University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Evansville
UNI men’s hoops looks to stay hot in road trip to Evansville
1/3/2026 9:52:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Panthers eye first 4-0 start to league play in 15 years in matchup with Purple Aces.
UNI men's basketball (11-3 / 3-0 MVC) at Evansville (4-11 / 0-4 MVC)
- 3 p.m. CT
- Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026
- Evansville, Ind. | Ford Center (11,000)
- WATCH (ESPN+)
- LISTEN (Panther Sports Radio Network) [J.W. Cox: Play-by-Play / Kevin Boyle: Analyst]
- LIVE RESULTS
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The UNI men's basketball team hits the road for the first time in the new calendar year as it visits the Evansville Purple Aces on Sunday afternoon in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) action.
Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT at the Ford Center 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.
UNI leads the all-time series against Evansville 37-30 after winning the last two matchups, including a 73-56 victory in Cedar Falls in the regular season last year. The Panthers with a victory on Sunday can move to 4-0 in league play for the first time since the 2009-10 season.
The Panthers stormed back from a five-point halftime deficit to topple Indiana State on New Year's Day. UNI shot 54.4% from the field overall and outrebounded the Sycamores by a 20-7 margin in the second half. Trey Campbell led the effort with 18 points, with 17 points from Ben Schwieger, 15 points from Tristan Smith and an 11-point, ten rebound double-double by Leon Bond III.
UNI ranks second in all of Division I with a 57.9 points per game scoring defense, allowing 70 points or fewer in 13 of 14 games, as well as going 8-0 when holding opponents under 60 points. Northern Iowa'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 in the top-15 in the nation in field goal percentage defense (.374) and third three-point field goal percentage defense (.248). UNI's defense has forced 13.3 opposing turnovers per game through the first 14 games of the season, fourth-most in the MVC.
The Panthers are 20th in the nation in assist/turnover ratio (1.76), rankings third in the league with 16.4 assists per game. Northern Iowa also boasts the MVC's third-best scoring margin (12.6) and have committed just 9.4 turnovers per game, the tenth fewest in the country.
Campbell looks to continue to add to the record book against Indiana State. Having scored his 1,000th career point in December, Campbell's 110 career starts at UNI, tied for seventh most in program history alongside Jeremy Morgan (2013-17). Campbell also boasts the most career starts among all active players in the MVC.
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 (63.9%) with a minimum of 100 made shots. Schwieger meanwhile looks to continue his march to 500 points in his UNI career, looking to become the 116th player in team history to reach the milestone as Bond sits just one points shy of 500 for his career.
SCOUTING EVANSVILLE
The Purple Aces return to the Ford Center after a two-game road trip on a six-game skid and 0-4 start to league play, falling at Bradley by a score of 76-68 last Monday, as well as Illinois State in a tough 73-47 loss in Normal.
Led by fourth year head coach David Ragland, Evansville are among the MVC's top blocking units with 3.9 blocks per game. The Purple Aces have struggled however on the offensive end of the floor with a league-worst 67.8 points per game, 0.9 assist/turnover ratio and three-point defense (.366).
Connor Turnball leads Evansville in scoring with 12.5 points a game, while also leading the conference and ranking in the top-ten nationally with 2.6 blocks per game. Turnball also anchors the Purple Aces off the glass with a team-high 4.8 rebounds a game.
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.
