University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Drake
UNI men’s basketball takes on Drake in Sunday’s Purple Out Game
2/14/2026 3:23:00 PM | Men's Basketball
AJ Green’s jersey set to be retired during pregame ceremony ahead of in-state matchup. Tickets available for purchase.
UNI men's basketball (16-10 / 8-7 MVC) vs. Drake (12-15 / 6-9 MVC)
- 2 p.m. CT
- Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026
- Cedar Falls, Iowa | McLeod Center (6,650)
- WATCH (CBS Sports Network) [Jack Gordon: Play-by-Play / Noah Buono: Analyst]
- LISTEN (Panther Sports Radio Network) [J.W. Cox: Play-by-Play / Kevin Boyle: Analyst)
- LIVE RESULTS
- TICKETS
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- A sea of purple is expected to be on hand inside the McLeod Center on Sunday afternoon as the UNI men's basketball team hosts in-state rival Drake in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) during the Panthers' annual Purple Out Game.
Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT with live coverage available on CBS Sports Network and the Panther Sports Radio Network (93.5 The Mix) with J.W. Cox and Kevin Boyle on the call.
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.
UNI will hold a jersey retirement ceremony prior to tip for two-time MVC Player of the Year and current Milwaukee Bucks guard AJ Green. Fans are encouraged to be seated for the ceremony by 1:40 p.m. CT. Green will also hold an autograph session following the game on the arena's north concourse. A limited number of posters will be available postgame, while 1,000 t-shirts will also be available on the south concourse while supplies last prior to the game.
Following Green's jersey retirement, UNI will also hold a moment of silence in memory of Panther football player Parker Sutherland, who passed away on Saturday.
The Panthers are 53-35 all-time against the Bulldogs, but were swept by Drake in the regular season series a year ago, including a 64-58 overtime loss at home last February. UNI holds a 31-8 record against Drake all-time on its home floor.
Northern Iowa will look to bounce back after a high-scoring 91-86 loss at league-leading Belmont on Thursday, snapping a brief three-game winning streak. UNI gave up a season-high 14 three-point field goals in a battle with the Bruins, shooting 49% from the field with four players in double figures for scoring.
Leon Bond III finished the night with 21 points, seven rebounds and a season-high tying three steals at Belmont, with Trey Campbell tallying 19 points and three steals as well. Max Weisbrod posted a UNI career-high tying and season-best 18 points all in the second half, with Will Hornseth notching 15 points and a career-high seven assists.
UNI leads all of Division I men's basketball in scoring defense with 61.2 points allowed per game, giving up 70+ points just four times this season. The Panthers are 12-2 when holding teams to 60 or fewer points this year.
Northern Iowa also ranks fourth in Division I in three-point percentage defense, limiting opponents to just 27.6% from beyond the arc. Entering their game against Belmont, the Panthers have held 12 of their last 16 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 33rd in the nation in field goal percentage defense (.405), with Panther opponents having shot over 50% only three times this year.
Campbell looks to continue to add to the record book against the Bruins. Having scored his 1,000th career point in December, Campbell's 122 career starts at UNI are third-most in program history, and the most among all active players in the MVC. Campbell is also tied for fourth in team history in career steals (160), sixth in three-point field goal attempts (531) and eighth in made three-pointers made (199). With 34 rebounds and five more assists, Campbell can also become the first player in UNI history to record 1,000 career points, 500 career rebounds and 300 career assists.
Hornseth also looks to continue to be a strong presence inside the paint, recently taking over as UNI's career shooting percentage leader (63.3%) with a minimum of 100 made shots. He has also scored ten or more points in six consecutive games, while also maintaining the ninth-highest single-season shooting clip in team history (.606).
SCOUTING DRAKE
The Bulldogs make their annual visit to Cedar Falls amid a five-game skid with losses to Bradley, Belmont, Illinois State, Valparaiso and most recently UIC on Thursday night. With four games to go in the regular season, including two against Northern Iowa, Drake sits in ninth place in the MVC standings after winning the MVC Tournament in each of the past three seasons.
Led by first year head coach Eric Henderson, the Bulldogs have been a solid three-point shooting team, knocking down 9.4 triples per game, third-most in the league while also posting the MVC's fourth-highest scoring offense with 77.3 points per game.
Senior Jalen Quinn leads the conference in scoring with 19.8 points per game with Jaeshon Thomas also posting ten points a game. Quinn also leads the league in both field goals and free throws made and attempted.
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.
