This Monday, the (1-1) Northern Iowa Panthers will travel to Charlottesville, VA to take on the (2-0) Virginia Cavaliers. Tipoff will be at 8:00 PM EST inside the John Paul Jones Arena. Both of these teams have picked up at least one to begin the year, as they will both be looking to pick up momentum in this game.
The Northern Iowa Panthers are coming into this one after losing to Richmond, 68-55. The Panthers struggled on the offensive end of the court, as they didn't consistently make enough shots to keep that game competitive. They will have to shoot better from the outside if they want to challenge the Cavaliers on the road.
Virginia is entering this one after picking up their second win of the season. They took down Monmouth in their last contest, 89-42. This game was never close, as Virginia dominated them on both ends of the floor. They will be looking to stay hot at home in this one.
This game was written/published before last night's results.
The Northern Iowa Panthers have had an average start to the season, as they have split their first two games. They will now be looking to bounce back in this one. On offense, the Panthers are scoring 80 points per game and they are shooting 46.9% from the field. This is the 124th most points scored per game and the 144th-highest team shooting percentage. They have also been horrible from behind the arc, as they are only shooting 29.6% from deep. This is the 252nd-highest three-point shooting percentage in the country, as they have not been able to make it rain on their opponents. According to KenPom, the Panthers have an adjusted offensive efficiency rating of 100.8, which is the 157th highest rating in college basketball. Northern Iowa has struggled from the free-throw line, though. They are only shooting 66.7% from the charity stripe, as they have continued to allow these free looks at the rim to go to waste. Bowen Brown has continued to lead this team on the offensive end of the court, as he is scoring 18 points per game on 46.4% shooting from the field.
On defense, the Panthers have also struggled. According to KenPom, Northern Iowa has an adjusted defensive efficiency rating of 97.7. This is the 119th-lowest rating in the country, as they have shown that they will contest shots near the rim and from the outside. They are also giving up 58.5 points per game and their opponents have shot 38.2% from the field. This is the 72nd least amount of points given up per game and the 105th lowest shooting percent allowed. The Panthers have also continued to close out on open perimeter shooters, as they are only allowing their opponents to shoot 22.6% from deep. The Panthers are also snatching 36 rebounds per game, which is the 156th most in the country. They have to secure the ball after missed shots or they will allow the Cavaliers to consistently score second-chance points throughout this game.