UNI Will Ring in New Year Sunday at Evansville

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UNI (5-7, 0-1) at Evansville (9-5, 0-1) | ESPN3 | AUDIO | STATS
Sun., Jan. 1, 2017 • 3 p.m. (CT)
Evansville, Ind. • Ford Center

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Television
ESPN3
Play-by-Play: Kyle Peach
Analyst: Alex Gould

Radio
Panther Sports Network
Play-by-Play: Gary Rima
Analyst: Kevin Boyle
Flagship Station - NewsTalk 1540 KXEL
On the Web - www.UNIPanthers.com
TuneIn App

Stats
UNI.Statbroadcast.com

SERIES NOTES
All-Times Series: UNI leads 25-24
• Last Meeting: UNI 56, Evansville 54 (March 6, 2016)
• The Panthers won all three games last season vs. the Purple Aces and three were decided by three points or less. UNI won the MVC Tournament title, 56-54.

UNI MEN'S BASKETBALL STORYLINES
• UNI (5-7 overall, 0-1 MVC) will travel to Evanville, Ind., to take on the Evansville Purple Aces (9-5 overall, 0-1 MVC). UNI and Evansville will tip at 3 p.m. Sunday in the Ford Center.

• Senior Jeremy Morgan, the preseason MVC player of the year, leads the Panthers in scoring (17.6), rebounding (7.3), assists (3.2), blocks (1.5), steals (2.5), 3-pointers made (31) and free throws made (48).

• Morgan needs one more point to reach the 1,000 point mark in his career. He will become the 41st UNI Panther to score 1,000 or more points.

• Morgan tallied his eighth career 20-point scoring game with a 28-point effort against the Missouri State Bears on Wednesday.

• Junior Bennett Koch secured a season-high 16 points against Missouri State (12/28). Koch leads the Panthers in field goal percentage (.623).

• Redshirt freshman Spencer Haldeman ranks second on the squad in scoring (9.5) and in 3-pointers made (28). Haldeman has made at least one 3-pointer in eight straight games.

• UNI is 5-1 when scoring 70 or more points this season. UNI's only loss when scoring 70 or more came in an 81-73 loss at Wyoming. The Panthers are 0-6 when scoring less than 70 points.

UNI MEN'S BASKETBALL NOTES AT EVANSVILLE
UNI TRAVELS TO EVANSVILLE TO RING IN THE NEW YEAR
UNI (5-7 overall, 0-1 MVC) will travel to Evanville, Ind., to take on the Evansville Purple Aces (9-5 overall, 0-1 MVC), Sunday at 3 p.m. in the Ford Center.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Sunday's game will be available for viewing on ESPN3.
   Kyle Peach (play-by-play) and Alex Gould (analyst) will call the action courtside at the Ford Center.

EVANSVILLE PURPLE ACES
Evansville saw its seven-game win streak snapped Thursday at Illinois State as the Redbirds scored a 62-50 win over the Purple Aces.
   Evansville is led by the MVC's scoring leader Jaylon Brown (21.2 ppg). Ryan Taylor ranks second on the team in scoring at 15.6 ppg.

ALL-TIME SERIES
UNI holds a 25-24 lead in the all-time series vs. Evansville.
   The Panthers have won four consecutive games in the series and six of the last seven.
   UNI won all three games last season vs. Evansville - with all three games decided by three points or less.
   UNI head coach Ben Jacobson is 14-7 against Evansville.

LAST SEASON VS THE ACES
UNI defeated Evansville in all three meetings between the squads last season.
   UNI posted a 57-54 win over Evansville in the McLeod Center on Feb. 3. Wes Washpun scored the go-ahead bucket with :27 left on a left-handed layup. Jeremy Morgan blocked Jaylon Brown's jumper in the lane with :03 left and then drained a pair of free throws with :01.7 left to give UNI a three-point cushion. Evansville's D.J. Balentine missed a half-court shot at the buzzer that would have tied the game.
   The Panthers then scored a 54-52 win over the Purple Aces in the Ford Center on Feb. 27 to close out the regular season. Balentine's three-point attempt was blocked by Washpun but Balentine recovered the rebound and passed to Mislav Brzoja as the clock wound down. Brzoja's three-pointer at the buzzer missed and UNI claimed the win.
   The squads then met again for a third time in the 2016 MVC Tournament title game. Washpun hit a jumper from the top of the key that bounced high off the back of the rim and fell in at the buzzer to give the Panthers a 56-54 victory over Evansville. The win gave UNI the MVC's automatic bid into the 2016 NCAA Tournament.

TIGHT GAMES IN EVANSVILLE
Over the past 10 seasons, UNI and Evansville have played some tight, tense contests on the Purple Aces home court.
   Six of the 10 games have been decided by three points or less.
   If you throw out UNI's 80-53 win over Evansville in 2013-14, then nine of the 10 matchups have been decided by 11 points or less.

Last 10 Games at Evansville
2006-07 - UNI 79, Evansville 71
2007-08 - UNI 71, Evansville 68
2008-09 - UNI 58, Evansville 47
2009-10 - Evansville 55, UNI 54
2010-11 - Evansville 70, UNI 62
2011-12 - Evansville 63, UNI 62
2012-13 - Evansville 54, UNI 51 (OT)
2013-14 - UNI 80, Evansville 53
2014-15 - Evansville 52, UNI 49
2015-16 - UNI 54, Evansville 52

CARLSON CAME UP BIG LAST YEAR AGAINST EVANSVILLE
In last year's MVC Tournament title matchup vs. Evansville, Klint Carlson came off the bench for the Panthers and scored 17 points to lead UNI to the 56-54 victory.
   Carlson earned a spot on the MVC All-Tournament team as he averaged 11.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in three UNI wins in St. Louis.

PANTHERS LOOKING TO AVOID 0-2 START TO MVC PLAY
UNI will look to even its league mark at 1-1 on Sunday at Evansville.
   The last time UNI started MVC play at 0-2 came in the 2012-13 season. UNI turned that 0-2 start into an 11-7 finish, which earned the Panthers a third-place finish in the final league standings.

SCORING TRENDS
UNI is 5-1 when scoring 70 or more points this season. UNI's only loss when scoring 70 or more came in an 81-73 loss at Wyoming.
   The Panthers are 0-6 when scoring less than 70 points.

FOR STARTERS
UNI has used six different starting lineups this season in its 12 games.
   Only senior Jeremy Morgan and freshman Juwan McCloud have started all 12 games.
   UNI has had nine different players draw starts this season.

UNI's 2016-17 Starting Lineups
Carlson-McCloud-Morgan-Koch-Lohaus (4)
Carlson-McCloud-Morgan-Koch-Ashton (2)
Carlson-Friedman-McCloud-Morgan-Ashton (1)
Friedman-McCloud-Morgan-Brown-Haldeman (2)
Carlson-Friedman-McCloud-Morgan-Haldeman (1)
Carlson-McCloud-Morgan-Koch-Haldeman (2)

MORGAN HITS FOR 28 VS MSU
UNI senior guard Jeremy Morgan recorded his eighth career 20-point scoring game with 28 points vs. Missouri State (12/28).
   Morgan drained 10-of-21 shots from the field and was 7-of-8 from the foul line against the Bears.
   Morgan added to his stat sheet with five rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks.

Active 20-Plus Point Scoring Games
Jeremy Morgan (8)
Klint Carlson (1)
Bennett Koch (1)
Hunter Rhodes (1)

MORGAN LEADS UNI
Senior Jeremy Morgan, the preseason MVC player of the year, leads the Panthers in scoring (17.6), rebounding (7.3), assists (3.2), blocks (1.5), steals (2.5), 3-pointers made (31) and free throws made (48).

MORGAN CLOSING IN ON 1,000 CAREER POINTS
Jeremy Morgan is one point shy of joining the 1,000 career point-club at UNI. Morgan has posted 999 points heading into Sunday's game at Evansville.
   Morgan will become the 41st UNI Panther to score 1,000 or more points.

UNI'S 1,000-POINT SCORERS SINCE 2001
Morgan will also become the 16th Panther to score 1,000 or more points since the start of the 2001 season – the first season that Ben Jacobson joined the coaching staff as an assistant. Jacobson took over the head job in the 2006-07 season.

1,000-Point Scorers Since 2001
Ben Jacobson (2003-06) 1,787 pts.
Seth Tuttle (2011-15) 1,747 pts.
Eric Coleman (2005-08) 1,522 pts.
Kwadzo Ahelegbe (2006-11) 1,329 pts.
Anthony James (2008-13) 1,305 pts.
Grant Stout (2004-07) 1,232 pts.
Deon Mitchell (2011-15) 1,200 pts.
Adam Koch (2006-10) 1,186 pts.
David Gruber (2002-04) 1,116 pts.
Jake Koch (2009-2013) 1,113 pts.
Matt Bohannon (2011-16.) 1,092 pts.
Jordan Eglseder (2006-10) 1,066 pts.
Johnny Moran (2008-12) 1,048 pts.
Wes Washpun (2013-16.) 1,035 pts.
Chris Foster (2000-05) 1,027 pts.
Jeremy Morgan (2013-pres.) 999 pts.

MORGAN MOVING UP THE DEFENSIVE CHARTS
Senior guard Jeremy Morgan, who earned a spot on last year's MVC All-Defensive squad, is making his way up the UNI defensive charts in regard to blocked shots and steals.
   Morgan ranks No. 4 at UNI in steals (158) and No. 9 in blocked shots (84).

BLOCKED SHOTS - UNI (CAREER)
1.   Grant Stout (2004-0)   222
2.   Jake Koch (2009-13)   123
3.   Jordan Eglseder (2006-10)   120
4.   Sean Hawkins (1995-98)   118
5.   Eric Coleman (2004-08)   115
6.   Seth Tuttle (2011-15)   95
7.   Jason Sims (1993-96)   90
8.   Scott Stafford (1984-85)   85
9.   Jeremy Morgan (2013-pres.)   84
10.   Steve Phyfe (1988-90)   66

STEALS - UNI (CAREER)
1.   Brent Carmichael (1981-83)   180
2.   Nick Nurse (1986-89)   165
3.   Andy Woodley (1998-02)   159
4.   Jeremy Morgan (2013-pres.)   158
5.   Ben Jacobson (2002-06)   154
6.   Johnny Moran (2008-12)   152
7.   Dale Turner (1988-92)   143
8.   Robbie Williams (1982-86)   140
9.   Brian Carpenter (1992-96)   138
10.   Darian DeVries (1994-98)   131

KOCH RECORDS SEASON-BEST
Junior Bennett Koch secured a season-high 16 points against Missouri State (12/28).
   Koch was 4-of-5 from the field and drained 8-of-10 from the free throw line vs. the Bears.
   Koch leads the Panthers in field goal percentage (.623).

HALDEMAN PROVIDES O
Redshirt freshman Spencer Haldeman ranks second on the squad in scoring (9.5) and in 3-pointers made (28).

TEDDY HITS THE BOARDS
Junior center Ted Friedman leads the Panthers with 16 offensive rebounds.

3-POINT TALK
UNI has made at least one 3-pointer in 543 straight games – the longest active streak in the MVC.
   Jeremy Morgan has made at least one 3-pointer in 18 consecutive contests.

9TH CAREER TECH FOR JAKE
UNI head coach Ben Jacobson picked up his ninth technical foul of his coaching career in UNI's game vs. Missouri State (12/28).
   UNI is 4-5 all-time in games in which Jacobson has received a technical foul.

UNI Results w/Jacobson Technical
L, 56-54 at Southern Ill. (Jan. 23, 2007)
W, 71-66 vs. Illinois State (Feb. 24, 2007)
L, 68-59 vs. Creighton (Jan. 15, 2008)
W, 69-67 vs. Illinois State (Feb. 24, 2009)
W, 65-53 vs. Evansville (Jan. 4, 2011)
L, 63-57 vs. Denver (Feb. 23, 2013)
L, 69-65 at Bradley (Jan. 22, 2014)
W, 71-67 vs. North Carolina (Nov. 21, 2015)
L, 68-64 vs. Missouri State (Dec. 28, 2016)

AMONG THE ELITE
UNI is one of 13 teams to have won at least one game in the NCAA Tournament and accumulate 54 combined wins over the previous two seasons.
   The elite list of squads include UNI, Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Oregon, Villanova, Wichita State, Wisconsin and Virginia.

BOOK IT IN THE UPPER HALF
UNI's streak of 13 straight upper-half finishes in the MVC is the league's longest active streak.

NINE OR MORE MVC WINS
The Panthers have won nine or more MVC games in each of the past 13 seasons – also the MVC's longest active streak.

TOP-FOUR FINISHES IN MVC
UNI has finished in the top four of the MVC standings in eight consecutive seasons.

IN THE UPPER HALF
UNI has finished in the upper half of the Missouri Valley Conference's final standings in 13 straight seasons. It is the longest active streak in the league.
   Prior to the 2003-04 season, when the current streak began, UNI had finished in the top half of the MVC on two occasions (1993-94 - 5th, 1996-97 - 4th) since joining the league in 1991-92.

13 STRAIGHT YEARS OF 9 OR MORE MVC WINS
UNI has won nine or more MVC games in 13 consecutive seasons - the longest active streak in the league.
   Wichita State has the second longest active streak at seven.

UNI in the MVC Since 2003-04
2003-04 - 12-6 (T-2nd)
2004-05 - 11-7 (T-3rd)
2005-06 - 11-7 (T-5th)
2006-07 - 9-9 (5th)
2007-08 - 9-9 (T-5th)
2008-09 - 14-4 (T-1st)
2009-10 - 15-3 (1st)
2010-11 - 10-8 (T-4th)
2011-12 - 9-9 (T-3rd)
2012-13 - 11-7 (3rd)
2013-14 - 10-8 (3rd)
2014-15 - 16-2 (2nd)
2015-16 - 11-7 (T-4th)

EIGHT NCAA TRIPS FOR UNI
UNI made its eighth appearance in the NCAA Tournament last season. The Panthers are 5-8 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
2016 - L, 92-88 (2OT) vs. #3 Texas A&M

7TH NCAA TRIP SINCE '04
The Panthers made 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 behind the Panthers.

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

20-WIN SEASONS
UNI has had 12 20-win seasons in program history – 10 of those 20-win seasons have come since 2003-04.

COACH JAKE RANKS T-6TH IN ALL-TIME MVC VICTORIES
UNI head coach Ben Jacobson has tallied 225 career wins to rank T-No. 6 in MVC history.
   With his next victory, Jacobson would surpass Rich Herrin (Southern Illinois), who tallied 225 career coaching victories.

MVC Coaching Victories
1.    Henry Iba (Oklahoma State)   486
2.    Eddie Hickey (Creighton/St. Louis)   337
3.    Dana Altman (Creighton)   327
4.   Gregg Marshall (Wichita State)   240
5.   Barry Hinson (Missouri State/SIU)   238
6.   Rich Herrin (Southern Illinois)   225
   Ben Jacobson (UNI)   225
8.   Ralph Miller (Wichita State)   221
9.   Maury John (Drake)   211
10.   Joe Stowell (Bradley)   197

UNI MBB IN APR TOP-10 PERCENT
The UNI men's basketball, men's golf, women's golf, women's cross country and women's volleyball teams have been recognized by the NCAA for their latest multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores. These teams posted multi-year APR scores in the top 10 percent of all squads in their respective sports.
   The UNI men's basketball team has been recognized with a perfect APR score (1,000) in each of the last four seasons - the only MVC school to do that in each of the past three years.
   The APR provides a real-time look at a team's academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete on scholarship. The APR accounts for eligibility, retention and graduation and provides a measure of each team's academic performance.

UNI SIGNS PHYFE TO NLI
UNI head men's basketball coach Ben Jacobson announced the signing of Austin Phyfe (Waverly, Iowa/Waverly-Shell Rock HS) to a National Letter-of-Intent to play for the Panthers beginning in 2017-18.
   Phyfe (6'9", 235 lbs., Forward) is the No. 2 recruit in the state of Iowa, according to IowaPreps.com. He earned second-team all-state honors from the Iowa Newspaper Association as a junior for head coach Nate Stegge. Phyfe notched third-team all-state accolades as a sophomore. Phyfe is a three-time all-Northeast Iowa Conference pick, including a pair of first-team honors the past two seasons. Phyfe averaged 14.5 points, grabbed 8.4 rebounds and shot 64 percent from the field in leading Waverly-Shell Rock to an 18-6 record in 2015-16. Phyfe scored 13.7 points and grabbed 7.9 rebounds as a sophomore in helping the GoHawks to a 22-3 record and a berth into the state tournament. As a freshman, he helped the GoHawks the state tournament and into the semifinals. Phyfe played AAU for the Iowa Barnstormers.
    He is the son of Steve and Lisa Phyfe. His father, Steve, played basketball for the Panthers from 1987-1990. His sister, Aftin, is a member of the UNI swimming and diving team.

UNI TO PLAY IN 2017 BATTLE 4 ATLANTIS
Celebrating its seventh year of elite collegiate tournament play, the 2017 Battle 4 Atlantis will include Villanova, Arizona, Purdue, North Carolina State, Tennessee, Southern Methodist, Western Kentucky and UNI.
   The 2017 early season tournament field boasts a combined 16 Final Four appearances and five National Championships between the field. The annual Battle 4 Atlantis once again falls during the Thanksgiving holiday, scheduled to take place November 22-24, 2017. The 12-game, three-day tournament is regarded as one of the most challenging early-season tournaments.
   It will mark UNI's second appearance in the Battle 4 Atlantis. UNI also took part in the tournament in the 2012 Battle 4 Atlantis as the Panthers played Louisville, Stanford and Memphis.

RADIO INFORMATION
This year's UNI men's basketball games can be heard on the UNI Sports Radio Network, with KXEL (1540 AM, Waterloo, Iowa) serving as flagship station. Affiliates include KBGG (1700 AM, Des Moines), KGYM (1600 AM, Cedar Rapids), KQCR (98.9 FM, Hampton), KILJ (105.5 FM, Mount Pleasant), KFXE (1160 AM, Decorah-Waukon) and KVFD (1400 AM, Fort Dodge).
   Long-time Panthers announcer Gary Rima handles play-by-play duties, while Kevin Boyle serves as analyst. Head coach Ben Jacobson's weekly radio call-in show will air on Thursdays, beginning in December at 6 p.m., live from The Other Place in Cedar Falls.

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