2017–18 Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball team

2017–18 Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball
ConferenceMissouri Valley Conference
Record16–16 (7–11 MVC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • P.J. Hogan
  • Erik Crawford
  • Kyle Green
Home arenaMcLeod Center
Seasons
2017–18 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Loyola Chicago † 15 – 3   .833 32 – 6   .842
Southern Illinois 11 – 7   .611 20 – 13   .606
Illinois State 10 – 8   .556 18 – 15   .545
Drake 10 – 8   .556 17 – 17   .500
Bradley 9 – 9   .500 20 – 13   .606
Indiana State 8 – 10   .444 13 – 18   .419
Missouri State 7 – 11   .389 18 – 15   .545
Evansville 7 – 11   .389 17 – 15   .531
Northern Iowa 7 – 11   .389 16 – 16   .500
Valparaiso 6 – 12   .333 15 – 17   .469
† 2018 MVC tournament winner

The 2017–18 Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball team represented the University of Northern Iowa during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Panthers, led by 12th-year head coach Ben Jacobson, played their home games at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls, Iowa as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. They finished the season 16–16, 7–11 in MVC play to finish three-way tie for seventh place. As the No. 7 seed in the MVC tournament, they defeated Evansville in the first round before losing to Loyola–Chicago in the quarterfinals.

Previous season

The Panthers finished the 2016–17 season 14–16, 9–9 in MVC play to finish in a tie for third place. As the No. 3 seed in the MVC tournament, they lost to Missouri State in the quarterfinals.

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Paul Jesperson 4 G 6'6" 206 RS Senior Merrill, WI Graduated
Matt Bohannon 5 G 6'4" 195 Senior Marion, IA Graduated
Wes Washpun 11 G 6'1" 175 Senior Cedar Rapids, IA Graduated
Jeremy Morgan 20 G 6'5" 195 Senior Coralville, IA Graduated
Jordan Ashton 23 G 6'4" 192 RS Senior Mount Pleasant, IA Graduated

2017 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Austin Phyfe
PF 		Waverly, IA Waverly-Shell Rock High School 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Nov 5, 2015 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Tywhon Pickford
G/F 		Osseo, MN Maple Grove Rock High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Apr 25, 2015 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 2, 2017.

2018 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2018)
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
A. J. Green
#18 PG 		Cedar Falls, IA Cedar Falls High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Aug 11, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 84
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

2019 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2019)
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
James Betz
PF 		Garner, IA Garner-Hayfield High School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Aug 11, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Preseason

In the conference's preseason poll, the Panthers were picked to finish in second place in the MVC and received eight first place votes.[1] Senior forward Bennet Koch was named to the preseason All-MVC first team while senior forward Klint Carlson was named to the second team.[1]

Roster

2017–18 Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 1 Adam McDermott (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS So Xavier Cedar Rapids, IA
F 2 Klint Carlson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) RS Sr Waverly-Shell Rock Waverly, IA
C 3 Ted Friedman 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) RS Sr Ankeny Ankeny, IA
G/F 4 Tywhon Pickford 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Maple Grove Minneapolis, MN
G 5 Rafael de Souza (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sr Gulf Coast State College Jundiaí, Brazil
G 10 Miles Wentzien (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Fort Madison
Kirkwood CC 		Fort Madison, IA
F 12 Lincoln Conrey 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 218 lb (99 kg) RS So Waterloo West Waterloo, IA
G 13 Juwan McCloud 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 173 lb (78 kg) So Germantown Germantown, WI
C 15 Justin Dahl 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) RS So Holy Family Carver, MN
G 21 Hunter Rhodes 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Sr Canton
Kirkwood CC 		Canton, IL
F 22 Tanner Lohaus 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Fr Iowa City West North Liberty, IA
G 24 Isaiah Brown 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 172 lb (78 kg) So Flower Mound Flower Mound, TX
F/C 25 Bennett Koch 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) RS Sr Ashwaubenon Ashwaubenon, WI
G 30 Spencer Haldeman 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 173 lb (78 kg) RS So Western Dubuque Peosta, IA
G 33 Wyatt Lohaus 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) RS Jr Iowa City West North Liberty, IA
F 34 Luke McDonnell 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 218 lb (99 kg) RS So Dubuque Senior Dubuque, IA
F 50 Austin Phyfe 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Fr Waverly-Shell Rock Waverly, IA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Nov 1, 2017*
7:00 pm, BTN+ 		at Wisconsin
Team Rubicon benefit exhibition 		L 38–69  –
 Kohl Center (17,287)
Madison, WI
Nov 5, 2017*
1:00 pm, ESPN3 		UNC Pembroke W 72–66  —
 McLeod Center (3,090)
Cedar Falls, IA
Non-conference regular season
Nov 10, 2017*
6:00 pm, ESPNU 		at No. 9 North Carolina L 69–86  0–1
 Dean Smith Center (18,926)
Chapel Hill, NC
Nov 13, 2017*
7:00 pm, PSN/ESPN3 		Alcorn State W 73–45  1–1
 McLeod Center (3,385)
Cedar Falls, IA
Nov 15, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		Wartburg W 72–43  2–1
 McLeod Center (3,678)
Cedar Falls, IA
Nov 18, 2017*
11:00 am, ESPN3 		Chicago State
Battle 4 Atlantis campus-site game 		W 82–44  3–1
 McLeod Center (3,051)
Cedar Falls, IA
Nov 22, 2017*
8:30 pm, ESPN3 		vs. SMU
Battle 4 Atlantis quarterfinals 		W 61–58  4–1
 Imperial Arena (909)
Nassau, BAH
Nov 23, 2017*
2:00 pm, ESPN2 		vs. NC State
Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals 		W 64–60  5–1
 Imperial Arena (892)
Nassau, BAH
Nov 24, 2017*
11:00 am, ESPN2 		vs. No. 5 Villanova
Battle 4 Atlantis finals 		L 50–64  5–2
 Imperial Arena (2,831)
Nassau, BAH
Nov 29, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		UNLV
MW–MVC Challenge 		W 77–68 OT 6–2
 Mcleod Center (4,546)
Cedar Falls, IA
Dec 7, 2017*
7:00 pm, PSN/ESPN3 		Texas–Arlington W 62–58  7–2
 McLeod Center (3,630)
Cedar Falls, IA
Dec 10, 2017*
4:00 pm, ESPN3 		Dubuque W 80–47  8–2
 McLeod Center 
Cedar Falls, IA
Dec 16, 2017*
3:30 pm, MC22 		vs. Iowa State
Big Four Classic 		L 65–76  8–3
 Wells Fargo Arena (13,828)
Des Moines, IA
Dec 22, 2017*
8:00 pm, CBSSN 		No. 9 Xavier L 67–77  8–4
 McLeod Center (6,355)
Cedar Falls, IA
Missouri Valley Conference regular season
Dec 28, 2017
7:00 pm, PSN/ESPN3 		Southern Illinois L 53–56  8–5
(0–1) 		McLeod Center (4,933)
Cedar Falls, IA
Dec 31, 2017
1:00 pm, ESPN3 		at Bradley L 53–72  8–6
(0–2) 		Carver Arena (5,684)
Peoria, IL
Jan 4, 2018
8:00 pm, CBSSN 		at Missouri State L 55–62  8–7
(0–3) 		JQH Arena (4,934)
Springfield, MO
Jan 7, 2018
3:00 pm, ESPNU 		Loyola–Chicago L 50–56  8–8
(0–4) 		McLeod Center (3,765)
Cedar Falls, IA
Jan 10, 2018
6:00 pm, FSMW/NBCSC 		at Indiana State L 67–69  8–9
(0–5) 		Hulman Center (3,216)
Terre Haute, IN
Jan 13, 2018
6:00 pm, ESPN2 		Valparaiso W 81–76  9–9
(1–5) 		McLeod Center (4,707)
Cedar Falls, IA
Jan 16, 2018
7:00 pm, PSN/ESPN3 		Drake W 68–54  10–9
(2–5) 		McLeod Center (3,880)
Cedar Falls, IA
Jan 21, 2018
3:00 pm, ESPN3 		at Southern Illinois L 53–64  10–10
(2–6) 		SIU Arena (3,254)
Carbondale, IL
Jan 24, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		Illinois State W 83–72  11–10
(3–6) 		McLeod Center (3,762)
Cedar Falls, IA
Jan 28, 2018
3:00 pm, ESPNU 		at Loyola–Chicago L 47–70  11–11
(3–7) 		Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,658)
Chicago, IL
Jan 31, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		at Evansville L 49–57  11–12
(3–8) 		Ford Center (3,352)
Evansville, IN
Feb 3, 2018
3:00 pm, FSMW/NBCSC 		Indiana State L 66–77  11–13
(3–9) 		McLeod Center (4,564)
Cedar Falls, IA
Feb 7, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		Bradley W 74–65  12–13
(4–9) 		McLeod Center (3,794)
Cedar Falls, IA
Feb 10, 2018
3:00 pm, FSMW/NBCSC 		at Drake L 64–71  12–14
(4–10) 		Knapp Center (5,121)
Des Moines, IA
Feb 13, 2018
7:00 pm, PSN/ESPN3 		Evansville W 47–41  13–14
(5–10) 		McLeod Center (3,346)
Cedar Falls, IA
Feb 17, 2018
5:00 pm, ESPN2 		at Illinois State L 75–79  13–15
(5–11) 		Redbird Arena (6,535)
Normal, IL
Feb 20, 2018
8:00 pm, CBSSN 		at Valparaiso W 68–63  14–15
(6–11) 		Athletics–Recreation Center (2,071)
Valparaiso, IN
Feb 24, 2018
3:00 pm, ESPN3 		Missouri State W 71–56  15–15
(7–11) 		McLeod Center (4,834)
Cedar Falls, IA
Missouri Valley tournament
Mar 1, 2018
6:00 pm, ESPN3 		(9) vs. (8) Evansville
First round 		W 60–50  16–15
 Scottrade Center (4,852)
St. Louis, MO
Mar 2, 2018
12:00 pm, ESPN3 		(9) vs. (1) Loyola–Chicago
Quarterfinals 		L 50–54  16–16
 Scottrade Center (6,410)
St. Louis, MO
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

Panther Sports Network (PSN) Cedar Falls Utilities Ch. 15/HD415; KCRG-TV Ch. 9.2; WHO-DT Ch. 13.2; KGCW Ch. 26, Time Warner Cable KC Channel 324, (NBC Sports Chicago or NBCSC+)

References

  1. ^ a b "Missouri State Picked to Win MVC Men's Basketball". Retrieved October 24, 2017.