Time For Iowans To Take Notice Of The Panthers

The Iowa and Iowa State basketball teams always create a lot of talk, some of it unwanted, but what about the UNI Panthers? Ask most Iowans and they likely don't know what an incredible season the team is having. 

The Panthers of Northern Iowa, coached by Ben Jacobson, are 22-2 and 11-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference. You read that right. Wednesday night, they go for a 12th consecutive victory when they host Illinois State.

There are seven players on the UNI roster that played high school basketball in either Cedar Rapids, Marion, or Iowa City. That naturally makes us want to cheer for them, so why does the buzz surrounding the Panthers seem so much less than that of Iowa and Iowa State? I blame television. Despite getting the attention they deserve nationally, with their highest rankings ever this week (13th in USA Today/Coaches Poll and 12th in the Associated Press) the Panthers are often hard to find on television. Their last nationally-televised game was January 31st and (by my count) only 10 of their 24 games have been broadcast nationally. That's a shame. Wednesday night's UNI/Illinois State game isn't on TV either, but ESPN3 will have it. We'll all have to pull out our iPad's, laptops, or whatever the case to watch the Panthers.

The national media is noticing UNI and other institutions likely are as well. Panther fans will have to worry about other schools calling Jacobson and talking opportunities during the off-season. That's a worry for April though. Right now, it's about finding the place to cheer on your team. Sunday's contest against Missouri State will be televised nationally by ESPNU... however, the Panthers and their fans are focused on Illinois State first.