Two teams coming off their biggest wins of the season met for game three of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament. Both wins, however, had a very different vibe.
Northern Iowa won their final regular season matchup against Loyola-Chicago and clinched the number one overall seed for the weekend. Their opponent, the Illinois State Redbirds, played its second game in as many days, coming off a first round victory against Indiana State.
ISU was down in the first round. The Sycamores had them beat, but a late game run by the Redbirds allowed them to survive and advance. They had to do the same thing in round two, this time against a much tougher foe.
This time, however, they weren’t so lucky.
Northern Iowa built up a double digit lead by halftime and never let it get close, winning 78-65 to advance to tomorrow’s semi-final against the winner of Loyola-Chicago and Bradley.
A potential rematch for the Ramblers could dictate their NCAA tournament hopes. For Northern Iowa, they more than likely need to win the MVC tournament to qualify for the Big Dance.
AJ Green led the way for UNI. The junior from Cedar Falls, Iowa, had 17 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds as he put in a high energy, high effort game for the Panthers. Noah Carter and Trae Berhow followed with 16 and 15 points of their own, respectively.
Illinois State’s starman Antonio Reeves got off to a slow start but ended up leading his team with 20 points. Reeves is a junior from Chicago, Illinois and he has to be an early favorite for MVC Player of the Year next season.
The problem for the Redbirds was turning the ball over. 15 times they gave the ball away, and that just can’t slide when it comes to the MVC tournament. Illinois State also hit 11 threes as they were living and dying by the three ball.
A respectable season ends with conference tournament disappointment.
UNI continues their tournament run tomorrow in the first semi-final at 2:35 pm CDT.