Bad losses degrading value of Northern Iowa’s two top-five wins
Remember back in the third week of December when Northern Iowa earned its second victory of the season over a top-five ranked team and everyone believed the Panthers might be in the midst of a special season?
Sure, it’s probably too early to rule out that special season becoming a reality, but something isn’t right with UNI of late. The Panthers don’t look like the same team that upset North Carolina and Iowa State. They’re certainly heading in the wrong direction after losing in the final seconds Wednesday night 59-58 to a Missouri State team which secured just its fifth win of the season when Dequon Miller’s driving layup kissed off the glass and dropped through the net.
[Mike Hopkins should not be judged off his bumpy nine-game stint]
It’s amazing to think that a Missouri Valley League team with a pair of milestone wins in the same season might allow those victories to go to waste because of some really ugly losses. The Panthers haven’t put together a winning streak since November and have lost three of their past four games and four of the past six, including a loss to Hawaii at the Diamond Head Classic just before Christmas.
Just a week ago, Northern Iowa set a school record for the largest margin of victory in a Missouri Valley game when it beat Bradley by 36 points. But then it followed that effort up by losing at Southern Illinois and Missouri State.
Chris Kendrix led Missouri State with 17 points on Wednesday. Obediah Church had 10 and Miller finished with seven. UNI made 11 of 24 3-pointers and guards Matt Bohannon and Wes Washpun each scored 15 points.
[Ohio State coach Thad Matta imitates Stanford bro during interview]
The Panthers have won 13-straight conference home games and figure to get back on the winning side of the ledger this weekend when they host Drake, but at this point it’s difficult to predict what the Panthers might do from game to game.
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[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo
