Exploring the Vibrant Spirit of Northern Iowa University

UNI men’s basketball (11-8 / 5-3 MVC) vs. Missouri State (7-12 / 0-8 MVC)

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — The UNI men’s basketball squad will wrap up its home games for January on Tuesday evening as the Panthers welcome the Missouri State Bears for a Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) matchup.

The game is set to tip-off at 7 p.m. CT at the McLeod Center, with live broadcasting available on ESPN+, along with the Panther Sports Radio Network featuring J.W. Cox and Kevin Boyle providing the commentary.

Tickets may be acquired online via the UNI Ticket Office, by calling 319-273-4849, or through email at [email protected].

This matchup will mark the 89th encounter between the Panthers and the Bears, with Missouri State possessing a slight edge in the series at 46-42. UNI has secured victory in the last three contests. It will also be the Bears’ last regular season visit to Cedar Falls as an MVC affiliate before they transition to Conference USA this summer.

Currently tied for fourth place in the MVC standings with UIC, the Panthers aim to keep step with the top-ranked Bradley Braves after suffering a challenging 73-49 defeat against Southern Illinois on Saturday night. UNI struggled with a shooting percentage of just 32.1% and 28.6% from beyond the arc, with Trey Campbell, Tytan Anderson, and Max Weisbrod each contributing nine points. Graduate guard Cael Schmitt also made his UNI and Division I debut on Saturday after being sidelined for the first 18 games of the season due to a knee injury.

Despite the tough shooting night, the Panthers continue to display impressive shooting performance this season, ranking sixth in all of Division I with a shooting percentage of 50.3%, including hitting over 50% in ten of their 19 games this year. UNI also ranks 19th nationally in effective field goal percentage (56.9%). 

Anderson, who is the MVC’s leader in made free throws (84) and attempts (120), is also aiming to advance in the program’s top ten all-time steals list. He leads UNI with an average of 14.4 points per game and a team-high 6.3 rebounds per game on 56.5% shooting. He is just 14 assists away from being the fourth player in program history to achieve 1,000 points, 700 rebounds, and 200 assists in a UNI career, joining Seth Tuttle (2011-15), Eric Coleman (2004-08), and Don Lemons (1975-79) in an exclusive group of Panther players.

Hutson contributes an average of 11.7 points and 3.5 rebounds, whereas Campbell has recorded 11.3 points along with a team-high 55 assists. Leon Bond III has averaged 10.7 points and five rebounds per game in his inaugural season with Northern Iowa, boasting a shooting percentage of 56.2%, while Ben Schwieger, who is just 30 points shy of his 500th career point, averages 9.5 points and 4.4 boards per game as a starter in the Panther lineup over the last ten games. Will Hornseth, on the other hand, is enjoying an efficient freshman season, shooting at an impressive 72.9% with 43-of-59 shooting.

SCOUTING MISSOURI STATE

Missouri State makes its last regular season visit to Cedar Falls as an MVC member while facing a seven-game losing streak, recently falling to Illinois State on Saturday, 74-68. The Bears stand as the only team in the league without a conference win this season.

Under the direction of head coach Cuonzo Martin, who is in the first year of his second term with the Bears, MSU was projected to finish 11th in the MVC preseason poll this year.

The Bears rank second in the league with an average of 11.3 offensive rebounds per game and 13.8 turnovers forced per game. Missouri State also stands third in the MVC for free throw attempts per game (21.5) and steals per game (7.8).

Dez White leads the Bears with a scoring average of 15.8 points per game, with Vincent Brady II contributing 13.8 points and Michael Osei-Bonsu adding 10.3 points per game. Osei-Bonsu is also second in the league, averaging three offensive boards each game, while White has recorded the second-most three-point attempts in the conference (128).

UNI men’s basketball activities can be followed throughout the season on social media platforms including Facebook (UNI Men’s Basketball), X (@UNImbb), and Instagram (@uni_basketball). The complete 2024-25 schedule and roster, along with the latest updates on Panther news and information, can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.