Northern Iowa (7-15, 5-11) vs. Illinois State (7-15, 4-12) Redbird Arena, Normal, Illinois; Saturday, 1 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Illinois State looks for its sixth straight win over.
Northern Iowa (7-14, 5-10) vs. Valparaiso (8-14, 5-8) Athletics-Recreation Center, Valparaiso, Indiana; Wednesday, 1 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Valparaiso hosts Northern Iowa in a MVC.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa Jacob Ognacevic came off the bench to score 12 points to carry Valparaiso to a 70-57 win over Northern Iowa on Saturday night.
Ben Krikke had 12 points for Valparaiso (8-13, 5-7 Missouri Valley Conference). Mileek McMillan added 10 points. Zion Morgan had 10 points.
Bowen Born had 15 points for the Panthers (6-14, 4-10). Trae Berhow added 15 points. Austin Phyfe had 14 points and nine rebounds.
Northern Iowa seeks revenge on Drake
February 12, 2021 GMT
McLeod Center, Cedar Falls, Iowa; Sunday, 1 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Drake goes for the season sweep over Northern Iowa after winning the previous matchup in Des Moines. The teams last met on Feb. 10, when the Bulldogs shot 47.6 percent from the field while limiting Northern Iowa’s shooters to just 41.1 percent en route to the 80-59 victory.
VARYING EXPERIENCE: Drake has depended on senior leadership this year while Northern Iowa has been fueled heavily by freshmen. For the Bulldogs, seniors Shanquan Hemphill, Roman Penn, Tremell Murphy and Darnell Brodie have combined to account for 53 percent of the team’s scoring, including 55 percent of all points over its last five. In the other locker room, freshmen Austin Phyfe, Bowen Born and Nate Heise have combined to score 43 percent of Northern Iowa’s points this season.SOLID SHANQUAN: Across 20 appearances this season, Drake’s Hemphill has shot 58.7 percent.
Northern Iowa (6-12, 4-8) vs. Evansville (8-10, 6-6) Ford Center, Evansville, Indiana; Wednesday, 1 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: MVC foes meet as Northern Iowa battles Evansville. Each team.