Northern Iowa @ SIU 1/15/22 7:00 PM ESPN+ (White Out)

SIU finally plays their first home Valley game of the year on Saturday against a Northern Iowa team that's starting to figure things out.  For those going to the game, they're trying to have everyone wear white to the game.

The Panthers played the toughest non-conference schedule in the conference and finished 4-6 including a win over #69 St. Bonaventure but losses to #192 Nicholls State and #117 Liberty.  Northern Iowa also started conference play with a loss at Bradley but has rebounded to win their last 4 including a win at Missouri State in spite of 43 points from Isaiah Mosley.

Meet the Panthers:

Northern Iowa returns basically their entire team from last year and gains a healthy AJ Green.  The Panthers are 22nd in the country in minutes continuity from last year (75.8%).  UNI is 256th in the country in average height (76.4") and 299th in the country in experience (1.40 years).

On the offensive end, the Panthers have been one of the best shooting teams in the country.  UNI is 66th in the country in effective field goal % (52.9%), 117th in the country in 3 point % (34.7%), and 59th in the country in 2 point % (53.5%).  The Panthers are also good at getting to the free throw line as they're 78th in the country in free throw attempts per field goal attempts (33.7) and when they get to the line, they make them.  The Panthers are 46th in the country in free throw % (76.1%).  Northern Iowa also does a good job of taking care of the basketball as they're 64th in the country in turnover % on the offensive end (17.0%) and they tend to not get blocked much as they're 38th in the country in block % on the offensive end (6.8%).  The Panthers also take a ton of 3's.  UNI is 60th in the country in 3 point attempts per field goals attempts (43.8) and they're 104th in the country in total points coming from 3 pointers (34.7%).  19.5% of their points come from free throws (85th in the country) and 45.8% of their points come from 2 pointers (305th in the country).

On the opposite side, the Panthers have struggled a ton on the defensive end.  UNI is 303rd in the country in effective field goal % against (53.5%), 262nd in the country in 3 point % against (35.1%), and 320th in the country in 2 point % against (54.4%).  Only 2 teams in the country are behind the Panthers in opponents 3 point attempts per field goal attempts (50.5) and teams are 3rd in the country against Northern Iowa in percentage of points coming from 3 pointers (43.3%).  The Panthers are also the 4th worst team in the country in block % on the defensive end (3.8%) and 319th in the country in steal % on the defensive end (7.3%).  The Panthers have been very good about grabbing rebounds on the offensive end as they're the #1 team in the country in opponents offensive rebounding % (16.9%).  They've also been very good about limiting teams from getting to the free throw line as they're 24th in the country in opponents free throw attempts per field goal attempts (22.3).  Against Northern Iowa, teams are getting 12.8% of their points from the free throw line, 349th in the country.

Northern Iowa's leading scorer is 6'4 Junior AJ Green with 17.5 points per game.  Green was a 4 star recruit out of Cedar Falls, Iowa and chose Northern Iowa over offers from Clemson, Iowa State, Minnesota, and Nebraska.  In his Freshman season, Green set the Northern Iowa record for points in a Freshman season with 509 and started all 34 games leading to him winning MVC Freshman of the Year.  In Green's Sophomore season, he averaged 19.7 points per game and won the Larry Bird MVC Player of the Year.  Last season, Green played just 3 games before suffering a season ending hip injury leading to him getting surgery on both hips.  This season, Green has taken a bit of a step back from his Sophomore season in terms of scoring but he's still able to fill it up.  Green scored 33 points in the win on the road at Missouri State on 9-17 shooting and 13-14 from the free throw line.  Green plays by far the most minutes on the team and is 24th in the country in % of minutes played (90.1) just behind Marcus Domask for 2nd in the conference (91.6%).  Green's overall shooting percentages this year are down from where they've been in the past but he's still taking and making a lot of 3's (41-117).  If the game comes down to free throws, Green is as good as any at the foul line, 105th in the country in free throw % (58-67, 86.6%).

Northern Iowa's leading rebounder is 6'5 5th year Senior Trae Berhow averaging 5.3 rebounds per game.  Berhow started his collegiate career in 2017-18 at Pepperdine University where he averaged 10 points per game and 5.7 rebounds per game in his Freshman season and started 28 of 30 games.  After his Freshman season, Berhow transferred to Northern Iowa where he's been for the last four seasons.  Berhow started slow at UNI in his Sophomore year but improved in his Junior year and was named to the MVC Most Improved team.  In total Berhow has started 97 games at UNI in his career.  This season, Berhow has been grabbing rebounds and has been one of Northern Iowa's most consistent shooters this season.  Berhow is 264th in the country in effective field goal % (55.9%), 392nd in the country in true shooting % (56.9%), and 390th in the country in 3 point shooting % (38.1%).  He's also 460th in the country in defensive rebounding % (17.6%).

UNI's 2nd leading scorer this season is 6'6 Junior Noah Carter averaging 13 points per game.  Carter leads the Panthers in shots and possessions.  He's 150th in the country in percentage of possessions when he's on the floor (27.7%) and 44th in the country in percentage of shots taken when he's on the floor (32.0%).  Carter has been excellent close to the rim as he's 230rd in the country in 2 point % (60.5%) and he's been good at taking care of the basketball as he's 262nd in the country in turnover rate (11.8%).

Northern Iowa's best 3 point shooter this year is 6'4 Sophomore Nate Heise.  Heise took on a bigger role in his Freshman season with AJ Green hurt and was named to the MVC All-Freshman team and started 21 games.  This season, Heise is 3rd on the team in scoring with 10.5 points per game and he's been Northern Iowa's most reliable shooter.  Heise is 61st in the country in 3 point % (18-39, 46.2%), 41st in the country in effective field goal % (64.4%), and 27th in the country in true shooting % (67.6%).  Heise has also been really good at getting to the free throw line as he's 122nd in the country in free throw rate (48.9%).  He's also been pretty good at grabbing rebounds as he's 265th in the country in defensive rebounding % (20.0%).

Two other players to watch out for are 6'9 Senior Austin Phyfe and 5'11 Sophomore Bowen Born.  Both Phyfe and Born were staples of the Panthers from last year but haven't gotten full minutes yet because of varying issues.  Phyfe was named to the First Team All-MVC in his Sophomore season 11.2 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game and was named to the Third Team All-MVC team last season.  This season, Phyfe has struggled to get minutes due to a bout with long-COVID and is only averaging 9 minutes per game.  Bowen Born took advantage of AJ Green being out last year and was named MVC Freshman of the Year after averaging 11.2 points per game and starting all 25 games.  This season, Born has seen his minutes and production cut likely due to his broken wrist he suffered in November.  Born's production has been increasing in his last 2 games though as he's scored in double digits in back to back games, his first 2 games of the season scoring double digits.

Full Northern Iowa/SIU games on YouTube:

2004:

1/31 SIU 63 Northern Iowa 53 (Home)

2005:

2/23 SIU 76 Northern Iowa 69 (Home)

2006:

1/16 Northern Iowa 71 SIU 65 2 OT (Road)

2/25 SIU 46 Northern Iowa 45 (Home)

3/4 SIU 55 Northern Iowa 46 OT (MVC Tournament Semifinal)

2007:

1/23 SIU 56 Northern Iowa 54 (Home)

2019:

3/8 Northern Iowa 61 SIU 58 (MVC Tournament Quarterfinals)

2020:

1/22 SIU 68 Northern Iowa 66 (Home)

Links:

SIU Game Notes

Northern Iowa Game Notes

Panther Nation Message Board

Bryan Mullins with Mike Reis pregame

Steven Verplancken Jr. interview with Rodney Watson

Mike Reis interview with Northern Iowa Head Coach Ben Jacobson

Saluki Radio Flashback: 1977 NCAA Tournament win vs Arizona