Panther men’s basketball squares off against Drake on Sunday for Valley lead

UNI men's basketball (19-9 / 13-4 MVC) vs. Drake (24-3 / 14-3 MVC)

3 p.m. CT | Feb. 23, 2025
McLeod Center | Cedar Falls, Iowa)
ESPN2 / ESPN+ (Clay Matvick: 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 --- The Missouri Valley Conference's (MVC) top two teams will clash on Sunday afternoon at the UNI men's basketball team squares off against in-state rival Drake inside the McLeod Center with a chance at the league lead up for grabs.

Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT with live coverage available on ESPN2, with a simulcast also available on ESPN+. Fans can also catch the radio call of the game with J.W. Cox and Kevin Boyle on the Panther Sports Radio Network.

Tickets 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 purple as part of the team's annual Purple Out Game.

UNI will honor its senior class of Cael Schmitt, Jacob Hutson and Tytan Anderson following the game, along with senior managers Alex Butenhoff, Kyler Matthias and James Pollard.

Northern Iowa leads the all-time series 53-34, but Drake has won eight of the last 11 matchup, including a 66-52 win in Des Moines back on Jan. 29 at the Knapp Center. The Panthers were victorious however in their last home game against the Bulldogs last February, 91-77. Both UNI and Drake lead the MVC with identical 13-2 home records.

The Panthers can pull into a tie with Drake for first place in the conference standings with a win, thanks to an 82-75 win at Belmont on Wednesday night. UNI's victory guarantees at least a top-four seed for the purple and gold at next month's MVC Tournament in St. Louis and extended its winning streak to a league-best six games. The Panthers with a win on Sunday can tie their longest win streak since 2016.

Northern Iowa overcame a 19-point deficit in the first half and pulled down 19 offensive rebounds to complete the regular season sweep of the Bruins in its midweek game in Nashville, the most offensive rebounds in a game for the Panthers since 2013 against Illinois State. UNI's 19-point comeback was its largest since rallying to beat Illinois State in the 2015 MVC Tournament championship game.

Anderson finished the night by tying his career-high with 27 points with a career-best 11 made field goals along with nine rebounds. Ben Schwieger notched his second double-double of the season with 17 points and ten rebounds, sinking a season-high eight buckets and playing all 40 minutes, while both Trey Campbell and Max Weisbrod scored 12 points each, with Campbell pulling down eight rebounds along with five assists. Hutson scored eight points with ten rebounds, including a team-high six offensive boards, while Will Hornseth and Schmitt each scored three points.

Northern Iowa continues to maintain a hot shooting hand this season, ranking seventh in all of Division I with a 49.7% shooting clip, shooting over 50% in 13 of its 28 games this year. The Panthers are also on pace for the fifth-highest team shooting percentage in program history and highest mark this century. UNI is also 18th nationally in effective field goal percentage (56.4%) and 32nd in three-point shooting (37.4%).

Anderson, the MVC's leader in made free throws (127) and attempts (181) who also looks to continue climbing the program's top-ten all-time steals list, leads UNI with 15.4 points per game and a team-high 6.6 rebounds a game on 58.8% shooting. Anderson also passed Kwadzo Ahelegbe (2006-11) for tenth in school history in career games played (134) on Wednesday night.

Hutson has notched 11.6 points and 4.4 rebounds, while Campbell has posted 11.6 points and a team-high 83 assists. Schwieger has put up 10.1 points and 4.9 boards per game as a starter in the Panther lineup in the last 20 contests. Hornseth, meanwhile,is shooting at a high percentage in his freshman season, posting a 70% clip on 63-of-90 shooting, currently on pace to set a new single-season field goal percentage record.

From beyond the arc, Schmitt, who has appeared in ten games since his UNI and Division I debut at Southern Illinois last month, has steadily increased his minutes on the floor each game while shooting eight-for-25 from range. Weisbrod has also been a spark for Northern Iowa's three-point shooting having started the last six games and trailing on Campbell for the team lead with 39 made three pointers on 40.2%.

SCOUTING DRAKE
The Bulldogs have gone 5-1 since their last matchup with the Panthers less than a month ago in Des Moines with their only loss coming at home to Bradley last Sunday by just two points

Bennett Stirtz scored 20 points last month against UNI with Cam Manyawu posting ten points and nine rebounds in a 14-point win at the Knapp Center. As a team, Drake collectively dropped ten three-pointers on the Panthers and shot an even 50% from the field.

The Bulldogs have posted one of the best scoring defenses in MVC history, allowing just 59.2 points a game to its opponent, third-fewest in Division I. Drake, like UNI, is also top-ten in the country with a 49.4% shooting clip.

Stirtz leads the Bulldogs with 18.7 points, 6.1 assists and just under 39 minutes per game, while Manyawau has pulled down a team-high 5.5 rebounds a game. From beyond the arc, Mitch Mascari leads with a team-best 44.8% shooting mark.

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 2024-25 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.

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