MVC Captains of Their Own Destinies

Can UNI Change Current Trends?

(St. Louis, MO) – The Missouri Valley Conference’s top two teams meet Sunday afternoon in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Loyola (14-6, 6-1) visits Northern Iowa (16-3, 5-2) in a midseason battle between the league’s two most recognizable teams. They play one another two times and thus they are captains of their own destinies.

Loyola has won or shared the last two regular season titles and went to the 2018 Final Four and UNI has cultivated a national reputation by knocking off nationally ranked teams and their seven trips to the national tournament this century.

These coaches know how to win big games.

The Head Coaches

While both Loyola’s Porter Moser and Northern Iowa’s Ben Jacobson are highly successful, their styles are very different, but it is their attention to detail and the ability to recruit and retain players, that fit their styles that makes them so similar.

Jacobson, the dean of the Valley coaches, stands along the UNI side-line as if presiding over a court case. Often, arms folded, taking it all him. In days gone by he would often pull out his 3 X 5 cards with plays and notes written on them. The former assistant to Greg McDermott in Cedar Falls exudes that quiet inner strength so many of us lack.

Moser, the most quoted of the MVC coaches, stalks the side-line like a husband watching his wife give birth. His jacket is on and then it is off. He walks to the end of the base line and out near half court repeatedly. If he has a fit bit, it registers thousands of steps per game. To reach his energy level, this writer would need more than one can of Red Bull.

Jacobson is Jean Luc-Picard and Moser is James T. Kirk. Jacobson is Steve Rogers and Moser is Tony Stark. Effective, creative, great leaders, quite different and captains of their own destinies.

Left-Handed Post Players

This will be great theater. Northern Iowa’s Austin Phyfe is growing into the outstanding player many expected him to become and Krutwig is the best center in the league. The two lefties are fundamentally sound rebounders rather than freakish leapers. Since league play has begun they are the league’s top two rebounders and they both average 12.7 points per game.

While Krutwig has the best foot-work and up-and-under moves in the Valley, Phyfe has a rare ability to run the pick-and-roll for lay-ups. Their offensive prowess allows their respective teams to place first and second in overall field goal percentage and in long distance shooting.

Neither is an intimidating defensive presence, but both play elite positional defense.

Krutwig’s all-round game is a site to behold. He is second to Phyfe in rebounding (8.9 to 8.3), is third in both assists (4.3) and steals (1.7). King Krut is in unheard of territory.

Stark Differences

Both of these teams are known for their defensive abilities and star power. As noted, they are the Valley’s top shooting teams. However, the differences between them are large. Northern leads the league in scoring and LUC is the top defensive team. While the Ramblers lead the league in three-point percentage (.408) they don’t take very many, making just 5.7 triples per game.

UNI makes nine per game, while converting .404 from deep. The Panthers are the top ‘rebounding margin’ team, out rebounding their opponents by 8.7 per game. Loyola survives while yielding .6 more rebounds than the opposition.

The biggest difference in these teams is how they handle the ball. Loyola is a Valley best plus 4.9 in turnover margin and the Panthers trail the field at a negative 3.9. Turnovers have been a season-long problem for Jacobson and the Panthers.

The ability to impose their style on the other squad should determine the outcome. They both want to be captains of their own destinies.

Offensive Weapons

Each of these Valley heavy-weights boast five players scoring eight or more points. Beyond the centers, there is ample weaponry. Long time Valley watchers won’t recognize most of the Rambler scorers because they are first-year players. Meanwhile, MVC fans will think some of the Panthers are ten-year veterans.

Transfer Tate Hall is second to Krutwig’s season long 15 point scoring average by contributing 14 per game. Newcomers Marquisse Kennedy and Keith Clemons join junior Lucas Williamson, chipping in more than eight points per game.

Star sophomore A.J. Green leads the UNI offensive charge. He’s scoring over 24 points per MVC contest and 19.5 overall. Trae Berhow is one of the top three-point marksmen nationally and averages 14.4 points. Veterans Spencer Haldeman and Isaiah Brown fill in the other gaps.

X-Factors

UNI is undefeated at home. This is a huge advantage. A.J. Green can go off for 25 or more points at any time, and the Panthers can fill the McLeod Center nets in a hurry.

Which player will Moser choose to defend Green? Does Williamson get the task? Can he slow down one of the best guards in college basketball?

Loyola has won the last five meetings between these teams. Only once have the Panthers scored as many as 60 points. Four of the games have been on the teams’ home floors and they played one game at Arch Madness.

In fact, the Ramblers have won eight of the last nine between the teams. Does Loyola have a psychological advantage over the Panther players? UNI’s only win was a double-overtime win in 2017. During that streak, the Panthers are averaging just 55 points per contest with the Ramblers.

It is a 3:00 p.m. game on ESPNU. Grab the snacks, sit back and watch these captains of their own destinies.

Do Good