Making the Grade: UNI men's basketball (Nov. 23-Nov. 30)

For a team off to one of the best starts in program history – tied for the best, actually, at 7-0 – the Northern Iowa men's basketball team is awfully measured.

In postgame comments and Coach Ben Jacobson's media luncheon availability, there's a clear feeling of having more work to do to get better. If that's the case, the national pundits and experts who have been giving the Panthers love – Dick Vitale, Seth Davis among them – will have a whole lot more to say.

And if Jacobson's crew can take care of business in its next few, an AP Top 25 spot awaits. The week that was featured back-to-back wins against power conference schools – a program first – and a few stifling defensive efforts.

SCHEDULE/RESULTS

UNI vs Virginia Tech (in Cancun); W, 73-54

UNI vs Northwestern (in Cancun); W, 61-42

UNI vs Richmond; W, 55-50

OFFENSE

Grade:

B

Why:

It's hard to criticize an offense too heavily when the Panthers won by an average of 14.3 points per game in its last three, but as Jacobson and Co. have said repeatedly, it's still a work in progress. The offensive end of the floor reflected the caliber of defense UNI played in each game. Against Virginia Tech, the Panthers were on fire, shooting 50 percent overall and 38.9 percent from deep. Maybe most importantly, they had 14 team assists in 24 made baskets, its best showing in terms of sharing the ball all season.

The high ball screen with Seth Tuttle (or Marvin Singleton, Klint Carlson or Bennett Koch when Tuttle is out) that essentially starts every offensive set led to a few easy buckets when the defense overpursued, and led to some open shots when the offense rotated.

 

They're not yet super creative with different offensive sets, lending to the fact they've spent so much time working on defense. They've run two or three looks on repeat when in the offense, wearing down opponents and taking advantage in transition. Jacobson has let the ball flow through Tuttle – against Richmond especially – when the matchup allows. When running some motion offense, Matt Bohannon has found some open looks as well. Unlike the opening four games, the Linn-Mar grad knocked a bunch of them down.

The issue they could face going forward could be found in a few places, most notably in assists. Against Northwestern and Richmond, they had six team assists in both games on 22 and 17 made baskets, respectively. That number can't be that low against teams like VCU and Iowa, who are good enough defensively to deny UNI players creating space.

DEFENSE

Grade:

A-

Why:

Jacobson took 2013-14 personally when he reviewed how his team played defensively, and if the last three games are any indication, so did his players. The Panthers allowed just less than 49 points per game (48.7), which is about as lockdown as it gets at any point in the season. They held opponents to 37.2 percent from the floor and 28.6 percent from deep in that span.

Both Jacobson and his players mentioned the willingness to help each other in defensive rotation, and that's evident in the number of open shots opposing teams had – which was close to zero. Players talk incessantly, calling out screens with the helper giving clear instructions on whether or not to switch.

 

Maybe the most effective tool they've shown defensively is the high trap when an opposing big screens the on-ball defender. UNI's big (usually Tuttle) and guard (Wes Washpun or Deon Mitchell) trap the guard dribbling off the screen, while the next closest defender sets up midway between his man and the big rolling off the screen. The result was often either a turnover from the guard or pulling the opposing big 30 feet from the hoop with the ball – where he's theoretically the least effective player on the floor. A few times, that big turned the ball over on the next pass. What allows the Panthers to take the risk is Tuttle's quickness for his size and his ability to get back if the trap fails. The Panthers ran this trap in each of the three games and forced multiple turnovers out of it each time.

The only area – and Jacobson brought this up right away Monday – to be criticized on this end of the floor is rebounding. UNI was plus-4 in total rebounding in the three-game stretch, and only out-rebounded an opponent by more than three once – outrebounding Northwestern, 36-28. Not controlling the defensive glass more effectively is hurting what the Panthers do best offensively – run in transition with Washpun or Mitchell leading the charge.

PLAYERS (in last three games)

Seth Tuttle, forward

(3 GP, 3 GS) – 15.7 points, 55.2 FG (16 of 29), 0 3FG (0-2), 75.0 FT (15 of 20), 6.0 reb, 1.7 ast.

That's the line of the Player of the Week in the Missouri Valley Conference. Tuttle was the high-scorer for the Panthers in two of the three games UNI played this week, with 19 against Northwestern and 17 against Richmond. His on-ball defending was as good as it could've been given he guarded a pair of 7-footers, and his help defense was as good as it's been. He's as big of a reason as any for the 7-0 start.

Wes Washpun, guard

(3 GP, 0 GS) – 10.3 points, 60.0 FG (12 of 20), 100 3FG (4-4), 42.9 FT (3 of 7), 2.3 reb, 3.0 ast.

This guy is the other big reason. He's playing starter minutes while coming off the bench, and is an instant burst of energy when he enters the game. Not known as a pure shooter from his days at Cedar Rapids Washington, Washpun hasn't missed a 3-pointer all year, and was 4 of 4 against Richmond – a couple being crucial shots to halt runs by the Spiders. Easily the best guard for the Panthers last week and so far this season.

Matt Bohannon, guard

(3 GP, 3 GS) – 8.7 points, 54.5 FG (6 of 11), 50.0 3FG (5 of 10), 90.0 FT (9 of 10), 1.0 reb, 1.0 ast.

Bohannon looked like he'd finally found his stroke when the Panthers first got to Cancun, but couldn't find as many looks in the next two. He passed up a few chances against Richmond in favor of getting the ball inside to Tuttle, which showed court awareness as much as unselfishness. His role is clearly to knock down shots, and he did that when provided the chance last week.

Nate Buss, forward

(3 GP, 0 GS) – 8.3 points, 47.4 FG (9 of 19), 50.0 3FG (5 of 10), 66.7 FT (2 of 3), 1.3 reb, 0.0 ast.

Buss was the best shooter the Panthers had in Cancun, going 8 of 14 from the field in those two games and 5 of 10 from deep. Fell back to earth a bit against Richmond – though the whole team did – going just 1 of 5. He was effective in Cancun in limited time on the floor, playing just 12 minutes per game on the trip. Jacobson is intent on bringing him back slowly, but he's still doing his part on the way back.

Marvin Singleton, forward

(3 GP, 3 GS) – 6.7 points, 47.1 FG (8 of 17), 0.0 3FG (0 of 0), 66.7 FT (4 of 6), 8.7 reb, 1.0 ast.

As much as Jacobson hammered home that UNI still has a ways to go rebounding, Singleton has been the exception. He cleaned up the glass consistently last week, which is something not even Tuttle can say. He goes about his work quietly, but uses his strength well defensively and specializes in garbage buckets on offense.

Deon Mitchell, guard

(3 GP, 3 GS) – 3.7 points, 16.7 FG (2 of 12), 25.0 3FG (1 of 4), 100.0 FT (6 of 6), 2.0 reb, 0.7 ast.

Jacobson insisted Monday that Mitchell is impacting the game in ways not seen on the stat sheet (saying 'not caring about the box score is giving it too much credit'), but with all due respect to Coach, it's clear Mitchell is struggling offensively at the moment. He's not shooting well, only had two total assists in the last three games and is losing minutes to Washpun in a hurry. He has taken care of the ball well, though, and run the break effectively.

Wyatt Lohaus, guard

(3 GP, 0 GS) – 3.7 points, 44.4 FG (4 of 9), 33.3 3FG (1 of 3), 100.0 FT (2 of 2), 1.0 reb, 0.0 ast.

Lohaus is in the part of the rotation that doesn't necessarily see consistent minutes. He's still coming up to speed defensively, and his quickness on that end is improving. He was very selective with his shots last week, making a concerted effort to rotate the ball and work in the offense. He did make a few hustle plays, though, that likely earned him some extra run.

Jeremy Morgan, guard

(3 GP, 3 GS) – 2.0 points, 30.0 FG (3 of 10), 0.0 3FG (0 of 5), 0.0 FT (0 of 1), 2.7 reb, 1.3 ast.

Morgan, like Mitchell, is one Jacobson said is having a big impact in ways not seen on the stat sheet. Morgan was on the floor a few times against Richmond alone fighting for loose balls, and took a pair of charges while also registering two blocks. He's content with not being a scorer first because he has teammates he can rely on in that area. He's filling his role well in winning the 50/50 plays.

Paul Jesperson, guard

(3 GP, 0 GS) – 1.3 points, 14.3 FG (1 of 7), 16.7 3FG (1 of 6), 50.0 FT (1 of 2), 2.7 reb, 0.0 ast.

After a hot start in the first four, Jesperson had a quiet three-game stretch last week. He found himself in foul trouble in the first half against Richmond, then didn't really see the floor in the second half. His defense wasn't as strong as some others, which likely was a culprit of fewer minutes. As Jacobson said, though, it's likely players will go in streaks in terms of offensive production as the season rolls on, and Jesperson will come back around sooner than later.

UPCOMING WEEK

UNI vs George Mason, 7 p.m. Saturday at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls

Past weeks: Nov. 15-22

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