UNI Plays Host to North Dakota Saturday in McLeod

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North Dakota (5-2) at UNI (4-4) | ESPN3 | AUDIO | STATS
Sat., Dec. 10, 2016 • 7 p.m. (CT)
Cedar Falls, Iowa • McLeod Center

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Television
Panther Sports Network/ESPN3
Play-by-Play: Eric Braley
Analyst: Kevin Lehman

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: North Dakota leads 50-35
• Last Meeting: UNI 97, UND 51 (Nov. 28, 2015)
• UNI has won seven straight games in the series. UNI and UND first met in the 1935-36 season as both were members of the North Central Conference.

UNI MEN'S BASKETBALL STORYLINES
• UNI (4-4 overall) will play host to the University of North Dakota (5-2 overall) Saturday at 7 p.m. in the McLeod Center.

• UNI set its school record and the McLeod Center mark for 3-point field goals made with 20 in an 86-58 win over South Dakota State. The previous mark of 17 was set Jan. 29, 2014, in a 95-81 win over Evansville. UNI also tied the Missouri Valley Conference record for 3-pointers made.

• UNI head coach Ben Jacobson has secured a perfect 7-0 record against his alma mater the University of North Dakota. Jacobson's seven victories over UND are the most he has tallied against non-conference foes.

• UNI head coach Ben Jacobson has tallied 224 career wins to rank No. 7 in MVC history. With his next victory, Jacobson would move into a tie with Rich Herrin (Southern Illinois) for sixth place with 225 career coaching victories among MVC coaches.

• Senior guard Jeremy Morgan, the preseason MVC player of the year, leads the Panthers in scoring (15.6), rebounding (6.9), assists (3.4), blocks (1.9) and steals (3.3). Morgan ranks No. 3 in the nation in steals per game.

• Junior guard Hunter Rhodes became the first Panther to score 20 or more points off the bench since Nate Buss scored 23 against Bradley (March 6, 2015) at the 2015 MVC Tournament.

UNI MEN'S BASKETBALL GAME NOTES

UNI TO PLAY HOST TO NORTH
DAKOTA SATURDAY IN MCLEOD
UNI (4-4 overall) will play host to the University of North Dakota (5-2 overall) Saturday at 7 p.m. in the McLeod Center.

TV BROADCAST INFORMATION
Saturday's game will be broadcast live on the Panther Sports Television Network. Clearances for the game include Cedar Falls Utilities Ch. 15, KCRG Ch. 9.2, WHO Ch. 13.2, KGCW Ch. 26, Time Warner Cable Kansas City Ch. 324, Comcast SportsNet Chicago and ESPN3.
   Eric Braley (play-by-play) and Kevin Lehman (analyst) will call the action courtside in the McLeod Center.

NORTH DAKOTA FIGHTING HAWKS
The North Dakota Fighting Hawks will enter Saturday's contest with in the midst of a two-game win streak.
   UND has five wins this season but only two against NCAA Division I competition. The Fighting Hawks have defeated Crown (98-48), Mayville State (94-66), Presentation (101-63), Cal State Bakersfield (57-55) and North Dakota State (74-56).
   UND is led in scoring by Quinton Hooker (16.7 ppg), Geno Crandall (15.5 ppg) and Corey Baldwin (10.4 ppg).
   Head coach Brian Jones is in his 11th season at the helm of the program. Jones was a four-year letterman as a guard/forward at UNI and went on to play professional basketball in Australia and Portugal. Jones earned his bachelor's degree in communications and broadcasting from UNI in 1994 and his master's degree in athletic administration from Nebraska-Omaha in 2003.

ALL-TIME SERIES
North Dakota owns a 50-35 lead in the all-time series vs. UNI.
   The Fighting Hawks and Panthers were long-time members of the North Central Conference with the series starting in 1935-36.
   UNI has won the last seven meetings between the schools, including a 97-51 victory on Nov. 28, 2015, last season in Grand Forks, N.D.
PERFECT VS. HIS ALMA MATER
UNI head coach Ben Jacobson has secured a perfect 7-0 record against his alma mater – the University of North Dakota.
   Jacobson's seven victories over UND are the most he has tallied against any non-conference foe he has faced.

JAKE'S MOST NON-CONF WINS
7-0 vs. North Dakota
6-2 vs. Iowa State
4-1 vs. South Dakota State
4-2 vs. Milwaukee
4-4 vs. Iowa

YOUTHFUL BEGINNINGS
UNI's starting lineup against South Dakota State featured three freshmen.
   Four of the five starters had combined to start 11 total games prior to game on Wednesday. Senior Jeremy Morgan had made 88 career starts.
   Entering the game, Juwan McCloud had made seven starts and Ted Friedman had four career starts.
   Spencer Haldeman and Isaiah Brown made their first collegiate starts against the Jackrabbits.

RECORD-BREAKING NIGHT FROM BEHIND THE ARC
UNI put together a record-breaking night from behind the three-point arc by making 20 three-pointers in its 86-58 win over South Dakota State (12/7).
   UNI set its school record and the McLeod Center mark for 3-point field goals made with 20. The previous mark of 17 was set Jan. 29, 2014, in a 95-81 win over Evansville.
   UNI tied the Missouri Valley Conference record for 3-pointers made with Creighton (vs. Chattanooga - 2/19/05) and Bradley (vs. Florida A&M - 11/21/06).
   The 20 three-pointers made is the third-highest single-game total in all of NCAA Division I basketball this season.
   The Panthers also set a school record for most three-point attempts (37 - previous mark was 35 set vs. BYU on Dec. 25, 2015).
   UNI's 37 three-point attempts is the 12th-most in MVC history in a single game.

20 OFF THE BENCH
Junior guard Hunter Rhodes became the first Panther to score 20 or more points off the bench since Nate Buss scored 23 against Bradley (March 6, 2015) at the 2015 MVC Tournament.
   Rhodes drained 6-of-9 shots from beyond the three-point arc vs. South Dakota State and was a perfect 2-of-2 at the free throw line.

Active 20-Plus Point Scoring Games
Jeremy Morgan (6)
Klint Carlson (1)
Bennett Koch (1)
Hunter Rhodes (1)

AMONG THE NATION'S BEST
UNI ranks No. 4 in the nation in three-pointers made per game (11.1).
   The Panthers rank No. 12 in the nation in turnover margin (+5.8).

MORGAN LEADS THE PANTHERS
Senior Jeremy Morgan, the preseason MVC player of the year, leads the Panthers in scoring (15.6), rebounding (6.9), assists (3.4), blocks (1.9) and steals (3.3).
   Morgan ranks No. 4 in the nation in steals per game.

HOT/COLD PANTHERS
In UNI's four victories this season, the Panthers have shot 40.0 percent or better.
   In UNI's four losses, the Panthers have not shot better than 37.9 percent.

80 OR MORE IS A GOOD SIGN
UNI is 43-6 when scoring 80 or more points in the Ben Jacobson coaching era.

UNI SCORING 80+IN JACOBSON ERA
Date   Opponent    Results
12/7/16   South Dakota State   W, 86-58
11/17/16   vs. Arizona State   W, 82-63
3/20/16   vs. Texas A&M   L, 92-88 (2OT)
2/10/15   Missouri State   W, 83-69
2/6/15   at Drake   W, 82-66
12/30/15   Bradley   W, 80-44
12/19/15   vs. Iowa State   W, 81-79
11/30/15   North Texas   W, 93-70
11/28/15   at North Dakota   W, 97-51
11/25/15   Dubuque   W, 83-63
2/11/15   Illinois State   W, 83-64
12/13/14   at VCU   L, 93-87 (2OT)
2/1/14   Indiana State   L, 87-81
1/29/14   Evansville   W, 95-81
1/25/14   at Loyola   L, 93-87 (OT)
1/14/14   Missouri State   W, 94-89
1/8/14   at Evansville   W, 80-53
1/1/14   Bradley   W, 80-46
12/28/13   Iona   W, 90-78
12/7/13   vs. Iowa State   L, 91-82 (OT)
11/22/13   Loyola Marymount   W, 90-81
11/11/13   Coe   W, 86-52
3/26/13   Bradley   W, 90-77
3/2/13   Illinois State   W, 80-72
1/20/13   Drake   W, 85-55
1/12/13   Bradley   W, 84-53
12/23/12   Saint Mary's   W, 82-75
12/8/12   at George Mason   W, 82-77 (OT)
11/14/12   Toledo   W, 84-81 (OT)
11/10/12   Wartburg   W, 103-50
1/7/12   at Drake   W, 83-68
12/19/11   Loras   W, 84-48
12/6/11   Iowa   W, 80-60
12/3/11   Colorado State   W, 83-77
3/15/11   Rider     W, 84-50
2/15/11     at Bradley     W, 80-70
1/9/11     Bradley     W, 83-77
11/16/10   Coe     W, 84-45
1/3/10     Missouri State     W, 84-76
12/12/09   Siena     W, 82-65
11/23/09    vs. Boston College W, 81-69
2/11/09     Southern Illinois     W, 81-55
1/17/09     at Drake     W, 81-59
12/28/08     Indiana State     L, 85-84 (2OT)
11/25/08     Chicago State     W, 81-70
12/15/07     Wartburg     W, 99-48
12/20/06     Wartburg     W, 83-61
12/09/06     UMKC     W, 85-53
11/13/06    vs. Pepperdine     W, 83-58

UNI'S 3-POINT STREAK
UNI has made at least one 3-pointer in 539 straight games – the longest active streak in the MVC.

WINNING TRADITION IN
MCLEOD CENTER
UNI will be playing its 11th season in the McLeod Center and the Panthers have made winning a priority in their home venue.
   UNI has posted an all-time mark of 126-32 (.797) in games played in the McLeod Center.
   UNI secured a school-record 16 home wins in the 2012-13 season.
   UNI has posted a trio of perfect home seasons since moving to NCAA Division I. UNI was a perfect 14-0 in both the 1983-84 and 2009-10 seasons and then UNI notched a 15-0 mark at home in 2014-15.
   UNI set its home-court win streak of 21 consecutive victories between the 2008-09 and 2010-11 seasons.
   The McLeod Center opened in November 2006.

11 HOME WINS IN 9 STRAIGHT YRS
UNI has won 11 or more home games in the McLeod Center in nine consecutive seasons.

UNI's Home Record Since 2007-08
Year   Record
2007-08   11-6
2008-09   11-4
2009-10   14-0
2010-11   13-5
2011-12   13-3
2012-13   16-4
2013-14   11-2
2014-15   15-0
2015-16   11-3
2016-17   2-1

COACH JAKE RANKS 7TH IN ALL-TIME MVC VICTORIES
UNI head coach Ben Jacobson has tallied 224 career wins to rank No. 7 in MVC history.
   With his next victory, Jacobson would move into a tie with Rich Herrin (Southern Illinois) for sixth place with 225 career coaching victories among MVC coaches.

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)   238
5.   Barry Hinson (Missouri State/SIU)   236
6.   Rich Herrin (Southern Illinois)   225
7.   Ben Jacobson (UNI)   224
8.   Ralph Miller (Wichita State)   221
9.   Maury John (Drake)   211
10.   Joe Stowell (Bradley)   197

FOUR NON-CONFERENCE LOSSES
UNI has dropped four non-conference games (Wyoming, George Mason and Xavier, twice) for the first time since the 2008-09 season.
   The Panthers fell five times in the 2008-09 non-conference slate to Illinois-Chicago, Marquette, Iowa State, Iowa and Wyoming.
   However, the 2008-09 Panther captured the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title and played in the 2009 NCAA Tournament. UNI finished the 2008-09 season with a record of 23-11.

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 T-No. 5 at UNI in steals (152) and No. 9 in blocked shots (80).

BLOCKED SHOTS
1.   Grant Stout (2004-07           222
2.   Jake Koch (2009-13)           123
3.   Jordan Eglseder (2006-10)   120
4.   Sean Hawkins (1995-980       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.)   81
10.   Steve Phyfe (1988-90)           66

STEALS
1.   Brent Carmichael (1981-83)   180
2.   Nick Nurse (1986-89)           165
3.   Andy Woodley (1998-02)   159
4.   Ben Jacobson (2002-06)           154
   Jeremy Morgan (2013-pres.)   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

DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Senior Jordan Ashton recorded his first career double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds at Wyoming.
   Senior Jeremy Morgan leads the Panthers in double-doubles this season with two.
   Morgan went for 20 points and 12 rebounds in an 82-63 win over Arizona State. Morgan then notched 20 points and 11 rebounds vs. Xavier.
   Morgan's only previous double-double before this season came in the 2016 NCAA Tournament vs. Texas A&M with 36 points and 12 rebounds.

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 past 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.

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

PROTECTING THE HOME COURT
UNI has won 11 or more home games in the McLeod Center in nine consecutive seasons.

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.

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 APPEARANCE SINCE 2004
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

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)

PANTHERS TABBED THIRD IN MVC PRESEASON POLL
UNI has been slotted to finish third in the preseason 2016-17 Missouri Valley Conference poll.
MVC Preseason Poll
School (First-Place Votes) Total
1.   Wichita State (37)       413
2.   Illinois State (4)       356
3.   UNI (1)       348
4.   Missouri State       278
5.   Southern Illinois       228
6.   Indiana State       219
7.   Loyola       179
8.   Bradley       110
9.   Evansville       106
10.   Drake       73

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.

WEEKLY PRESS LUNCHEONS
UNI head coach Ben Jacobson or a member of his coaching staff will be available at the weekly Press Luncheons held each Monday beginning at noon in the back room of Pepper's Grill and Sports Pub located on 18th Street in Cedar Falls.

FOLLOW THE PANTHERS ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER & YOUTUBE
Fans of UNI Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram will have access to updates, score recaps and special announcements.

FACEBOOK
www.facebook.com/UNIAthletics
www.facebook.com/UNIMensBasketball

TWITTER
www.twitter.com/UNIAthletics
www.twittercom/UNIMBB

YOUTUBE
www.youtube.com/UNIAthletics

INSTAGRAM
www.instagram.com/UNIAthletics

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UNI Plays Host to North Dakota Saturday in McLeod

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