Making the Grade: UNI men’s basketball Dec. 1-8

The Northern Iowa men's basketball team had just one game last week, appearing to be a good time for the Panthers (8-0) to get back in the gym for some work and the trainer's room for treatment. It was almost a detriment, as they needed overtime to dispatch a struggling George Mason team.

Nevertheless, UNI remains one of 11 unbeaten teams in the country and sports a defense allowing just 55.3 points per game this season – 18th best in the nation. The strength of that unit has allowed them to win ugly a couple times this season.

And as Coach Ben Jacobson and players said Monday, they're just fine with that.

SCHEDULE/RESULTS

UNI vs George Mason; W, 71-65 OT

OFFENSE

Grade:

C

Why:

This was the ugly part mentioned above. The Panthers shot 37.7 percent from the field and 21.1 percent from beyond the arc as a team against the Patriots, and a cold streak in the final six or so minutes nearly lost them the game. UNI was up, 50-38 with 6:35 to go, and the two teams went to overtime tied at 59-59. It was in that stretch a glaring trend popped up, too. Seth Tuttle and Wes Washpun went 1 of 2 at the line, collectively, a handful of times, allowing George Mason to get back in when they should've been able to ice the game away. For the game, the Panthers shot 21 of 34 (61.8 percent) from the free throw line. This season, they're 71.4 percent from the free throw line, so it's not a major concern, but the likelihood of playing in close games over the next two weeks is high, so being sharp from there will be a must.

There are situations in which the offense appears lost and those in which it appears like a sports car spinning its wheels. Fast breaks yielded just two points total against George Mason, but UNI got 20 points off 16 Patriot turnovers – meaning they scored on around half of their opportunities. Deliberately or not, the Panthers have slowed their pace down to nearly a crawl, averaging 60.6 possessions per 40 minutes according to KenPom – 342nd in the nation. On the positive side of that, they're averaging 1.069 points per possession, 41st in the nation.

The go-to on offense against George Mason – and most of the season, really – is to find Tuttle or Nate Buss on the elbow, and let them either shoot, drive or find an open man on the double-team. Buss had at least eight points from that spot Saturday, and Tuttle a pair of assists. Simplicity is their friend at this point, and though it's not in-sync yet, there appears to be potential.

DEFENSE

Grade:

B+

Why:

You could essentially copy and paste last week's entry for the defense here this week. For 34 minutes Saturday, the Panthers shut down George Mason, only to give up a few offensive rebounds and let the Patriots slip back in.

UNI forced the aforementioned 16 turnovers and held George Mason to 35.1 percent shooting from the floor and 26.7 percent from deep. They continued to employ the effective high trap off an opposing screen, which gave the Patriots all kinds of issues and forced several turnovers that turned into points the other way. Additionally, nearly every time the Panthers rotated to help on defense – which is clearly a focal point on that end – it disrupted timing and forced the Patriots out of their system or to reset. It offset a size disadvantage in the paint, frustrated guards and didn't allow George Mason many opportunities at the rim – at least in the first ¾ of the game. When George Mason got back in, the defensive rotations slowed and the help wasn't as readily available.

And once again, the rebounding is the only big criticism for the UNI defense – and it comes from Jacobson. As he said Monday, if they can get their rebounding to match up with their intensity defending and shut down second chance points, they'll be hard to beat. The Panthers rank 52nd in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency, allowing 0.939 points per possession.

PLAYERS (last week's game)

Seth Tuttle, forward

(1 GP, 1 GS) – 16 points, 62.5 FG (5 of 8), 0 3FG (0-0), 66.7 FT (6 of 9), 8.0 reb, 4.0 ast.

Ho-hum, just another day in the life of Seth Tuttle. He does the same things each game, but does them so well it's hard not to shake your head. He defends players bigger than his size extremely well, and sees the floor as good as anyone on the team when he gets the ball in the high post. The only knock against him this week was his free throw shooting late in the game. Otherwise he handled double-teams and the George Mason zone fine.

Paul Jesperson, guard

(1 GP, 0 GS) – 12 points, 28.6 FG (2 of 7), 33.3 3FG (2 of 6), 100.0 FT (6 of 6), 5.0 reb, 1.0 ast.

A return to the form of the first few games of the season against George Mason for Jesperson. He wasn't hitting from the floor, but was the one reliable player from the free throw line, and gave one of his best rebounding efforts of the season. If his contributions can be like this consistently – if even a touch better – the unit will come along quickly.

Bennett Koch, forward

(1 GP, 0 GS) – 11 points, 83.3 FG (5 of 6), 0.0 3FG (0 of 0), 33.3 FT (1 of 3), 1.0 reb, 0.0 ast.

He only played eight minutes against George Mason, but made all eight count. The younger brother of a few former Panthers had easily his best game of his young career, cleaning up on a few offensive possessions and finishing off on a few Wes Washpun assists. Hard to say if he's going to get significant run, but finishing when called upon won't hurt him going forward.

Nate Buss, forward

(1 GP, 0 GS) – 10 points, 66.7 FG (4 of 6), 0.0 3FG (0 of 1), 100.0 FT (2 of 2), 1.0 reb, 0.0 ast.

Most of the damage he's done this season has been from deep, but against George Mason it was mostly inside and at the high post, as mentioned above. He was deadly from the elbow, and distributed the ball for the hockey assist several times. Jacobson is still working him back slowly from injury, but he got his most work Saturday, and didn't disappoint.

Jeremy Morgan, guard

(1 GP, 1 GS) – 9 points, 36.4 FG (4 of 11), 20.0 3FG (1 of 5), 0.0 FT (0 of 2), 6.0 reb, 1.0 ast.

A solid all-around game for Morgan, who continues to plug away under the radar for the Panthers. He took plenty of shots, but the vast majority were good ones – he just didn't get most of them to fall. His rebounding continues to impress, and those hustle plays that were touched on last week didn't go away.

Wes Washpun, guard

(1 GP, 0 GS) – 5 points, 0.0 FG (0 of 6), 0.0 3FG (0 of 1), 62.5 FT (5 of 8), 9.0 reb, 6.0 ast.

Easily his worst game of the season offensively – he finally missed a three-pointer – but affected the game in such a positive way otherwise. He had a team-high nine rebounds and his six assists mostly came when it was him, Tuttle, Jesperson, Buss and Bohannon on the floor – the Panthers' most potent offensive lineup. He's still playing starter minutes off the bench, and every one is earned.

Wyatt Lohaus, guard

(1 GP, 0 GS) – 4 points, 25.0 FG (2 of 8), 0.0 3FG (0 of 2), 0.0 FT (0 of 0), 2.0 reb, 2.0 ast.

Still nothing flashy, but he's not making many – if any – mistakes, and that's enough to keep him on the floor. Jacobson loves to drive home the point of affecting the game away from the stat sheet, and Lohaus was the one to do that Saturday. His loose-ball efforts and extra passes set up teammates to succeed repeatedly.

Deon Mitchell, guard

(1 GP, 1 GS) – 3 points, 50.0 FG (1 of 2), 100.0 3FG (1 of 1), 0.0 FT (0 of 2), 1.0 reb, 0.0 ast.

He was addressed in Monday's notebook. His minutes continue to decline, and Jacobson admits he has work to do, and is making that effort. His passes, for whatever reason, don't look as crisp and his assist-to-turnover ratio is headed in the wrong direction – he had three turnovers and no assists Saturday. He runs the break well, but otherwise is forcing things at the moment, as if he's pressing to play better.

Marvin Singleton, forward

(1 GP, 1 GS) – 1 point, 0.0 FG (0 of 4), 0.0 3FG (0 of 0), 50.0 FT (1 of 2), 7.0 reb, 1.0 ast.

Not a stellar game offensively, but that could be said for most of the team Saturday. But again, he did his usual work on the boards, especially in the first half. His size could be a problem against the bigger teams (Iowa, especially), but his strength has shown to be there when the size lacks.

Matt Bohannon, guard

(1 GP, 1 GS) – 0 points, 0.0 FG (0 of 3), 0.0 3FG (0 of 3), 0.0 FT (0 of 0), 2.0 reb, 2.0 ast.

Throw Saturday out and forget about it forever if you're Matt Bohannon – at least on offense. He was ineffective against George Mason, but not in a way that predicts future struggles. He played the role he was handed in facilitating for teammates and defending his position. The offensive pendulum will swing back his way.

UPCOMING WEEK

UNI at Denver, 8 p.m. Wednesday

UNI at VCU, 6 p.m. Saturday

l Comments: (319) 368-8884; jeremiah.davis@thegazette.com