University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Murray State
UNI men’s hoops matches up with first-place Murray State on Saturday
1/23/2026 10:15:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Panthers host league-leading Racers in weekend showdown at the McLeod Center. Tickets available for purchase.
UNI men's basketball (12-8 / 4-5 MVC) vs. Murray State (16-4 / 8-1 MVC)
- 3 p.m. CT
- Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026
- Cedar Falls, Iowa | McLeod Center (6,650)
- WATCH (CBS Sports Network) [John Sadak: Play-by-Play / John Henson: Analyst]
- LISTEN (Panther Sports Radio Network) [J.W. Cox: Play-by-Play / Kevin Boyle: Analyst]
- LIVE RESULTS
- TICKETS
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The UNI men's basketball team returns to the McLeod Center after a two-game road trip, preparing to play host to Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) leader Murray State this Saturday afternoon.
Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT at CEFCU Arena in Normal with live coverage available on ESPNU 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. The first 200 fans in attendance will also receive a pair of Panther sneaker slippers. Click HERE for a full list of Panther promotions this season.
UNI holds a narrow 3-2 lead in the all-time series against the Racers, which began when Murray State entered the league back during the 2022-23 season. Both teams split the two regular season matchups last year, with the road team emerging victorious in both.
Northern Iowa will look to jump start its offense and snap a season-long five-game skid on Saturday following a tough 59-54 loss to MVC preseason favorite Illinois State in Normal. Despite a late second half push, UNI was held under 40% shooting for a third straight game with limited three-point success early in the game.
Ben Schwieger finished the night with a team-high 15 points with four rebounds, while Will Hornseth scored ten points and a team-high seven rebounds plus two steals at Illinois. Trey Campbell tallied nine points with five boards as RJ Taylor finished with six points.
UNI leads all of Division I men's basketball in scoring defense with 59.7 points allowed per game, giving up 70 points just three times this season. The Panthers are 9-2 when holding opponents to 60 or fewer points this year.
Northern Iowa is also second in Division I in three-point percentage defense, limiting opponents to just 25.7% from beyond the arc. Entering their game against Murray State, the Panthers have held nine of their last ten opponents under 30% from three-point range.
UNI's scoring defense is currently on pace for the fourth-best mark since transitioning to a Division I program (1980-81). The Panthers have made the NCAA Tournament each of the previous three seasons when giving up 60 points or fewer. The Panthers are also 24th in the nation in field goal percentage defense (.396), and have committed the seventh-fewest turnovers per game in the country (9.1).
Campbell looks to continue to add to the record book against the Beacons. Having scored his 1,000th career point in December, Campbell's 116 career starts at UNI are fifth-most in program history, one start shy of tying Brooks McKowen (2003-07) for fourth-most, and the most among all active players in the MVC.
Hornseth looks to continue to be a strong presence inside the paint, recently taking over as UNI's career shooting percentage leader (62.5%) with a minimum of 100 made shots. Leon Bond III meanwhile looks to continue his march to 500 points in his UNI career, looking to become the 117th player in team history to reach the milestone.
SCOUTING MURRAY STATE
Murray State makes its way to Cedar Falls after suffering their first MVC loss of the season, a 101-90 defeat at Drake on Wednesday night, snapping a 12-game winning streak for the first-place Racers.
Led by first year head coach Ryan Miller, the Racers have been the MVC's most effective offense with a league-high 87.9 points per game, leading the conference from beyond the arc with 29.4 three-point attempts per contest and 10.4 triples a game, while also boasting an effective score bench that has produced a conference-best 34.6 points off the bench.
Javon Jackson leads the charge for Murray State with 17.4 points per game, with Roman Domon and Fredrick King also posting double-digit scoring figures. King leads the MVC with 161 total rebounds on the year along with five double-doubles and 38 total blocks, while Mason Miller has led the league with 38 total three-pointers this year.
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.
