UNI men’s basketball: Panthers and Salukis set for Sunday clash

UNI men's basketball (7-5 / 1-0 MVC) vs. Southern Illinois (5-7 / 0-1 MVC)

1 p.m. CT | Dec. 29, 2024
Cedar Falls, Iowa | McLeod Center (6,650)
ESPN+ (Eric Braley: Play-by-Play / Kevin Lehman: Analyst)
Panther Sports Radio Network (J.W. Cox: Play-by-Play / Kevin Boyle: Analyst)
LIVE STATS
TICKETS

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- After posting a 6-5 record in the non-conference portion of the season throughout November and December, the UNI men's basketball team will resume Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) play on Sunday afternoon as it hosts the Southern Illinois Salukis inside the McLeod Center..

Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT with live coverage on ESPN+, as well as the Panther Sports Radio Network with J.W. Cox and Kevin Boyle on the call.

Tickets for Sunday's matchup with SIU can be purchased online through the UNI Ticket Office, or by calling 319-273-4849 or through email at tickets@uni.edu.

The Salukis hold a one-game lead on the Panthers in the all-time series, 39-38. Northern Iowa won both matchups in the regular season last year, which included an 82-70 win in Carbondale in the 2023-24 season finale. UNI will also look to maintain a solid defensive stronghold against SIU on Sunday, having not surrendered more than 58 to the Salukis at home since the 2008-09 season.

The Panthers return to the court following an 86-78 loss to Washington State last Saturday at the Holiday Hoops Classic in Las Vegas. After falling behind by 23 points to the Cougars, UNI roared back with an impressive offensive performance in the second half, aided by a 15-point showing from Tytan Anderson with the Panthers shooting 46.9% from the field, but would come up six points shy of completing the comeback.

Anderson and Leon Bond III both led Northern Iowa with 17 points against Washington State, with Anderson notching a double-double with ten rebounds, along with four assists. Bond finished with seven boards. Ben Schwieger tallied ten points in the loss, with Campbell posting nine points and seven rebounds. Jacob Hutson recorded six points with four boards, as Redek Born posted four points.

The Panthers, who have won four of their last five games, with all four wins coming by 20+ points, continue to lead all of Division I with a 52% shooting clip. UNI is also eighth nationally in effective field goal percentage (59%) and 16th in three-point shooting (39.7%).

Anderson leads UNI with 13.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per contest, while Hutson has recorded 13.2 points and four boards a game. Bond, the reigning MVC Player of the Week, leads the Panthers with a 60.2% shooting mark with 11.9 points and 5.3 rebounds in his first season with Northern Iowa, as Trey Campbell has tallied ten points and a team-high 42 total assists on the year. Having started the last four games, Schwieger has recorded 9.8 points with 3.8 rebounds on 51.3% shooting.

SCOUTING SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
Southern Illinois makes its annual visit to the Cedar Valley on Sunday having split its last four games, including a 94-81 home loss to High Point last Saturday in Carbondale. SIU enters the game 0-1 in league play after a 23-point home loss to Bradley earlier this month.

Led by first-year head coach Scott Nagy, who previously spent 21 seasons at South Dakota State and eight at Wright State, the Salukis were picked to finish seventh in the MVC's preseason poll, with guard Kennard Davis Jr. and Chicago State transfer Ali Dibba earning preseason all-conference honors.

SIU brings a solid rebounding squad to Cedar Falls, ranking third in the MVC with 37.5 boards per game. Dibba leads the Salukis with 15.8 points per game, with Davis notching 14.4 points and Jarrett Hensley posting 10.3 points. Davis also ranks second in the league with 25 total steals.

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.

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