Tuttle, Nance headline NCAA match-up

SEATTLE - Seth Tuttle is a self-made man from small-town Iowa. Larry Nance Jr. is a self-made man with NBA bloodlines. They both stand 6-foot-8 and lead their teams in scoring and rebounding.

Tuttle, a senior from fifth-seeded Northern Iowa (30-3), was tabbed Missouri Valley Conference player of the year. Nance, a senior from 12th-seeded Wyoming (25-9), was first-team all-Mountain West Conference. In many ways, it difficult to distinguish between their resumes and statistics.

'I just think they're so close that that's a real thin dividing line,” Northern Iowa Coach Ben Jacobson said.

Nance, the son of three-time NBA all-star Larry Nance, averaged 16.1 points a game this year for the Cowboys, who claimed the Mountain West Tournament last weekend to earn an automatic NCAA berth. Nance scored 20 points in an overtime win against Boise State in a Mountain West semifinal that kept alive Wyoming's NCAA hopes.

Tuttle said Nance's versatility makes him a challenging opponent.

'He can do a little bit of everything,” Tuttle said. 'The way they use him makes him pretty hard to guard, pretty tough to game plan against. He likes to catch it midpost and just kind of work the defense.”

Wyoming Coach Larry Shyatt said almost the same thing about Tuttle.

'He's versatile,” Shyatt said. 'He puts it on the deck, he's a great passer and he makes shots. Most important of all and most worrisome for opposing teams, he draws a lot of fouls.”

Tuttle, who hails from Sheffield, garners the same respect from Nance. Tuttle averages 15.3 points and 6.8 rebounds and was named a second-team All-American by the United States Basketball Writers Association this week. Tuttle is the only player nationally with 1,700 career points, 900 rebounds and 250 assists.

'There's been a lot of similarities drawn between us two, but I really try not to pay attention to it,” Nance said.

Both teams dwarfed their opponents from the free-throw line this year. Northern Iowa shot 613 free throws and made 445, while Wyoming sank the same number on 629 attempts. UNI's opponents shot only 438 free throws, while Wyoming's foes hit 309.

Tuttle and Nance led their teams in both free throws and attempts. Fouls could determine the outcome between the players and their teams, who meet at 12:40 p.m. Friday at KeyArena,

'(Tuttle's a very crafty player,” Nance said. 'A lot of up and unders, hooking in the post, and (he's) got a good right-hand hook shot. So that's really what I'm going to be focused on, taking away his right hand and trying not to foul too much. ... I've got to stay out of foul trouble.”

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