Panther men's basketball visit Drake in key in-state battle

UNI men's basketball at Drake

8 p.m. CT | Feb. 1, 2023
Des Moines, Iowa | Knapp Center (7,152)
ESPN+/MVC TV (Scott Warmann: Play-by-Play / Adam Emmenecker: Analyst)
Panther Sports Radio Network (J.W. Cox: Play-by-Play)

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- Both of Iowa's Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) teams go head-to-head on Wednesday night as UNI men's basketball visits in-state rival Drake at 8 p.m. CT at the Knapp Center.

UNI leads the all-time series 51-31, but have split the last 10 meetings with the Bulldogs. Both of last year's matchups against Drake came down to the wire as the road team claimed victory in overtime.

UNI PANTHERS
Bowen Born surpassed 900 career points in UNI's last outing on Saturday at Indiana State, but the Panther offense was unable to overcome a second half Sycamore scoring frenzy as the Panthers fell 79-71 on the road.

Being forced into 12 fouls in the second half, Indiana State shot 16-of-19 from the free throw line in the second half, with the Panthers taking just 2 shot attempts from the charity stripe off of 6 ISU fouls. Landon Wolf was able to cut the Sycamores' lead down to 2-points with a three-point basket from the top of the key with 1:08 to play, but late fouls and turnovers slowed the Panthers' momentum in attempting a comeback.

Three Panthers scored in double-digit figures in the loss, with Born leading with a team-high 20 points and 4 assists. Michael Duax notched 17 points with 7 rebounds, while Cole Henry tallied 10 points with 4 boards. James Betz and Wolf both finished the afternoon with 8 points apiece, as Tytan Anderson led with 9 rebounds and 6 points.

Born has averaged 19.4 points per game in league play this season, and ranks fourth in the MVC in total points scored (413) and third in overall average (18.8 points per game).

Born's 9 highest scoring games of his career have all come this season.

30 points vs. Northern Illinois (Nov. 26)
29 points vs. Evansville (Dec. 3)
27 points vs. Southern Illinois (Jan. 7)
27 points vs. Towson (Dec. 17)
27 points vs. Toledo (Dec. 6)
25 points at Illinois State (Dec. 31)
23 points vs. Missouri State (Dec. 28)
23 points vs. Murray State (Jan. 10)
22 points at Bradley (Nov. 30)

Anderson's 9 double-doubles lead the MVC and rank 23rd most in the nation. He also leads the league in rebounds per game (9.4) and defensive rebounds per contest (7.05). Anderson's 206 total rebounds this season are 26th most in the country. The Eldridge, Iowa native entered the season averaging 1.9 points and 2.0 rebounds per game.

Seven freshmen in the MVC this season have scored 150+ points in their first season on the floor, including three Panthers in Duax (217 points), Trey Campbell (165 points) and Wolf (150 points).

Collectively, the Panthers lead the nation in points per game scored by in-state players, as Iowa-born players have accounted for 69 points a game.

UNI has held its opponent to under 80 points in 14 consecutive games. The Panthers have won 8 straight games when holding the opposition under 70 points.

The Panthers have averaged an MVC-low 14.6 personal fouls per game. As a result, UNI has also averaged 18.3 free throw attempts per game, 3rd most in the conference.

Head coach Ben Jacobson can surpass former Creighton coach Dana Altman as the second-winningest coach in MVC history in conference only games with a victory. Both Jacobson and Altman have won 182 games in league play. Former Oklahoma State coach Henry P. Iba won 187 games against conference opponents from 1934-70.

DRAKE BULLDOGS
One season removed from being the MVC Tournament runner-up and top-seed in the CBI Tournament, the Bulldogs have won 6 of their last 8, including 3 in a row to enter Wednesday's game at 17-6 (8-4 MVC) in a three-way tie for third in the league standings.

Led by former Panther captain Darian DeVries (1994-98), Drake knocked off a tough Belmont team on Sunday afternoon in Nashville despite being short handed in a 79-61 road win. A two-time MVC Coach of the Year, DeVries has led the Bulldogs to 20+ wins in each of his first four seasons, including an NCAA Tournament berth in 2021, the program's first since 2008.

Selected as the league's preseason favorite, Drake is led by MVC Preseason Player of the Year Tucker DeVries, who leads the Bulldogs with a conference-best 18.9 points per game while shooting 45.5% from the floor.

Built with experienced depth, graduate guard Roman Penn has averaged 10.5 points a game, as the duo of Darnell Brodie and Garrett Sturtz lead Drake on the glass, averaging 7.1 and 6.1 rebounds per game.

Calendar

Upcoming Events