University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Wichita State
UNI men’s basketball renews rivalry with Wichita State on Saturday night
12/4/2025 10:48:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Former MVC rivals clash in White Out Game inside McLeod Center this weekend. Tickets now available for purchase.
UNI men's basketball (7-1 / 0-0 MVC) vs. Wichita State (5-4 / 0-0 American)
- 7 p.m. CT
- Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025
- Cedar Falls, Iowa | McLeod Center (6,650)
- WATCH (ESPN+) [Eric Braley: Play-by-Play / Kevin Lehman: Analyst)
- LISTEN (Panther Sports Radio Network) [J.W. Cox: Play-by-Play / Kevin Boyle: Analyst]
- LIVE RESULTS
- TICKETS
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- Former longtime Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) rivals are set to clash on Saturday night inside the McLeod Center as the UNI men's basketball team plays host to the Wichita State Shockers in non-conference action.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT with live coverage available on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network (93.5 The Mix) with J.W. Cox and Kevin Boyle on the call.
Single-game and season tickets for the 2025-26 men's basketball regular season can be purchased online through the UNI Ticket Office, by calling 319-273-4849 or through email at tickets@uni.edu. Fans are encouraged to wear white for the team's annual White Out Game.
Spectators will also be treated to white rally towels for the first 500 fans through the gates, as well as 3,000 light-up bracelets while supplies last. Additionally, 300 UNI students will receive a voucher for a free beer (aged 21+) or a free soda and popcorn courtesy of head coach Ben Jacobson. For a full list of upcoming Panther Promotions, click HERE.
Former MVC rivals from the early 1990s to 2017, Wichita State holds a narrow 29-28 lead in the all-time series, with both programs splitting all 56 matchups as conference opponents evenly. The Shockers edged the Panthers with a score of 79-73 in Wichita last November.
UNI, which is off to its best eight-game start since a 7-1 open to the 2019-20 season, is coming off an impressive 99-34 win over Division III Coe College on Monday. Northern Iowa set a program record for the largest margin of victory in team history at 65 points, while also holding an opponent to 34 points for the first time since 1949.
In the win over the Kohawks, freshman Geon Hutchins finished the night with a career-high 18 points and nine rebounds in the Panther victory, with Trey Campbell scoring his 1,000th career point, posting 15 points with three made three-pointers. Chase Courbat set a new career-high with 12 points, as both Kyle Pock and Ben Schwieger each finished with 11 points each. Max Weisbrod tallied nine points with five assists, with RJ Taylor posting a career-high nine assists and Ismaël Diouf notching seven points as well. Leon Bond III finished with five points and Tristan Smith four points.
Through eight games, the Panther defense has forced 14.6 opposing turnovers per game, fourth-most in the MVC. UNI has also posted the nation's best scoring defense early with just 55.4 points allowed per game, and are also in the top-20 in the nation in three-point percentage defense (.261) and fourth in field goal percentage defense (.362). The Panthers led the MVC in assist/turnover ratio (1.88), and rank second in the league with 17.1 assists per game.
Sophomore forward Will Hornseth looks to continue to be a strong presence inside the paint, recently taking over as UNI's career shooting percentage leader (66.6%) with a minimum of 100 made shots. Pock also looks to stay hot from beyond the three-point arc having sunk four three-point field goals in three of his last four games.
SCOUTING WICHITA STATE
The Shockers return to Cedar Falls for the first time in eight years after a challenging Thanksgiving week at the Battle 4 Atlantis, dropping games to Saint Mary's, Colorado State and Western Kentucky. Wichita State bounced back with a 95-69 win over NAIA Mount Marty (S.D.) on Tuesday at home.
Led by third year head coach Paul Mills, the Shockers posted a 19-15 record last season and finished eighth in the American at 8-10, falling to top-seeded Memphis in the quarterfinal round of the conference tournament. Wichita State earned an at-large bid to the NIT, falling in the opening round at Oklahoma State.
Picked fifth in the American's preseason poll, senior guard Kenyon Giles leads the Shockers and the conference with 159 total points (17.7 PPG). Will Berg has averaged 7.9 rebounds per game while the Shocker defense has held its opponents to 67.1 points per contest, second-fewest in the American.
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). Schedule and roster information, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
