Sunday, February 1, 2015

Valley Daze: UNI

For the first time in two years, Wichita State lost in the Valley, getting poleaxed by Northern Iowa. UNI probably locked up a trip to the dance and its return date at Wichita should decide the regular season champ.  

UNI lost earlier in the year at VCU in double overtime and have loss at Evansville. The Panthers beat Iowa 56-44 on a neutral court. That's pretty impressive given Iowa's potent offense.

Make no mistake though, this team is a tough defensive unit. They have an effective defensive fg% of 43.5%. That's 21st best. Teams only shoot 30% from 3 against them and 42% from 2. They protect the boards as well. Teams only get 28.5% of their misses. They guard without fouling. Think a lesser Virginia.

Speaking of which, this team plays S-L-O-W, averaging 59 possessions a game, 347th slowest tempo in the nation. So, while they are a good defensive unit, some of that is a product of their style of play.

That said, they shoot well. They have an effective fg% of 55.4%. That's 15th best. They can hit the 3, as they make 39%. They're not good offensive rebounders. They're 298th in offensive rebounding %. While they play slow, they get to the line at a good clip, frustrating opponents even more.

The player who is their go-to-guy is Sr. Seth Tuttle. Tuttle has an effective fg% of 64.4%, 22nd overall. The ball goes through him on offense. He's a solid rebounder, too.

They really hounded Wichita's guards yesterday. I'm not afraid to say they're the best or in the discussion for the nation's best back court. UNI handling them indicates they'll be a factor in March. If they get a sloppy, inexperienced team, I'd like them to advance.

The Valley still isn't as good as it has been but the top 2 are very good

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