Northern Iowa leads the best and deepest mid major conference at 10-1.
The difference between this team and Siena is that Siena doesn’t have any bad losses has one bad loss where UNI has Iowa, Iowa State, Indiana State, and Wyoming [--nothing to write home about either]. Junior Adam Koch has been their best player this season averaging about 12 points and 5 rebounds per game.
UNI is all about owning owning the paint– they’ve got arguably the best inside game in the MVC. I like the matchup for Siena, generally our run and gun offense plays well against teams who want to slow it down and play an inside game.
Best of luck to Robert Lee, who will have to pronounce Kwadzo Ahelgbe and Ali Farokhmanesh when he’s calling the game.
So you honestly think losses to Iowa and Iowa State are worse than a loss to Wichita State?
I get your point about it not being able to help you. It is completely true. With your RPI you should be playing the likes of Butler, Davidson, or St. Marys. However, your argument of bad losses is completely flawed. Because you do have a bad loss.
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True, you’re right, I updated.
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Just wondering UNIFanSince1983, haven’t had a chance to see your team this year, but I do know the MVC is maybe the best mid-major conference in the country, is your team a pound-it- inside-to-kick-back-out for threes kind of team. Princeton-style offense like when McDermott was there ? That’s nut and bolts basketball if it’s the same style. I see that Jacobsen was Mcdermotts assistant, same style ?
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UNI plays what UNI wants too/needs too. If they can run on you, they will run you like crazy. They can kill you in a slow game as well with their inside out game. They can beat you from deep, check their 3 point stats. Only one game this year with out at least 4 three pointers. They launch them from anywhere, and I mean deep by NBA standards at times. Find the Drake game, of the Missouri State game. Both have been on ESPN this year and both have been absolute massacres. Heck, look at the first time UNI played Missouri State, they shot 70% for the game.
BTW, don’t expect your best 2 players to play worth a damn against them either. They have shut down every single star player in the league so far this year.
I hope all the Siena fans think of UNI as a slow white boy team because that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Remember this is coming from a dude who HATES UNI with a passion that is unbelievable.
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BTW the names are pronounce KA-joe uh-HELL-eg-be and Ali (like Muhammad Ali) Far-ok-MEN-esh
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Looking forward to the matchup. In no way did I infer N. Iowa was slow. John Thompson III employs a Princeton-style offense and no one would say they are slow. Most of N. Iowa’s game are in the 60′s, just an observation.
Thanks for the pronunciation guide, we here in Albany would’ve never got Farokhmanesh’s first name right.
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Yes, it is worse than a loss to Wichita St. Plus you have 4 bad losses.
Can’t argue this though, UNI has been en fuego as of late…
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We do have four bad losses there is no doubt about it. This is a completely different team that was playing in the non-conference though. And for the record we beat that same WSU team by 24 points. Just sayin…
Now for the guy who wondered about our style of play. We will start everything inside. With two post players like Koch and our 7 footer Egelseder we almost have to. The difference between our team this year and the last couple is we have shooters and guards that can create on their own. The main difference between this team and the teams McDermott had is that if we can run we will run, and Jacobson doesn’t micromanage quite as much as McDermott would. For the most part though it is a very similar system. On defense we have been successful of late stopping a teams best players. Usually not from hard nosed in your face defense, but more from great team defense.
Can someone possibly tell me what your style your team is?
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UNIFan- we basically run and gun. We focus on turning our opponents over and converting those turnovers into points. We get out in transition, we’ll [3/4 and full court] press and we can literally do it all game.
We’re also a team that can spread out our attack– if one of our starters isn’t scoring at will, its one of the four guys coming off the bench.
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I hope Egelseder likes to hustle up the court, Ryan Rossiter loves to beat his man up the court. If Siena dictates the tempo Egelseder will not see many minutes. That’s good for Siena. If N. Iowa is able to shoot the lights out, Siena will not be able set their up-tempo in motion and it will be a long day for the Saints trying to contain the size that N. Iowa has.
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Get ready for some MVC ownage of your conference. On Friday Illinois State will mop the floor with Niagara and then on Saturday UNI will do the same to you.
I agree through that you got hosed when it came to the matchups. I think our commish pulled some strings for UNI to get you guys.
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If Big E can’t keep up with the pace Lucas O’Rear will come in. He is the front runner for Valley 6th man of the year, and could easily start for UNI but both posts a head of him are three year starters who average 10 or 10+ and can put 20-30 up on any night.
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Matt –
“We’re also a team that can spread out our attack– if one of our starters isn’t scoring at will, its one of the four guys coming off the bench.”
Really? I see that your top 5 players average over, or close to, 30 minutes per game. We WILL slow you down and it’ll be fun to see how your team responds to it. Especially when only five players are used to seeing much time on the court.
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IndianFan -
Egelseder may not see many minutes anyway, regardless of how you decide to play. O’Rear and Koch will get the majority of our minutes, as they have most of the season. Have fun with them, O’Rear especially . . . he’s dirty Irish!
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Matt -
I don’t know that I’d consider Wyoming as a “bad loss”. It’s a loss no doubt, but they are a top 100 RPI team and the game was played in the state of Wyoming. UNI lost by 9 after leading nearly the entire game, with Wyoming making a ton of free throws in the end to run away with it.
I guess it’s the same type of situation you guys encountered with Wichita State, but nonetheless, we’re a much different team right now!
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People keep gettin crazy on here. I mean u think it is easy to be 11-0 in your league and have eveyone wanting to be the team to knock you off, the point is Kenny finally broke out of a season long slump, and the bench is comming into shape, and Siena is playing there best ball of the year. N. Iowa of all teams shuld no abuot bad losses Illinois Chicago RPI of 166 and Indiana State 264, so get off us about a bad performace, that we clearly looked tired and off in. Also i would like to add the only power house team you played blew you off the floor by 30, our worst lose to a power team is 14. I never said that ESPN matched us up to look superior. I said that it is just a chance for us to do that. This will be a good match up if N Iowa can bring there 3 point shot with them, if not this will be over quickly. Siena is great at home and nobody should think that they are going to come in here and win. On that note I will see you all at the game….
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I am not trying to come on here and talk crap about this game as it will obviously be a HUGE challenge for our team.
As far as being 11-0 in your conference and being the team they are gunning for…well we are 10-1 in our conference and currently 3 games ahead of 2nd place. So if you think teams aren’t gunning for us in conference you are mistaken.
I understand a couple of bad losses, but to claim a Wichita State (RPI 167) isn’t a bad loss then you would be mistaken. And according to RPI which apparently is all you guys are concerened about looking at the only loss we have worse than that is Indiana State.
I think you guys are going to be able to see a great game! Both of these are two of the better mid major teams in the country this year.
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Brian,
Before you start humping Illinois St. here at least have the courtesy to see the weak OOC schedule filled with 8 home games and 3 away. In conference they have 4 losses, all away from home with 3 of those L’s against the lower half of the league. Not impressive. Go to the Niagara sight with that garble please, they might enjoy it. Niagara played most of their OOC games away from home and did pretty well. 9-3 OOC record, 6 of those wins on the road.
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