On Wednesday night against Illinois State, the Creighton men’s basketball team scored over 100 points in regulation during a conference game for the first time in over a decade. Could the Bluejays be peaking at just the right time, as the final third of the conference season starts? The buzz around Omaha is through the roof right now.
Northern Iowa, on the other hand, is going through a tough stretch right now. They have lost four of their past six games, but did get a win against Southern Illinois on Tuesday night in a game that was really tough to watch. If the MVC was looking to get an NCAA bid for a team other than Creighton and Wichita State, Northern Iowa is supposed to be this team just based on who they have played. But at this point, the Panthers need all the wins they can get.
Since playing Creighton in Omaha was almost a month ago, we decided to get everyone up to speed by talking to the Panther’s beat writer, Carson Tigges, from the WCF Courier. This is his first year covering Northern Iowa hoops, but has some great insight before the 4:00 p.m. tip on Saturday.
White & Blue Review: What have you learned the most about Northern Iowa basketball team in your first year covering the Panthers for the Courier?
Carson Tigges: I’ve learned about the amount of respect opposing coaches and even players actually have for the UNI basketball program and how Ben Jacobson runs it. Coaches are typically cordial to others, but I’ve noticed several times they seem to go out of their way to compliment the way UNI plays and, if they ended up on top, mention how fortunate they are to get a win against UNI.
WBR: How does Ben Jacobson feel about the progress of his team at this point in the season? Is this what he expected?
CT: I know he’s disappointed with what the record is right now. But up until the last few games – starting with Indiana State, Missouri State and Southern Illinois – he was happy with the team’s consistent improvement even though the Panthers were taking a few losses. Many of those losses were the result of the opponent just having more at the end (i.e. the first meeting with Creighton). However, the last couple games, he did admit his team wasn’t making the necessary improvements and was sort of spinning its wheels while the rest of the league continued to get better. Hopefully the psychology of pulling out a win Tuesday can get them back on track.
As far as what he expected, that’s tough to say. Everyone knew it was a young team coming into the season, and I’m sure he understood some ups and downs were on the way.
WBR: This will be an ongoing thing in the media likely for the next few seasons, but what kind of feelings are there for the McDermotts when they come back to town. Does the fanbase accept that Jacobson let Doug McDermott ultimately go to Creighton instead of Northern Iowa? Where would UNI be with him in the lineup?
CT: I feel there is a wide range of emotions with the McDermott situation. Some are still bitter, which has something to do with the success Creighton is having and probably some feeling that Greg was able to just “fall into” a great situation in Omaha. Others have moved on thanks to both fan bases being pretty happy with what they have at this point. Jacobson does have a couple NCAA Tournaments and MVC titles to his name.
With Doug, it’s probably pretty similar. On the rational side of the spectrum, people understand that family is important and they would’ve done the same thing if they were in Doug’s position. Ultimately, Jacobson did the right thing to let him go. On the other end, I’ve heard people claim he never had any intention of coming to UNI but knew Greg’s days were numbered at Iowa State and didn’t want to get involved there.
And if Doug was at UNI, clearly, the Panthers would be a better team… he’s likely the MVC Player of the Year and possible first-team All-American. Not to mention, UNI could certainly use someone who can score on the block. Freshman Chris Olivier (redshirting this season) probably wouldn’t be on the roster, but – nothing against Olivier – most UNI fans would be OK with the trade-off right now.
WBR: How will Northern Iowa defend Doug McDermott this time? In the first meeting the Panthers challenged Antoine Young to beat them and he did. Will they employ that same defensive philosophy?
CT: I would expect something similar to the first meeting in Omaha… the strategy did keep Creighton to its lowest point total of the season. Jacobson has a system he believes in and doesn’t really change much. Containing the other team’s best player is a must, and if another player beats you that’s the chance you take. Credit Antoine for hitting some jump shots, having a career night and getting his team a win.
WBR: How is Anthony James? He was out against Southern Illinois. Will he be back for the game against Creighton on Saturday?
CT: Anthony James is banged up. He has a lot of bumps and bruises, the worst of which was a fall on his tailbone in the Missouri State game that kept him in sweats Tuesday night. The team had a day off Sunday, he didn’t practice Monday, didn’t play Tuesday and the team had another day off Wednesday. They were going to check how he was feeling Thursday, and I expect him to be in the starting lineup Saturday.
WBR: Northern Iowa has had some struggles scoring points this season. What has been the biggest reason for that?
CT: My opinion on why UNI has had trouble scoring (especially of late) is that the outside shots simply haven’t been going down. The Panthers don’t have a go-to inside presence, and sometimes they live and die on the 3-ball. When they’re falling – like they were in the non-conference season – it not only puts points on the board but stretches out the defense that much more to open some things up inside. It puts a lot of strain on the offense when they’re not going in.
In addition, grinding things out is the system Jacobson has in place. He’s a defensive-minded coach and wants his team to work for a good shot on the other end.
WBR: With Johnny Moran being a senior, has he done what has been needed from him this season? What could he do to help the team even more?
CT: Johnny Moran isn’t the type of player that is really going to strike fear into other teams’ fans. He’s a defender, a hustler, a leader and a smart player. And a decent shooter. In that regard, he has done what is expected of him, and that’s why Jacobson has him on the court so much.
However, the 30.8 minutes per game is tops on the team by more than two minutes. And given the scoring issues discussed previously, UNI could probably use more than seven points in those 30 minutes.
WBR: For those Creighton fans going to Cedar Falls for the first time, where is the best place to go before the game that they would enjoy?
CT: There are plenty of good eateries in the area, although, Cedar Falls is a college town, so expect plenty of UNI swag. This is one of the few sellouts of the year, so I expect a good number of Bluejay fans as well. If you’re looking for beer and wings, I would recommend Beck’s on the hill (2210 College St.). Right next door is The Other Place (2214 College St.) and that’s definitely the place to go if you want pizza. Both are about a 10-12 minute walk through campus to the McLeod Center.
Pepper’s (620 E. 18th St.) or Mulligan’s (205 E 18th St.) are other good places if you want to check out a few of the afternoon college basketball games while grabbing a bite to eat.
WBR: What is your final prediction? What will Northern Iowa have to do in order to knock off Creighton and get a win?
CT: If UNI were to win, it would be an upset for sure, but I certainly wouldn’t be shocked. Just consider the way the game went in Omaha… UNI was within a couple plays down the stretch of winning it, and it’s the same UNI team that beat plenty of good teams early in the season. It’s tough to say what Panther team you’ll see from one night to the next, and they will definitely have to play better than they have recently. But with their grind-it-out style, it’s tough to blow them out. If they’re able to contain McDermott again, I think it comes down to whether someone else can step up and have a big game like Young did the first time.