UNI men’s basketball picked second in 2024-25 MVC preseason poll
10/2/2024 8:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Anderson, Hutson and Campbell earn preseason All-MVC recognition with new season set to tip in 33 days.
ST. LOUIS --- UNI men's basketball was picked second in the 2024-25 Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) preseason poll, as announced by the league office on Wednesday morning. The poll, along with the conference's three preseason teams, were voted on by the league's coaches, sports information directors and media members.
Northern Iowa earned two of 49 first-place votes with 527 total points, finishing behind preseason favorite Bradley. Murray State was picked third with one first-place vote and 473 points, followed by Illinois State (397 points) and reigning MVC Tournament champion Drake (388 points). Belmont came in sixth in the poll (373 points) with Southern Illinois in seventh (337 points) and reigning regular season champion Indiana State in eighth (207 points).
Panther forward Tytan Anderson was one of six players named Preseason First Team All-MVC, as center Jacob Hutson and guard Trey Campbell were named to the second team. Bradley's Duke Deen was voted the league's Preseason Player of the Year.
Anderson, a senior from Eldridge, Iowa, started all 33 games for UNI last season with an 11.9 points per game average with 28.4 minutes played per contest. He led the Panthers with 7.1 rebounds per game along with a team-high 42 steals and 21 blocked shots while shooting 49.2% from the field. Recording five double-doubles last season and joining the program's 500 career point club, Anderson notably set UNI's postseason record with 19 boards against Belmont in the MVC Tournament quarterfinals.
Hutson, a 6-11 senior from Edina, Minnesota who transferred to UNI ahead of last season, started all 33 games for the Panthers and scored a career-high 313 points (9.5 points per game) with a career-high 123 rebounds pulled down (3.7 rebounds per game). Shooting 56.8% from the floor with 17 games of ten or more points, he scored a season-high 21 points in last year's MVC Tournament semifinal against Indiana State on a career-high nine made shots.
Campbell, a 6-4 junior hailing from Cedar Falls enters his third season with Northern Iowa after appearing in all 33 games with 31 starts a year ago, averaging nine points and 28.7 minutes per game during a career season. Scoring a career-high 21 points against Richmond with six made three-point baskets, Campbell also joined UNI's 500 career point club after a seven point outing in a late season home win against Drake.
The Panthers are slated to tip off the 2024-25 season on Monday, Nov. 4 at home against the University of Dubuque at 7 p.m. CT in the first of seven non-conference home matchups. Click HERE to see UNI's full schedule.
Season ticket holders are also invited to get an early look at this year's Panther squad this coming Saturday, Oct. 5 in an open practice inside the McLeod Center. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. CT with practice beginning at 12:30 p.m. CT. The event is limited to season ticket holders only.
Single-game tickets for Panther home games, as well as the 2024 State Farm MVC Men's Basketball Tournament will go on sale on Monday, Oct. 7. New season tickets are currently available for purchase through unipanthers.com or by contacting the UNI Ticket Office at 319-273-4849 or by email at tickets@uni.edu.
2024-25 MVC MEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON POLL (Points) [First-Place Votes]
- Bradley (597) [46]
- UNI (527 [2]
- Murray State (473) [1]
- Illinois State (397)
- Drake (388)
- Belmont (373)
- Southern Illinois (337)
- Indiana State (207)
- Evansville (199)
- Valparaiso (173)
- Missouri State (116)
- UIC (110)
MVC PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Duke Deen, Bradley
PRESEASON FIRST TEAM ALL-MVC
- Duke Deen, Bradley
- Tytan Anderson, UNI
- Darius Hannah, Bradley
- Johnny Kinziger, Illinois State
- Cooper Schwieger, Valparaiso
- Jacobi Wood, Murray State
PRESEASON SECOND TEAM ALL-MVC
- Trey Campbell, UNI
- Nick Ellington, Murray State
- Jacob Hutson, UNI
- Zek Montgomery, Bradley
- Malachi Poindexter, Illinois
PRESEASON THIRD TEAM ALL-MVC
- Kennard Davis Jr., Southern Illinois
- Ali Dibba, Southern Illinois
- Cam Manyawu, Drake
- Filip Skobalj, UIC
- Bennett Stirtz, Drake
UNI men's basketball action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Men's Basketball), X (@UNImbb) and on Instagram (@uni_basketball). The full 2024 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
