Complete UNI Men's Basketball Game Notes in PDF Format

Complete Rider Men's Basketball Game Notes in PDF Format

Game #33: UNI vs. Rider
Tues., March 15 - 7 p.m.
McLeod Center - Cedar Falls, Iowa
TV:  Fox College Sports Broadband
Radio:  Panther Sports Network

The University of Northern Iowa men's basketball team (19-13 overall) will play host to a first-round game in the 2011 CollegeInsider.com Tournament. The Panthers will take on the Rider University Broncs (23-10 overall). The game will tip at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the McLeod Center.

TIPPING OFF...
• UNI will be making its third straight postseason appearance by earning a spot in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT). It also marks the sixth postseason appearances in the last eight seasons for the Panthers.

• UNI's bid in the 2011 CIT is the Panthers' 10th all-time postseason appearance in the history of the program. Overall, UNI has tallied a mark of 8-10 in postseason play. UNI was 5-4 in NCAA Division II postseason action and 3-6 in NCAA Division I postseason play.

• UNI is closing in on the team season record for 3-pointers made. The Panthers have connected on 232 3-pointers this season to rank as the second-best season mark in school history. Last year's team set the record with 233 made triples.

• UNI ranks No. 21 in the nation in free throw percentage (75.8 percent). UNI's single-season record for highest free throw percentage is 76.9 percent (1986-87 season).

• UNI ranks No. 2 in the nation in turnovers per game at 9.3 per contest.

• On the season, UNI has committed 10 or less turnovers 22 times.

• Senior point guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe has started 105 consecutive games, a number which ranks No. 8 in the nation among active streaks.

• Ahelegbe ranks No. 9 on UNI's all-time scoring list with 1,297 points.

• Ahelegbe ranks No. 2 on the Panthers' all-time games played list with 131 games in a Panther uniform. Ahelegbe trails only Kwadzo Ahelegbe ranks No. 8 in the nation among active players in consecutive starts. Ahelegbe has started 105 straight games heading into Tuesday's game vs. Rider in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.
    Former Panther Kwadzo Ahelegbe (UNI)    105    Rider (3/15)
    Keith Benson (Oakland)    105    NCAA Tournament

THIS YEAR'S CIT FIELD
The CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT) is a 24-team tournament that will feature 12 first-round games. Four of the teams that win first-round games will advance to the quarterfinals, while the other eight teams will play for the right to advance to the quarterfinals.
    Missouri State won last year's CIT event with a 78-65 triumph over Pacific in the title game. In 2009, Old Dominion captured the CIT crown with a 66-62 victory at Bradley.
    Three Missouri Valley Conference teams took part in the 2009 CIT including Bradley, Drake and Evansville. In 2010, Missouri State and Creighton represented the MVC in the CIT field.

FIRST ROUND - March 14-16
Mon., March 14
Buffalo (18-13) @ Quinnipiac (22-9) 7:00 pm

Tues., March 15
Ohio (18-15) @ Marshall (22-11) 7:00 pm
Furman (22-10) @ East Tennessee State (22-11) 7:00 pm
Jacksonville (19-11) @ East Carolina (18-15) 8:00 pm
Rider (23-10) @ Northern Iowa (19-13) 8:00 pm
North Dakota (19-14) @ Air Force (15-15) 9:00 pm
Northern Arizona (19-12) @ Santa Clara (19-14) 10:00 pm
Portland (20-11) @ Hawaii (18-12) 12:00 am (midnight)

Wed., March 16
Tennessee Tech (20-12) @ Western Michigan (20-12) 7:00 pm
Iona (22-11) @ Valparaiso (23-11) 8:00 pm
Oral Roberts (19-15) @ SMU (17-14) 8:00 pm
Idaho (18-13) @ San Francisco (17-14) 10:00 pm

SECOND ROUND - March 18-19

QUARTERFINALS : March 21-22

SEMIFINALS - March 25

2011 CIT CHAMPIONSHIP - March 30

SERIES HISTORY BETWEEN UNI-RIDER
Tuesday's meeting between UNI and Rider is the first between the two schools in men's basketball. UNI is 3-2 all-time vs. Metro Atlantic Athletic schools. UNI is 2-2 vs. Siena and 1-0 vs. Niagara.

THREE STRAIGHT POSTSEASON APPEARANCES
UNI will be making its third straight postseason appearance by earning a spot in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT). It also marks the sixth postseason appearances in the last eight seasons for the Panthers.
    In its Division I era, UNI has posted three postseason victories.

UNI's Division I Postseason Wins
W, 74-71 vs. Missouri (March 16, 1990)
W, 69-66 vs. UNLV (March 18, 2010)
W, 69-67 vs. Kansas (March 20, 2010)

UNI ALL-TIME IN POSTSEASON PLAY
UNI's bid in the 2011 CIT is the Panthers' 10th all-time postseason appearance in the history of the program.
    Overall, UNI has tallied a mark of 8-10 in postseason play. UNI was 5-4 in NCAA Division II postseason action and 3-6 in NCAA Division I postseason play.

PANTHER OPPONENTS IN NCAA TOURNAMENT
UNI played five games this season against team in the 2011 NCAA Tournament. The Panthers matched up against Syracuse, Morehead State, George Mason and Indiana State (twice).
    The Panthers posted a 69-53 victory over Morehead State on Dec. 11.

AHELEGBE NAMED TO NABC FIRST-TEAM ALL-DISTRICT TEAM
University of Northern Iowa senior point guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe has earned First-Team All-District honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
    It marks the third time in Ahelegbe's Panther career that he has earned all-district honors from the NABC. He was a second-team all-district selection in 2009 and 2010.
    The NABC announced the Division I All-District teams for 2011, recognizing the nation's best men's collegiate basketball student-athletes on March 9.
    Selected and voted on by member coaches of the NABC, these student-athletes represent the finest basketball players across America. The 245 student-athletes, from 24 districts, are eligible for the State Farm Coaches' Division I All-America teams, to be announced on Sat., April 2, at 8:30 a.m. (Central) at the Hilton Amercias Hotel in Houston during the NABC Convention and NCAA Final Four.
    Ahelegbe was joined on the All-District 16 first team by Kyle Weems (Missouri State), J.T. Durley (Wichita State), Andrew Warren (Bradley) and Jermaine Mallett (Missouri State).
    Ahelegbe leads the Panthers in scoring at 14.0 points per game. He started all 32 games for the Panthers this season and has started 104 straight games. Ahelegbe notched nine 20-plus scoring efforts this season. He is one of three players in school history to amass 1,000 points, 300 rebounds and 300 assists. Ahelegbe earned first-team all-MVC honors as well this season.
    Ahelegbe is the only Division I player from the state of Iowa on the all-district squads.

UNI's All-Time NABC All-District Picks
Jason Daisy - 1997 (2)
Kwadzo Ahelegbe - 2009 (2), 2010 (2), 2011 (1)
Kwadzo Ahelegbe earned first-team all-Missouri Valley Conference honors for the first time in his Panther career.
    Ahelegbe earned second-team all-MVC honors as a sophomore in the 2008-09 season. He tallied honorable mention status in The Valley in 2009-10.
    He becomes just the ninth UNI player to earn first-team all-MVC honors since the school joined the league in 1991-92.

UNI's First-Team All-MVC Picks
Randy Blocker - 1993, 1994
Cam Johnson - 1994
Jason Daisy - 1996, 1997
Joe Breakenridge - 2001, 2002
Robbie Sieverding - 2002
David Gruber - 2004
Kwadzo Ahelegbe - 2011

KWADZO = MVC DEFENSIVE MVP
Kwadzo Ahelegbe also earned a spot on the Missouri Valley Conference's All-Defensive squad and was named the MVC's Defensive MVP for the 2010-11 season.
    It marks the third straight season that Ahelegbe has been named to the MVC's all-defensive team.
    Ahelegbe becomes the Panthers' first recipient of the league's Defensive MVP honor.

O'REAR EARNS ALL-DEFENSIVE NOD
For the second consecutive season senior forward Kwadzo Ahelegbe and Kwadzo Ahelegbe ranks No. 9 on UNI's all-time scoring list with 1,297 points.
    Next up on Ahelegbe's list of Panther scorers to eclipse is No. 8 Robbie Sieverding (1999-02) with 1,402 points.

UNI's All-Time Scoring List
1.    Jason Reese (1987-90)    2,033
2.    Randy Kraayenbrink (1983-86)    2,004
3.    Kwadzo Ahelegbe (2006-pres.)    1,297
10.    Cam Johnson (1990-94)    1,286

UPPING HIS SCORING IN VALLEY PLAY
Senior point guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe is the Panthers' leading scorer this season at 14.0 points per game. However, Ahelegbe has stepped up his scoring in MVC play and is scoring at a 15.2 per game clip through 18 league games.

KWADZO DISHES, TAKES CARE
For the fifth time in Kwadzo Ahelegbe Panther career he had at least four assists in a game and no turnovers.
    Ahelegbe handed our assists and committed zero turnovers against George Mason (2/19).
    Earlier this season, Ahelegbe posted four assists and zero turnovers in 31 minutes against No. 10-ranked Syracuse.
    The previous three times Kwadzo had four assists and zero turnovers came in the 2008-09 season.
4 Assists, 0 Turnovers for Kwadzo
11/23/08 vs. Texas Southern (5 assists)
12/3/08 vs. Iowa State (4 assists)
1/17/09 at Drake (4 assists)
11/12/10 at Syracuse (4 assists)
2/19/11 vs. George Mason (4 assists)

KWADZO UP TO 2ND ON UNI'S GAMES PLAYED LIST
Senior point guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe has taken over the No. 2 spot on the Panthers' all-time games played list with 131.
    Ahelegbe moved past fellow Tartan HS native Kwadzo Ahelegbe is one of three Panthers in the history of the program to score 1,000 points, grab 300 rebounds and dish out 300 assists.
    Ahelegbe has posted 1,297points, 337 rebounds and 334 assists.
    The only two previous players in the history of UNI basketball to accomplish that are Dale Turner (1989-92) with 1,250 points, 368 rebounds and 520 assists and Ben Jacobson (2003-06) with 1,787 points, 470 rebounds and 357 assists.

PURE SHOOTER
Sophomore guard Anthony James leads the Panthers this season in field goals made with 153 through 32 games.
    What's most impressive about James' game so far this season is his field goal accuracy. For a player that measures up at 6'0", 175 pounds and gets a majority of his shots on the perimeter, James is draining 51.0 percent of his field goal attempts.

CLOSE GAMES UNDER COACH JAKE
UNI is 31-19 in close games (decided by five points or less) since the inception of the Ben Jacobson coaching era at UNI in the 2006-07 season.
    UNI is 6-6 in games this season decided by five points or less, including a 60-57 loss to Creighton in the MVC quarterfinals.

5 POINTS OR LESS (SINCE 2006-07)
2006-07 - 5-4
2007-08 - 4-4
2008-09 - 9-4
2009-10 - 7-1
2010-11 - 6-6

CONTRAST IN NUMBERS
In its 16 home games, UNI is averaging 67.6 points per game. In its 16 road/neutral games, UNI is averaging 59.4 points per game.
    The Panthers own a scoring margin of +9.2 at home, but it dips to -3.3 in road/neutral contests.

3-POINT STREAK
UNI enters Tuesday's game against Rider having made at least one made three-pointer in 357 straight games.
    The last time UNI failed to make a 3-point basket came Feb. 3, 2000, vs. Southern Illinois in a 72-58 Panther victory in the UNI-Dome.