UNI men's basketball (0-0 / 0-0 MVC) vs. Dubuque (0-0 / 0-0 ARC)
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The UNI men's basketball team will officially kick off the 2024-25 season on Monday night as the Panthers play host to the Division III Dubuque Spartans.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT inside the McLeod Center, with live coverage available on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network with J.W. Cox and Kevin Boyle on the call.
Tickets for Monday's season opener can be purchased through the UNI Ticket Office either online, or by calling 319-273-4849 or through email at [email protected]. Spectators aged 17 and younger can also attend the game with special $5 tickets.
Head coach Ben Jacobson begins his 19th season at the helm of the Panther program with 354 career wins, including an MVC record 195 victories in league play. UNI is 12-6 in regular season opening games under Jacobson, as well as 16-2 in its home opener since Jacobson became head coach in 2006-07.
Northern Iowa comes into the new season with high hopes following a 19-14 season and trip to the semifinal round of the MVC Tournament (commonly known as Arch Madness). Finishing in a tie for fourth in the league standings with a 12-8 conference mark, UNI has finished in the upper half of the MVC standings 13 times under Jacobson. UNI was picked to finish second in the MVC preseason poll behind Bradley, with senior forward Tytan Anderson earning Preseason First Team All-MVC honors, and both Trey Campbell and Jacob Hutson earning second team recognition.
Anderson returns after averaging 11.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game last season, which included a team-high five double-double performances. His 19 rebounds against Belmont in last season's Arch Madness quarterfinal were a team postseason record, while he also tied his own school record for rebounds in a game against an MVC opponent against Drake (18).
Hutson, who joined the Panthers last season as a transfer from Loyola-Chicago, has given UNI a boost in interior size with the Edina, Minnesota native setting new career-highs a year ago in games played (33), points per game (9.5) and minutes per game (22.6). Campbell, a Cedar Falls native entering his junior season, looks to continue to develop his skills after posting nine points per contest, which included a career-high 21 points against Richmond last winter.
Other key returners RJ Taylor and Kyle Pock, both of whom saw significant playing time as true freshmen a year ago, as well as forwards Chase Courbat and Wes Rubin, and guards Charlie Miller and Hunter Jacobson.
Northern Iowa added seven new faces in the offseason, including four transfers. Among the players signed out of the transfer portal are Cael Schmitt, the second leading scorer all-time in Coe College history, 2024 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Player of the Year Max Weisbrod from Northern Michigan, former Loyola-Chicago product Ben Schwieger and former Virginia Cavalier Leon Bond III.
UNI's freshman signees include Wisconsin product Will Hornseth, former Norwalk standout Redek Born and Cedar Falls native Cade Courbat. Both Born and Courbat will redshirt this season.
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS Under the leadership of former Panther Robbie Sieverding (1998-02), the Spartans have been a regular contender in the American Rivers Conference (ARC) since taking over the program in 2007. Sieverding has led Dubuque to three conference regular season and tournament titles and qualified for three NCAA Tournaments, including last season.
The Spartans posted a 21-7 record in 2023-24, finishing in a tie for third in the ARC standings with an 11-5 record. Dubuque earned an at-large NCAA Tournament bid, falling to Illinois College by two points in the opening round.
First Team All-ARC guard Jaylin McCants returns for the Spartans after averaging a team-high 18.7 points and 7.2 rebounds last season. McCants' is supported by fifth year forward Keegan Zimmerman, who averaged 12 points per game to earn second team all-conference honors in 2023 before sitting out last year. Grady Thompson also notched 7.6 points and 4.1 boards a game, with Sunday John posting 6.2 points per contest.
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). The full 2024 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.