the Panthers are 13-1 in their last 14 games. UNI's seven-game win streak is tied for the fourth-longest current win streak in the nation.

• UNI, Iowa State and Iowa all won first-round NCAA matchups.

• UNI owns a mark of 9-3 against Top-100 RPI opponents.

• UNI is 3-0 against foes ranked in the AP Top 25 this season with victories over No. 1 North Carolina (71-67), No. 5 Iowa State (81-79) and No. 25 Wichita State (53-50).

NOTES
TV INFO FOR NCAA TOURNAMENT
The UNI-Texas A&M game on Sunday will be broadcast on truTV. Tip is set for just 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Oklahoma-VCU game set to start at 4:15 p.m. (CT) at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla.
   Carter Blackburn (play-by-play), Mike Gminski (analyst) and Jaime Maggio (sideline) will call the contest for TBS.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. TEXAS A&M
It will mark the second meeting between UNI and Texas A&M.
   UNI won the only previous meeting between the two schools with an 82-70 victory over the Aggies in the 1996-97 season.

SCOUTING REPORT ON TEXAS A&M
Texas A&M has won nine of its last 10 games - with the only loss coming to Kentucky in the SEC Tournament final in overtime, 82-77.
   A&M is led in scoring by Danuel House (15.6 ppg), Jalen Jones (15.4 ppg) and Tyler Davis (11.1 ppg).

NOT SO NEUTRAL
UNI is 6-1 on neutral floors this season.

8TH OVERALL NCAA APPEARANCE FOR UNI PANTHERS
UNI is making its eighth NCAA Tournament appearance.
   The Panthers are 5-7 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.

UNI's All-Time NCAA Tourney Results
1990 - W, 74-71 vs. #3 Missouri
1990 - L, 84-81 vs. #6 Minnesota
2004 - L, 65-60 vs. #3 Georgia Tech
2005 - L, 57-52 vs. #6 Wisconsin
2006 - L, 54-49 vs. #7 Georgetown
2009 - L, 61-56 vs. #5 Purdue
2010 - W, 69-66 vs. #8 UNLV
2010 - W, 69-67 vs. #1 Kansas
2010 - L, 59-52 vs. #5 Michigan State
2015 - W, 71-54 vs. #12 Wyoming
2015 - L, 66-53 vs. #4 Louisville
2016 - W, 75-72 vs. #6 Texas

7TH NCAA TOURN. SINCE 2004
The Panthers earned their seventh NCAA appearance since the 2004 season. The seven appearances since 2004 is the most of any member of the MVC in that time frame.
   Wichita State has appeared in six NCAA Tournaments since 2004, to rank second in the MVC.

MVC'S NCAA Appearances Since 2004
UNI (7) - 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016
Wichita St. (6) - 2006, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
Southern Illinois (4) - 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
Creighton (4) - 2005, 2007, 2012, 2013
Indiana State (1) - 2011
Drake (1) - 2008
Bradley (1) - 2006

BIG 8/BIG 12 SLAYERS
Of UNI's five wins in the NCAA Tournament three have come against members of the Big 8/Big 12 at the time of the game – and all three have had dramatic endings.
   UNI's first NCAA Tournament win came in 1990 when the Panthers knocked off No. 3-seeded Missouri in the first round, 74-71. UNi's Maurice Newby sank a three-pointer with :02 left to provide the win.
   UNI advanced to the program's first-ever Sweet 16 with a 69-67 victory over No. 1-seeded Kansas in the 2010 NCAA Tournament. UNI's Ali Farokhmanesh drilled a three-pointer with :35 left to help UNI upset the Jayhawks.
   Friday night, UNI's Paul Jesperson made a half-court shot at the buzzer to defeat Texas, 75-72.

STATE OF IOWA IS PERFECT
UNI's win over Texas capped a perfect first round of play for the three schools from the state of Iowa in the NCAA Tournament.
   Iowa State defeated Iona in Denver on Thursday, 94-81.
   Iowa beat Temple in Brooklyn on Friday in overtime, 72-70.

THREE #11 SEEDS MOVING ON
UNI became the third No. 11 seed to advance to the second round of this year's NCAA Tournament.
   The Panthers are joining Gonzaga and Wichita State as 11 seeds with first-round victories.

MVC MOVES TO 3-0 IN TOURNEY
UNI kept the Missouri Valley Conference's record unblemished with the victory over Texas.
   Wichita State is 2-0 in this year's field with victories over Vanderbilt (70-50) and Arizona (65-55).

UNI VS NCAA FIELD
UNI played five opponents this season that reached the 2016 NCAA Tournament and all five of those opponents advanced to the second round.
   UNI picked up wins over Stephen F. Austin (W, 70-60), North Carolina (W, 71-67), Iowa State (W, 81-79), Wichita State (W, 53-50; W, 57-52 OT).
   UNI also lost a pair of games to teams in the field 68 - at Hawaii (L, 68-52) and vs. Wichita State (L, 74-55).

ANOTHER BUZZER BEATER
UNI won its second straight game with a shot at the buzzer.
   The Panthers earned the MVC's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament when Wes Washpun sank an 18-foot jumper at the buzzer to defeat Evansville, 56-54.

WASHPUN SETS SINGLE-SEASON ASSIST MARK
With three assists in UNI's win over Texas, senior guard Wes Washpun set the UNI single-season assist record with 180. He surpassed Brooks McKowen's mark of 179 in the 2006-07 season.

SINGLE-SEASON 3-POINT MARK
UNI set its single-season three-pointers made record against Texas. The Panthers drained eight three-pointers against the Longhorns to give UNI 286 made three-pointers this season - surpassing the mark of 280 set in 2012-13.

PERFECT VS AP RANKED FOES
UNI is 3-0 against foes ranked in the AP Top 25 this season with victories over No. 1 North Carolina (71-67), No. 5 Iowa State (81-79) and No. 25 Wichita State (53-50). Texas A&M is ranked No. 15 in the AP poll.

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Paul Jesperson

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