UNI @ Wichita State: Behind the Numbers

By Nick Gary

The rematch of the two Missouri Valley Conference heavyweights has finally arrived.
10th ranked Northern Iowa will travel to 11th-ranked Wichita State to play in what
many have described as the biggest game in the conferences history. In their first
game, UNI took down WSU 70-54 in Cedar Falls. Saturdays game will tip off at 1
p.m. on Saturday, February 28th, but, you will be able to check in to Koch Arena
much earlier than that, as ESPNs College GameDay will begin airing in Wichita at
10 a.m.
Here are the numbers you need to know for this monumental matchup.
26-24 Northern Iowas all-time record against Wichita State. However, WSU has
won five of the last seven matchups.

courtesy Mike Dunlop

2 Number of finalists for the Oscar Robertson player of the year trophy playing in
this game (Seth Tuttle & Ron Baker). Tuttle is averaging 15.6 points, 6.6 rebounds,
and 3.2 assists this season. Baker averages 15.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.2
assists per game.
2 Only the second regular season game, and first since 1951 that features two
MVC teams with at least 25 wins, and the highest ranked matchup ever in the MVC.
2 Number of conferences, ACC & MVC that currently have more than one team in
the top-11 in the AP & USA Today Coaches Polls.
2 Number of streaks the Panthers have broken so far this season. In their last
matchup, UNI ended WSUs 27-game winning streak. On November 18th, UNI
traveled to Stephen F. Austin and ended their 34-game home winning streak.
31 Length of Wichita States home winning streak. The last time UNI beat WSU
on their home floor was in 2011, winning 77-74. Kwadzo Ahelegbe was the leading
scorer in that game with 21 points, and is currently a graduate assistant for UNI.

courtesy Mike Dunlop

16 UNI holds a winning streak of their own, having won 16 games in a row. With
their 16 conference victories, the Panthers have set the school record for most MVC
wins in a single season.

3 Third straight year the first and second-place teams in the MVC will meet in the
regular season finale. Its the third time in five years the final game will decide the
top seed for the conference tournament.
12 The Panthers are only scoring 65.3 points per game, which is 224th in the
nation. Its not that they cant score, but UNI plays at a slow pace, and other teams
have been slowing it even further to keep the ball out of the hands of anyone in the
Purple and Gold. When UNI does have the ball, they are shooting 48.5% from the
field, which is 12th in the nation.
7 Number of Panthers that are currently shooting at least 38% from behind the
arc this season. Wyatt Lohaus, 48.4%; Mitchell, 47.3%; Tuttle, 45.9%; Jesperson,
45.1%; Buss, 39.2%; Washpun, 38.7% and Bohannon, 38.1%. As a team, UNI is
shooting 39.9% from bonus distance, which is 17th in the country. To put it into
perspective, Iowa State, who is regarded among the most lethal 3-point shooting
teams in the country, shoots 36% as a team, and only has three guys that shoot at
least 38%.

Courtesy Mike Dunlop

12 Number of minutes it took for Paul Jesperson to score 11 points and grab five
rebounds in the 68-57 win over Evansville. He was perfect from the field, sinking
three three-pointers. Jesperson, and the rest of the bench crew, have been huge for
UNI, and when he produces that efficiently, its good news for the Panthers.
17 UNIs starting point guard, Deon Mitchell, is playing his best ball at just the
right time. Head coach Ben Jacobson has been telling the media all year this is the
best Mitchell has played during his career at UNI, and he proved it once again, going
5-5 from the field and scoring 17 points against Evansville. It was his highest point
total of the season, and he is currently averaging 10.4 points, 3.2 assists, and 2.2
steals over his last five games.
4 & 10 These two teams are very similar, in that they both rely heavily on
shutting other teams down to win games. UNI is currently ranked fourth in the
nation in points per game allowed, at 53.9, and Wichita is 10th, at 55.7 points. The
two teams also possess two of the top individual defenders in the league, in Jeremy
Morgan and Tekele Cotton.

courtesy Pete Eklund

3.14 Fred VanVleet will handle most of, if not all the ball-handling duties in this
game for the Shockers. There arent many floor generals that will protect the ball
better than VanVleet, as he possesses a 3.14 assist-to-turnover ratio, which ranks
ninth in the nation.
18.6 Since Greg Marshall has taken the helm at WSU, they play by the Play
Angry mantra. After losing to UNI on February 7th, Wichita has beat teams by an
average of 18.6 points per game, including a 43-point victory over Missouri State.
3 Wichita State has been a three-headed monster all season, but even more so
towards the end of this regular season. In their last game against Indiana State,
Darius Carter had 20 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. Before that, Ron Baker
had 18 points and 15 rebounds against Evansville. VanVleet is averaging 18.5
points, six rebounds, and five assists in his last two games, and had a triple double
(10 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists) earlier this season against Missouri State.
10:00 A.M. Time that the College GameDay team will begin its broadcast on the
Koch Arena floor in preparation for this game.
0 Number of times Gregg Marshall has dug a womans car out of the snow.