RADIO INFORMATION
UNI's men's basketball games can be heard on the UNI Sports Network, with KXEL 1540-AM serving as the flagship station. Affiliates include KLMJ (104.9 FM, Hampton), KGLO (1300 AM, Mason City), KQWC (1570 AM/95.7 FM, Webster City), KQMG (93.9 FM, Independence) and KWKY (1150 AM, Des Moines). Long-time Panthers announcer Gary Rima handles play-by-play duties, while Kevin Boyle serves as analyst. Head coach Ben Jacobson's weekly radio call-in show airs each Thursday at 6:05 p.m.

MVC WEEKLY TELECONFERENCE
Once again this year, the Missouri Valley Conference will hold a weekly men's basketball teleconference for each of its ten head coaches. The calls will be held each Tuesday through the end of the regular season. UNI head coach Ben Jacobson is scheduled to be on at 10:51 a.m. Media members wishing to participate should call 913-312-6696.

TICKET INFORMATION
Full season and mini-plan season tickets are still available to see the Panthers in action at the McLeod Center, and single-game tickets are also on sale. All 19 UNI home games this season will be played in the McLeod Center. In addition, tickets are available for the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Tournament at Scottrade Center in St. Louis on March 6-9, 2008. Contact UNITix at 319-273-4TIX for more information.

SCOUTING WICHITA STATE
Wichita State is 8-10 overall this season, 1-6 in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Shockers enter the game with the Panthers having dropped four straight games and six of their last seven. Senior P.J. Couisnard leads WSU in scoring at 11.2 points per game.

SERIES WITH THE SHOCKERS
UNI holds an 18-16 lead in the all-time series with Wichita State, having won four of the last five and seven of the last 10 games played between the two schools. The Panthers have won three straight years at Koch Arena, with Wichita State holding a 9-6 lead all-time in games played in Wichita, Kan.

PANTHER QUICK NOTES
UNI is 4-3 in road games this year, 1-2 in MVC road contests ... the Panthers had a season-high 19 turnovers against Missouri State Jan. 20 ... UNI has had more than 15 turnovers in a game just three times this season ... the Panthers have connected on 20 free throws in two of their last three games ... UNI held Missouri State to just 19 field goals Jan. 20, snapping a string of five straight games where the Panthers opponent had made at least 21 field goals ... Missouri State had nine steals against UNI, the most by a Panthers opponent this season ... Eric Coleman has had five double-doubles in his last nine games ... Coleman is averaging 16.0 points and 9.7 rebounds per game since joining the starting lineup Jan. 12 ... Brian Haak tied his career high with 16 minutes played against Missouri State ... Adam Viet played a career high 28 minutes against the Bears, scoring 10 points ... Jared Josten has scored in double-figures in four straight games.

FIRST LOSS ABOVE SIXTY
The 75-73 loss to Bradley Jan. 12 marked the first time this season UNI has lost a game when scoring more than 60 points. The Panthers are 10-1 this season when topping the 60 point mark. It was also the first time this year that UNI has lost when shooting a higher percentage than its opponent.

BALANCED SCORING
The Panthers had four players reach double-figure scoring against Creighton Jan. 15, with Travis Brown (13), Eric Coleman (12), Jared Josten (11) and Jordan Eglseder (10). That marked the first time UNI had four players in double-digits since Dec. 15 against Wartburg. UNI continued its scoring balance by putting five players in double-digits against Missouri State Jan. 20.

MAKING THEM COUNT
UNI shot a then season-best 54.5 percent against Bradley Jan. 12 (24-for-44), and was also 20-for-24 from the free throw line (.833). The 73 points scored by the Panthers was the most the team had scored against a Division I opponent since recording 73 against UW-Milwaukee on Nov. 18.

NEARLY COMING FROM WAY BACK
The Panthers nearly pulled off a remarkable comeback against Illinois State on Jan. 8 at Redbird Arena. Trailing by as many as 21 points in the second half -- and 18 points (47-29) with 7:09 left in the game -- UNI went on a 17-0 run over the next five minutes to pull within 47-46. The Panthers had two chances to take the lead in the final minute, but were unable to convert, and Illinois State was able to hold on for the 51-46 win.

VIET PROVIDES SPARK AGAINST REDBIRDS
Senior guard Adam Viet was a key catalyst as the Panthers nearly rallied from a 21-point second half deficit against Illinois State Jan. 8. The 6-3 senior guard came off the bench to score a season-high nine points -- all in the second half, including seven during the team's 17-0 run to pull within one -- and tied his career high with four rebounds.

KOCH STEPS UP
Sophomore Adam Koch racked up a career-best 20 points against Evansville on Jan. 2, and followed that up with a 12-point effort versus Indiana State Jan. 5. Koch also hit his first three-pointer of the year versus the Sycamores. He then had his first career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds versus Illinois State Jan. 8.

COLEMAN ON CAREER CHARTS
Senior center Eric Coleman ranks eighth on UNI's scoring chart (1,353), and is fourth on the Panthers career rebounding list (874). He also ranks third on UNI's career blocked shots list (99), needing just one more to join Grant Stout (222, 2004-07) and Sean Hawkins (118, 1995-98) as the only UNI players to reach 100 career rejections.

DOUBLE TIME
Senior Eric Coleman has racked up nine double-doubles on the season, including five of his last nine games. Coleman, who has 29 double-doubles for his career, leads the team in scoring (12.5 ppg), rebounding (8.8 rpg), assists (1.7 apg), blocked shots (1.5 bpg) and field goal percentage (.597).

QUADRUPLE-HEADED POST ATTACK
UNI's inside game has been solid all season long. In fact, the Panthers four primary post players -- Jordan Eglseder, Adam Koch, Eric Coleman and Lucas O'Rear -- have combined to average 33.5 points and 25.3 rebounds per game this year, while shooting a cumulative 56 percent from the field, and posting a total of 13 double-doubles.

ALL-TIME LOW
UNI held Bradley to just nine first half points in its 59-46 win over the Braves Dec. 29. The nine points were the fewest points UNI has allowed in a half since turning Division I in the 1980-81 season. Bradley connected on just 4-for-24 field goals (.167) in the first 20 minutes.

WARTBURG WIN THIRD LARGEST IN SCHOOL HISTORY
UNI's 99-48 win over Wartburg Dec. 15 was the team's third largest margin of victory ever, and largest since the school became a Division I program in the 1980-81 season. The last time the Panthers won a game by a larger margin than 51 points was a 57-point victory (77-20) over Central (Iowa) College back in the 1949-50 season, when UNI was a Division II school known as Iowa State Teachers College.

NEARLY THE CENTURY MARK
The 99 points the Panthers racked up against Wartburg Dec. 15 were its highest point total in four years. UNI also scored 99 points in the 2004-05 season, during a 99-82 victory over Iowa State at the UNI-Dome. The last time UNI scored more than 99 points in a game was in the 1997-98 season, when it put up 101 in a 101-64 victory over Chicago State.

MONTGOMERY TIES CAREER HIGH VERSUS INDIANA STATE
Freshman guard Jon Montgomery tied his career high with 12 points against Indiana State Jan. 5. Montgomery scored all 12 points in the second half, hitting 4-of-8 shots from the field, including 3-of-6 from three-point range. He also grabbed a pair of rebounds.

GOING OVERTIME
UNI played its first overtime game of the year Dec. 19 at UMKC, posting a 64-60 win over the Kangaroos. That marked the first Panthers game to go to extra time since Jan. 9, 2007 against Illinois State (a 67-64 loss). It was also the first time UNI had won an overtime game since a 65-61 double-overtime win over 24th-ranked Bucknell on Feb. 18, 2006.

COLEMAN INTO FOURTH PLACE ON UNI REBOUNDING LIST
Coleman moved into fourth place on UNI's all-time rebounding chart against Bradley Dec. 29. He currently has 874 career rebounds, having passed Ken Huelman (818, 1967-69) against the Braves. Ranking third on the Panthers career rebounding list is Coleman's former teammate, Grant Stout (920, 2004-07). Coleman also ranks eighth on UNI's career scoring chart with 1,353 points.

COLEMAN, JOSTEN CLUTCH DOWN THE STRETCH
Two of UNI's seniors -- Eric Coleman and Jared Josten -- have shown their leadership down the stretch on numerous occasions this year. Against UMKC Dec. 19, Coleman and Josten combined to score 15 straight points when the game was in the balance -- the final five of regulation and the first 10 of OT -- to help power UNI to the victory. With his team down by two points late to the Kangaroos, Coleman drained two free throws with 38 seconds left in regulation that tied the game at 50-all and forced the extra session. Then against Bradley on Dec. 29, the duo combined to score 17 of UNI's final 19 points, including combining to hit 9-of-12 free throws in the final five minutes to help seal the 59-46 victory.

JOSTEN 17TH IN NCAA IN FREE THROW SHOOTING
Senior point guard Jared Josten leads the Missouri Valley Conference and ranks 17th nationally in free throw shooting, having connected on 89.2 percent (58-for-65) of his attempts for the season. Josten had a career-best string of 20 consecutive free throws snapped at UMKC Dec. 19, as he went 5-for-6 from the line against the Kangaroos -- a very good number, but which actually saw his season free throw percentage drop, as he entered that game shooting better than 92 percent from the line.

UNI 24TH IN THE NATION IN FEWEST TURNOVERS
Among 328 Division I men's basketball teams, UNI ranks 24th in the nation, averaging just 12.6 turnovers per game. The Panthers have only turned it over more than 13 times in a game just seven times this season, with a low of five turnovers against Loyola Dec. 1.

BLOCK PARTY
UNI ranks third in the Missouri Valley Conference in blocked shots, averaging 3.6 blocks per game, with almost all of the damage being done by two players -- senior Eric Coleman and sophomore Jordan Eglseder. Coleman and Eglseder each average 1.5 blocks per game.

DEFENSIVE INTENSITY
The Panthers lead the Missouri Valley Conference in field goal percentage defense (.367), and in scoring defense (57.7 ppg), and are second in three-point field goal percentage defense (.327). The Panthers have allowed only three opponents to score more than 68 points this year in any game, holding its foes to 50 points or less five times. UNI has held 12 of 18 opponents to less than 38 percent shooting. The Panthers rank fifth nationally in field goal percentage defense and are ninth in the NCAA in scoring defense.

BIG THREE
UNI ranks fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference in rebound margin (+4.9), and the trio of Jordan Eglseder, Eric Coleman and Adam Koch have been the catalysts for UNI's success on the boards. Each of them is averaging better than seven rebounds per game; Coleman leads the league with 8.8 rebounds per game, Eglseder is fourth at 7.0 rpg, and Koch is fifth at 6.9 rpg. UNI has outrebounded its foes in 12 of 18 games this season, with seven of those games being double-digit rebound advantages.

JOSTEN COMES UP BIG AGAINST IOWA STATE
Senior guard Jared Josten scored a career-high 20 points and grabbed a career-best six rebounds at Iowa State on Nov. 27, while committing zero turnovers in 34 minutes. Josten scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half, bringing the Panthers from seven points down to the 13-point win. He scored 13 of UNI's final 15 points down the stretch.

UNI WINS FOR SECOND TIME EVER AT HILTON
The Panthers rebounded from their first loss of the season with a 61-48 win at Iowa State on Nov. 27. That marked UNI's third win in 27 games played in Ames, and only the second-ever win at Hilton Coliseum. Former head coach Eldon Miller guided the Panthers to a 54-48 win over the Cyclones in 1997. UNI's other win at ISU was a 59-54 victory in the 1963-64 season, when it was a Division II school known as the State College of Iowa.

GOOD (FIRST) START
Freshman guard Jon Montgomery made the first start of his career against Wartburg on Dec. 15, and made the most of it. The 6-4 wing connected on 5-of-10 shots from the floor -- including making a pair of three-pointers -- for 12 points, while also grabbing four rebounds. He also had an assist and a steal in a career-high 22 minutes of action.

BENCH SUPPORT
Freshman forward Lucas O'Rear was one of the catalysts for UNI's bench against Wartburg on Dec. 15. The 6-6 O'Rear scored a career-high 13 points and grabbed five rebounds versus the Knights, as the Panthers rolled to a 99-48 win. That victory saw UNI get a whopping 59 points from its bench -- 19 more points than the starters scored. Eric Coleman had 14 points, Drew Lundberg and Joe Green each had nine, and Carlton Reed chipped in with eight off the pine.

4-0 START BEST SINCE 1999-2000
UNI started the season 4-0, which was the team's best start to a season since the 1999-2000 squad began the year 6-0 under then-head coach Sam Weaver. UNI has won at least its first two games in each of the past three seasons, and hasn't lost a season opener since the 2001-02 campaign. The Panthers also won their MVC opener for the second straight season.

THREE PANTHERS EARN BTI ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS
The Panthers claimed the tournament title at the season-opening BTI Tip-Off Tournament with wins over Northern Illinois, Cal Poly and UMass. Eric Coleman, Adam Koch and Jared Josten were each named to the all-tournament team, with Coleman earning MVP honors.

YOUNG GUNS
UNI's has started as many as four underclassmen this season, and have started at least three freshmen and sophomores in all but three games this year. Prior to this season, the last time the Panthers had as many as three underclassmen in the regular starting lineup was in 2003-04, when freshman Brooks McKowen, and sophomores Ben Jacobson and Erik Crawford were in the first five together. Those three were the core of a group that made three consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

AHELEGBE TO MISS SEASON
Sophomore guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe will miss the 2007-08 season due to a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Ahelegbe suffered the injury in practice on Oct. 23 while diving for a loose ball. After considering the options available, and discussing the situation among UNI's medical staff, coaches and Ahelegbe's family, the decision was made to have surgery to repair the shoulder. He will miss the entire 2007-08 season, but should be fully recovered by late spring. Ahelegbe played in 30 games as a freshman, with four starts, averaging 2.6 points per game.

JOSTEN MOVES TO POINT
With sophomore Kwadzo Ahelegbe out for the year with a shoulder injury, senior guard Jared Josten has made the move over to the point. Josten started all 31 games at the wing for the Panthers a year ago, averaging 7.8 points per game and shooting 48 percent from three-point range. Josten earned all-tournament honors at the season-opening BTI Tip-Off Tourney, averaging 13.3 points per game and connecting on 8-of-12 three-pointers.

NEW BIGS
Sophomore center Jordan Eglseder had his first career double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds against Northern Illinois. Eglseder then followed that up with a second double-double against UW-Milwaukee Nov. 18, with a new career high 20 points while grabbing 10 caroms, and then had another double-double with 18 points and 14 boards against South Dakota State Nov. 23. Fellow sophomore Adam Koch, like Eglseder a new starter this season, grabbed a career-best 13 rebounds against NIU, and scored 17 points versus UMass. He also had a career-best 20 points against Evansville Jan. 2, and his first career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds versus Illinois State Jan. 8.

COLEMAN NAMED MVC PLAYER OF THE WEEK NOV. 12
Senior center Eric Coleman was named the inaugural 2007-08 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week Nov. 12. Coleman earned Most Valuable Player honors at the BTI Tip-Off Tournament, hosted by the Panthers at the McLeod Center. Coming off the bench as UNI's sixth-man, Coleman averaged 15.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per contest, whole connecting on 16-of-22 field goals over the weekend (.727). In the three games, Coleman had a pair of double-doubles. He scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against Cal Poly, and then followed that up with 21 points and 13 boards versus UMass in the championship game.

PANTHERS SIGN THREE IN EARLY PERIOD
UNI signed three players during the early period in November, head coach Ben Jacobson announced. Joining the Panthers beginning with the 2008-09 season will be 6-8 forward Jake Koch (Ashwaubenon, Wis./Ashwaubenon High School), 6-1 guard John Moran (Algonquin, Ill./Jacobs High School) and 6-9 center Austin Pehl (Cedar Falls, Iowa/Cedar Falls High School).
  "Austin, John and Jake fit our program," head coach Ben Jacobson said. "They are very good students, come from great families and really want to be Panthers. Kyle Green and P.J. Hogan worked very hard to put this group together and continue to do a great job for our program on the recruiting trail."
  Koch averaged 12.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists last year for Ashwaubenon High School, earning honorable mention all-conference honors. He has been nominated as a preseason McDonald's All-America candidate, and Wishoops.net has him rated as the fourth best player in the Wisconsin class of 2008. He is the younger brother of current UNI sophomore forward Adam Koch.
  "Jake is highly skilled," Jacobson said. "He has the ability to make threes and is a very gifted passer. His combination of size and skill fits very well with the way we play."
  Moran averaged 18.3 points, 4.5 assists and 4.1 steals per game for Jacobs High School, and has scored 1,428 career points entering his senior season. The point guard has earned first-team all-conference and fourth-team all-state honors, as well as being named the Northwest Herald Player of the Year. He is rated the 12th-best 2008 recruit in the state of Illinois by ChicagoHoops.com.
  "John is a true point guard," said Jacobson. "He's tough, smart and just wins. He has a very good feel for the game at both ends of the floor. John's ability to create for his teammates, combined with his ability to score, make him a perfect fit for us."
  Pehl was a first-team all-metro and all-conference selection last year for Cedar Falls High School, while also earning third-team all-state honors. He averaged 10.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game as a junior for CFHS.
  "Austin possesses both size and athleticism," said Jacobson. "He has the ability to run the floor, score both inside and out and become a very good defender. He has shown a true commitment to getting stronger and improving his skills, which is a credit to coach Slykhuis and his staff."

STRONG STARTS THE NORM FOR UNI
UNI's strong start to the 2007-08 season was nothing new for Panther basketball in recent seasons. In fact, over the past five years, UNI has posted an impressive 47-12 record (.797) in games played in November and December. The Panthers claimed 11 wins before the calendar turned to January in both the 2005-06 and 2006-07 campaigns, while winning nine before Jan. 1 in both 2004-05 and this season.

UNI REPRESENTS USA AT WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES
The Panthers got an early start to the 2007-08 season, as they represented the United States in the World University games, held Aug. 7-18 in Bangkok, Thailand. UNI/Team USA went 5-1 on the trip, winning its last five games after an opening loss to eventual gold medalist Lithuania.

UNI PICKED SEVENTH IN MVC PRESEASON POLL
The Panthers were picked seventh in the preseason Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball poll, in voting by the league's coaches, sports information directors and media. Southern Illinois was a unanimous pick to win the league with 390 points and all 39 first place votes. Bradley was second with 311 points, followed by Missouri State (283), Creighton (266) and Illinois State (235). Wichita State was sixth with 210 points, with the Panthers receiving 197 points for seventh. Rounding out the poll were Indiana State (110) in eighth, Drake (80) in ninth and Evansville (63) in 10th.

COLEMAN TOPS 1,000 IN JUNIOR SEASON
Against Wichita State Jan. 30, 2007, senior center Eric Coleman became the 30th UNI player to reach 1,000 career points, making him just the fifth Panther to top the 1,000 point mark in scoring before his senior season since the school turned Division I in 1980-81. The other four players to reach 1,000 points before the start of their senior campaigns during the DI era are the top four scorers in UNI history -- center Jason Reese (2,033 -- 1987-90), guard Randy Kraayenbrink (2,004 -- 1983-86), guard Ben Jacobson (1,787 -- 2003-06) and guard Jason Daisy (1,721 -- 1993-97). Coleman ranks eighth on UNI's all-time scoring chart with 1,353 points.

ONE THOUSAND REBOUNDS, TOO?
Eric Coleman leads the Missouri Valley Conference in rebounding at 8.8 per game. He currently has 874 total rebounds in his career at UNI, which ranks him fourth all-time on the Panthers rebounding list. With a season similar to last one on the glass, Coleman could become just the third UNI player ever to reach 1,000 career rebounds -- and the first since the Panthers joined Division I in 1980-81. The only two UNI players to reach 1,000 caroms are Pete Spoden (1,104, 1959-64) and Jim Jackson (1,097, 1958-61).

SALAD DAYS
The Panthers have won 94 games since the start of the 2003-04 season, marking the most successful stretch in school history. The Panthers are 94-51 over the past four and a half years, having advanced to the NCAA tournament three times (2004, 2005 and 2006). The second-best victory total over a five-season period is 86, when UNI went 86-29 from 1960-61 through 1964-65. Then, UNI was a Division II school known as the State College of Iowa, under the direction of head coach Norm Stewart.