University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Evansville
UNI men’s basketball opens Arch Madness play Thursday night in St. Louis
3/3/2026 5:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Panthers eye sixth MVC Tournament title and first in ten years as six-seed in 2026 field.
UNI men's basketball (19-12 / 11-9 MVC) vs. Evansville (7-24 / 3-17 MVC) [2026 State Farm MVC Tournament]
- 8:30 p.m. CT
- Thursday, Mar. 5, 2026
- St. Louis, Mo. | Enterprise Center (18,096)
- WATCH (MVC TV Network) [John Rooney: Play-by-Play / Rich Zvosec: Analyst]
- LISTEN (Panther Sports Radio Network) [J.W. Cox: Play-by-Play / Kevin Boyle: Analyst)
- LIVE RESULTS
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- Postseason play tips off for the UNI men's basketball team on Thursday night as the sixth-seed Panthers open up action at the 2026 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Tournament (commonly known as "Arch Madness") in St. Louis.
Northern Iowa will face off against 11-seed Evansville in the opening round at 8:30 p.m. CT at Enterprise Center with live coverage available on the MVC TV Network/ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network (93.5 The Mix) with J.W. Cox and Kevin Boyle on the call.
Panther fans are encouraged to attend a pregame rally at the Crown Hall at Ballpark Village in downtown St. Louis across the street from Busch Stadium at 6 p.m. CT. Should UNI advance in the tournament, additionally pregame rallies will be held at the venue at 4:30 p.m. CT (Friday), 1 p.m. CT (Saturday) and 9:30 a.m. CT (Sunday).
UNI will be in search of its sixth Arch Madness title and a trip to the NCAA Division I Tournament for the ninth time in program history with an MVC Tournament championship. The Panthers last won Arch Madness in 2016 and last appeared in the championship game in 2019.
Northern Iowa leads the all-time series with the Purple Aces 38-30 after sweeping the regular season series this year, which included most recently a 71-55 win for the Panthers on Jan. 31 in Cedar Falls. UNI is 4-0 all-time against Evansville at the MVC Tournament, its last victory over the Purple Aces in St. Louis coming in the first round in 2018.
The Panthers head to St. Louis winners of seven of their last 11 games, most recently rolling past Drake in Sunday's regular season finale in Des Moines, 75-53. UNI's offensive pace, paired with its elite defense has helped turn the tide in the last month. The Panthers have averaged 75 points per game since their final game in January and have shot 51% from the field. UNI scored only 58.6 points a game on 37.8% shooting during its five-game skid in January.
UNI leads all of Division I men's basketball in scoring defense with 61.1 points allowed per game, giving up 70+ points just six times this season. The Panthers are 14-3 when holding teams to 60 or fewer points this year.
Northern Iowa also ranks fifth in Division I in three-point percentage defense, limiting opponents to just 28.2% from beyond the arc. Entering Arch Madness, the Panthers have held 14 of their last 21 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 top-35 in the nation in field goal percentage defense (.408). UNI's opponents have shot over 50% only four times this year.
Trey Campbell looks to continue to add to the record book at Arch Madness. Having scored his 1,000th career point in December, Campbell's 127 career starts at UNI are third-most in program history, and the most among all active players in the MVC. Campbell is also fourth in team history in career steals (164), sixth in three-point field goal attempts (552) and fifth in made three-pointers (205). With seven more rebounds, Campbell can also become the first player in UNI history to record 1,000 career points, 500 career rebounds and 300 career assists.
Will Hornseth, who scored his 500th career point on Sunday and was named to the MVC's Most Improved Team on Tuesday, looks to continue to be a strong presence inside the paint, recently taking over as UNI's career shooting percentage leader (63.5%) with a minimum of 100 made shots. He has also scored ten or more points in 11 consecutive games, while also maintaining the fifth-highest single-season shooting clip in team history (.616).
At the three-point line, Max Weisbrod has also provided a spark for the Panther offense from three-point range. The DeForest, Wisconsin native is currently shooting 38.4% from beyond the arc this season, scoring a season-high 18 points in consecutive games against Belmont and Drake in February, including a UNI career-high six made three-pointers against the Bulldogs. He has also posted double-digit points in three of his last six games and made multiple triples in his last six outings as well.
SCOUTING EVANSVILLE
The Purple Aces enter the MVC Tournament as the 11-seed after a challenging season with a 3-17 mark in league play. Evansville stunned Valparaiso with a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer last Saturday, but fell short in Sunday's regular season finale against Southern Illinois, 81-67.
Evansville, which is seeking its first MVC Tournament win since the first round in 2024, has struggled on both ends of the floor, scoring a league-low 67.2 points per game while allowing 76.7 points a game. The Purple Aces have also faced challenges in rebounding, ranking 11th in the league with 31.1 boards a game.
AJ Casey leads Evansville with 13.2 points per game with freshman Leif Moeller posting 10.7 points. Moeller, rankings second in the MVC with four assists per contest, while Joshua Hughes has recorded three double-doubles for the Purples Aces this year.
2026 STATE FARM MVC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Opening Round
- Game 1 | #8 Southern Illinois vs. #9 Drake - 3:30 p.m. CT (MVC TV Network)
- Game 2 | #7 Valparaiso vs. #10 Indiana State - 6 p.m. CT (MVC TV Network)
- Game 3 | #6 UNI vs. #11 Evansville - 8:30 p.m. CT (MVC TV Network)
Quarterfinals
- Game 4 | #1 Belmont vs. Game 1 Winner - 12 p.m. CT (MVC TV Network)
- Game 5 | #4 Murray State vs. #5 UIC - 2:30 p.m. CT (MVC TV Network)
- Game 6 | #2 Bradley vs. Game 2 Winner - 6 p.m. CT (MVC TV Network)
- Game 7 | #3 Illinois State vs. Game 3 Winner - 8:30 p.m. CT (MVC TV Network)
Semifinals
- Game 8 | Game 4 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner - 2:30 p.m. CT (CBS Sports Network)
- Game 9 | Game 6 Winner vs. Game 7 Winner - 5 p.m. CT (CBS Sports Network)
Championship
- Game 10 | Game 8 Winner vs. Game 9 Winner - 11 a.m. CT (CBS)
ARCH MADNESS NOTES
- 2026 marks the 50th edition of the MVC Men's Basketball Tournament, its 35th overall contested in St. Louis and 31st at Enterprise Center.
- UNI has participated in Arch Madness every year since joining the MVC in 1991-92. The Panthers are a combined 29-27 in games played at the MVC Tournament.
- The Panthers have won Arch Madness five times (2004, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016) and made the championship games on two other occasions (1994, 2019).
- UNI head coach Ben Jacobson, the dean of the MVC head coaches, will lead the Panthers in his 20th Arch Madness tournament. Jacobson is 21-14 in Arch Madness, one win behind former Creighton coach Dana Altman for the most in league history.
- Northern Iowa is 5-7 all-time in the opening round of the MVC Tournament and a perfect 3-0 under head coach Ben Jacobson. UNI's last opening round appearance came in 2023 in a 75-63 win over Illinois State.
- Creighton holds the record for the most MVC Tournament titles with 12, followed by UNI and Southern Illinois with five each. Drake enters as the defending champion having won the last three tournaments.
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.
