I doubt I'm breaking new ground in telling you to watch out for Northern Iowa (28-4) in two weeks. With an RPI of 22 and time spent in the top 25, the Panthers seem like a Sweet 16 capable team. In 5 previous trips, Northern Iowa has one win, upsetting 3rd seed Missouri in 1990.
Northern Iowa predicates itself on its defense. They are 2nd in the nation in scoring defense. They are 71st in FG% defense (41%). Surprisingly, they don't turn the opposition over that much (296th in steals) but they don't turn it over themselves (15th). Playing good defense is a trademark for them. They'll defend you without fouling (26th in personal fouls per game). They seem an awful lot like Dick Bennett's UWGB teams.
If you saw them in the MVC tourney, you also know they can go 10 deep. They are led by MVC Player of the Year, Green Bay native Adam Koch.
Offensively, they're not dynamic at all. 280th in scoring and 184th in FG %, it's clear they are not going to run away and hide. I believe the stat used in today's game was, they are 18-0 (Now 19-0)when they score 60 or more points. They do make their throws (12th) at a 75% clip.
I'll be curious to see who they match up with in the dance. If they get a young team, I can see them giving them fits.
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