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University of Northern Iowa Athletics
10/21/2026 1:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
ST. LOUIS --- Four Panther newcomers have been named to the Missouri Valley Conference's (MVC) 2026-27 Preseason Watchlist for men's basketball, as announced by the league office on Wednesday.
Juniors Greyson Uelmen, Tate McCubbin, Isaiah Johnson-Arigu and Ian Smikle were among 33 players named to the league's preseason list of players to watch during the 2026-27 season.
Uelman, a guard from Excelsior, Minnesota, joins the Panthers after two seasons at North Dakota, where he earned Second Team All-Summit League honors as well as conference all-tournament and newcomer team recognition last year. Averaging 16.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game in 35 games last season with the Fighting Hawks, he finished in double-digit scoring figures 29 times, with ten 20+ point games and a career-high 41 points in the Summit League Tournament semifinal against Denver.
McCubbin, a guard/forward and native of Columbia, Missouri, begins his Panther career this season after two years at Austin Peay. In 62 games played for the Governors, McCubbin posted 10.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game, notably earning Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) Freshman of the Year honors in 2024-25, along with ASUN All-Freshman Team recognition and four conference weekly awards. McCubbin has posted 32 career games in double digit scoring figures, notching a 40.6% shooting clip.
Johnson-Arigu, a Minneapolis, Minnesota product and forward, spent last season at St. Thomas and appeared in 33 games off the bench, averaging 10.5 points, four rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.6 blocks per game. Shooting 54.4% from the field last year, the third-highest clip in the Tommies' short Division I history, he also placed one season at Miami (FL) in 2024-25, appearing in eight games off the bench.
Smikle, a forward from West Palm Beach, Florida, joins the Panther roster following two seasons at Tulsa where he appeared in 71 games and posted 4.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.3 steals and 0.3 blocks for the Golden Hurricane. A member of the 2025 American Conference All-Freshman Team, he helped Tulsa reach the NIT semifinals last season after shooting 53.3% from the field and averaging 3.6 rebounds a game.
Uelman, McCubbin, Johnson-Arigu, Smikle and the Panthers will host Division II Upper Iowa in a preseason exhibition free and open to the public on Thursday, Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. CT inside the McLeod Center. Northern Iowa will open the regular season on Tuesday, Nov. 3 when it hosts Cornell (IA) at 7 p.m. CT.
2026-27 MVC MEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON WATCHLIST
- Jack Smiley (Belmont)
- Eoin Dillon (Belmont)
- Timothy van der Knapp (Bradley)
- Xander Alaire (Bradley)
- Trevon Payton (Bradley)
- Owen Larson (Drake)
- Jon Carroll (Drake)
- Eli Shetlar (Drake)
- AJ Casey (Evansville)
- Bryce Quinet (Evansville)
- Amad Henderson II (UIC)
- Andy Johnson (UIC)
- Mekhi Lowery (UIC)
- Rashund Washington Jr. (UIC)
- Johnny Kinziger (Illinois State)
- Chase Walker (Illinois State)
- Malik Messina-Moore (Illinois State)
- Noah Cleveland (Illinois State)
- Jackson Cooper (Indiana State)
- Karmani Gregory (Indiana State)
- Greyson Uelman (UNI)
- Tate McCubbin (UNI)
- Isaiah Johnson-Arigu (UNI)
- Ian Smikle (UNI)
- Roman Doman (Murray State)
- Brigham Rogers (Murray State)
- Mark Padjen (Murray State)
- Mathis Courbon (Murray State)
- Jalen Haynes (Southern Illinois)
- Donovan Hill (Southern Illinois)
- JT Pettigrew (Valparaiso)
- Rakin Chaney (Valparaiso)
- Justus McNair (Valparaiso)
- Carter Hopoi (Valparaiso)
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.
