Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball

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Northern Iowa Panthers
Basketball current event.svg 2023–24 Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball team
Northern Iowa Panthers wordmark.svg
University University of Northern Iowa
Head coach Ben Jacobson (18th season)
Conference Missouri Valley
Location Cedar Falls, Iowa
Arena McLeod Center
(Capacity: 7,018)
Nickname Panthers
Student sectionPanther Mayhem
ColorsPurple and old gold [1]
   
Uniforms
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Home
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Away


NCAA tournament Final Four
1964*
NCAA tournament Elite Eight
1964*
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
1962*, 1964*, 1979*, 2010
NCAA tournament round of 32
1962*, 1964*, 1979*, 1990, 2010, 2015, 2016
NCAA tournament appearances
1962*, 1964*, 1979*, 1990, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016
*at Division II level
Conference tournament champions
1990, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016
Conference regular season champions
1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1953, 1962, 1964, 1969, 2009, 2010, 2020, 2022

The Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball team represents the University of Northern Iowa located in Cedar Falls, Iowa. UNI is currently a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.

Contents

Postseason results

NCAA Division I Tournament

Northern Iowa has made the NCAA tournament eight times. The Panthers have a record of 5–8.

YearSeedRoundOpponentResult
1990 #14First round
Second Round
#3 Missouri
#6 Minnesota
W 74–71
L 78–81
2004 #14First round#3 Georgia TechL 60–65
2005 #11First round#6 WisconsinL 52–57
2006 #10First round#7 GeorgetownL 49–54
2009 #12First round#5 PurdueL 56–61
2010 #9First round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
#8 UNLV
#1 Kansas
#5 Michigan State
W 69–66
W 69–67
L 52–59
2015 #5First round
Second Round
#12 Wyoming
#4 Louisville
W 71–54
L 53–66
2016 #11First round
Second Round
#6 Texas
#3 Texas A&M
W 75–72
L 88–92 (2OT)

NCAA Division II Tournament

YearRoundOpponentResult
1962 Regional semifinals
Regional Finals
Hamline
Nebraska Wesleyan
W 81–68
L 77–78
1964 Regional semifinals
Regional Finals
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Third-place game
Washington-St. Louis
Mankato State
Southeast Missouri
Evansville
North Carolina A&T
W 71–56
W 71–64 (OT)
W 93–85
L 67–82
L 72–91
1979 Regional semifinals
Regional Finals
Nebraska-Omaha
Wisconsin-Green Bay
W 84–72
L 50–56

NIT Tournament history

Northern Iowa has made the NIT twice, with a record of 2-2.

YearSeedRoundOpponentResult
2012 #7First round
Second Round
#2 Saint Joseph's
#3 Drexel
W 67–65
L 63–65
2022 #6First round
Second Round
#3 Saint Louis
#2 BYU
W 80–68
L 71–90

CIT Tournament history

SeasonEliminated
Round
Teams DefeatedLost to
2011 QuarterfinalsRiderSMU
2013 SemifinalsNorth Dakota
UIC
Bradley
Weber State

Other tournaments

Coaching history

Ben Jacobson era

Jacobson's biggest coaching accomplishment to date was in the 2009–10 season, when the Panthers made a run into the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament highlighted by an upset of top national seed Kansas. ESPN.com columnist Pat Forde called the Panthers' win "the biggest tourney upset in years," and called the clinching shot by Panthers guard Ali Farokhmanesh "the gutsiest early-round shot in NCAA tournament history."

Jacobson also coached UNI as it became the first college program ever to represent the United States of America at an international basketball competition. In August 2007, UNI was chosen to be Team USA at the World University Games in Bangkok, Thailand. Donning the Red, White and Blue, UNI went 5–1 in the tournament, losing only to eventual gold medalist Lithuania, while posting wins over Angola, Turkey, China, Finland and Israel.

On November 15, 2014, Jacobson became the all-time win leader for a coach in UNI Men's basketball history. After recording a win over his alma mater University of North Dakota, he notched his 167th UNI victory. Additionally, in the 2014–15 season, Jacobson led the Panthers to their highest ranking in school history (#10) in the AP and (#9) in the Coaches Poll. UNI also in that season achieved the most wins in the school's history with 31. Jacobson has also been awarded the Missouri Valley Conference coach of the year award in 2009, 2010, and 2015.

On November 21, 2015, Jacobson led UNI to a victory over #1 North Carolina. The win was one of the biggest in program history and came in just the first meeting of the two basketball programs. Just four days later the coach hit another career milestone. After defeating the University of Dubuque in convincing fashion, the coach recorded his 200th victory at the university.

In the first round of the MVC tournament, Jacobson notched his 250th Northern Iowa career win against Evansville on March 1, 2018.

On February 27, 2021 he earned his 300th win as coach in the regular season finale against Illinois State.

Notable players

Rivalries

The school has several statewide and national rivalries. In Iowa, UNI used to play two, if not three of its Iowa neighbors for the Iowa Big Four men's college basketball mythical championship. The university also used to play either the University of Iowa or Iowa State University in the Hyvee Big Four Classic held at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. UNI’s MVC rivals are UIC, Bradley, Drake, and Missouri State.

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The 2008–09 Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball team represents University of Northern Iowa in the 2008-09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team, which plays in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), is led by third-year head coach Ben Jacobson. In 2007–08, the Panthers finished 18–14.

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The 2009–10 Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball team represented the University of Northern Iowa in the 2009-10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team, which plays in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), was led by fourth-year head coach Ben Jacobson and played their home games at the McLeod Center. They went 15–3 during the regular conference season to win the regular season championship. The Panthers also won the 2010 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament to earn the conference's automatic bid to the 2010 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. They earned a 9 seed in the Midwest Region where they defeated 8 seed UNLV in the first round and upset the overall 1 seed Kansas in the second round to advance to the Sweet Sixteen at Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015–16 Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2015–16 Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball team represented the University of Northern Iowa during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Panthers, led by tenth year head coach Ben Jacobson, played their home games at the McLeod Center and were members of the Missouri Valley Conference. They finished the 23–13, 11–7 in Missouri Valley play to finish in a tie for fourth place. The Panthers defeated Southern Illinois, Wichita State, and Evansville to win the Missouri Valley tournament and earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. As a No. 11 seed, they defeated Texas in the first round to advance to the second round, where they lost to the Texas A&M Aggies in double overtime after suffering the greatest collapse in NCAA Tournament history, blowing a 12 point lead with 35 seconds left in regulation.

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The Northern Iowa Panthers women's basketball team represents the University of Northern Iowa, located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, in NCAA Division I basketball competition. UNI is currently a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018–19 Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2018–19 Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball team represented the University of Northern Iowa during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Panthers, led by 13th-year head coach Ben Jacobson, played their home games at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls, Iowa as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. They finished the season 16–18, 9–9 in MVC play to finish in a three-way tie for fifth place. As the No. 6 seed in the MVC tournament, they beat Southern Illinois and Drake before losing to Bradley in the championship.

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Jacqui Kalin is an American-Israeli former college and professional basketball 5-foot-8 point guard. In college at the University of Northern Iowa, she set the free throw percentage NCAA Division 1 career record, and was twice named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year. She played two years of professional basketball in Israel, and played for the Israel women's national basketball team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020–21 Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2020–21 Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball team represented the University of Northern Iowa during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Panthers, led by 15th-year head coach Ben Jacobson, played their home games at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls, Iowa as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Panthers finished the season 10–15, 7–11 in MVC play to finish in a three-way tie for fifth place. As the No. 7 seed in the MVC tournament, they defeated Illinois State in the first round before being forced to forfeit their quarterfinal game against Drake due to positive COVID-19 tests.

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The Drake–Northern Iowa rivalry is the American collegiate athletics rivalry between the Drake Bulldogs sports teams of Drake University and Northern Iowa Panthers sports teams of the University of Northern Iowa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021–22 Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2021–22 Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball team represented the University of Northern Iowa during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Panthers, led by 16th-year head coach Ben Jacobson, played their home games at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls, Iowa as members of the Missouri Valley Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022–23 Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2022–23 Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball team represented the University of Northern Iowa during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Panthers, led by 17th-year head coach Ben Jacobson, played their home games at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls, Iowa as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. They finished the season 13–17, 9–11 in MVC Play to finish in 8th place. In the MVC tournament, they defeated Illinois State in the opening round before losing to Bradley in the quarterfinals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023–24 Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2023–24 Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball team represents the University of Northern Iowa during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Panthers, led by 18th-year head coach Ben Jacobson, play their home games at the McLeod Center located in Cedar Falls, Iowa as members of the Missouri Valley Conference.

References

  1. University of Northern Iowa Athletics Style Guide (PDF). January 25, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  2. Katz, Andy (July 10, 2009). "U.S. to play Israel for bronze". ESPN.com . Retrieved July 10, 2009.