2015–16 Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball team

The 2015–16 Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball team represented the University of Northern Iowa during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Panthers, led by tenth year head coach Ben Jacobson, played their home games at the McLeod Center and were members of the Missouri Valley Conference (The Valley). They finished the 23–13, 11–7 in Missouri Valley play to finish in a tie for fourth place. The Panthers defeated Southern Illinois, Wichita State, and Evansville to win the Missouri Valley tournament and earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. As a No. 11 seed, they defeated Texas in the first round to advance to the second round, where they lost to the Texas A&M Aggies in double overtime after suffering the greatest collapse in NCAA Tournament history, blowing a 12 point lead with 35 seconds left in regulation.^[1][2]

2015–16 Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball
Missouri Valley tournament champions
NCAA tournament, Second Round
Conference	Missouri Valley Conference
Record	23–13 (11–7 MVC)
Head coach	Ben Jacobson (10th season)
Assistant coaches	Erik Crawford Kyle Green P.J. Hogan
Home arena	McLeod Center
Seasons ← 2014–15 2016–17 →

2015–16 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
Wichita State	16	–	2		.889			26	–	9		.743
Evansville	12	–	6		.667			25	–	9		.735
Illinois State	12	–	6		.667			18	–	14		.563
Southern Illinois	11	–	7		.611			22	–	10		.688
Northern Iowa †	11	–	7		.611			23	–	13		.639
Indiana State	8	–	10		.444			15	–	17		.469
Missouri State	8	–	10		.444			13	–	19		.406
Loyola Chicago	7	–	11		.389			15	–	17		.469
Bradley	3	–	15		.167			5	–	27		.156
Drake	2	–	16		.111			7	–	24		.226
† 2016 MVC tournament winner

Previous season

 

The Panthers' starting five huddle during their December 5 game vs. Richmond.

The Panthers finished the 2014–15 season 31–4, 16–2 in MVC play to finish in second place. They defeated Bradley, Loyola–Chicago, and Illinois State to win the Missouri Valley tournament and received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. In the Tournament, they defeated Wyoming in the second round before losing in the Third Round to Louisville.

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Nate Buss	14	F	6'9"	212	Senior	Charles City, IA	Graduated
Max Martino	24	G	6'5"	215	Senior	Cedar Rapids, IA	Graduated
Deon Mitchell	1	G	6'1"	196	Senior	Pflugerville, TX	Graduated
Marvin Singleton	12	F	6'6"	237	Senior	Minneapolis, MN	Graduated
Seth Tuttle	10	F	6'8"	220	Senior	Sheffield, IA	Graduated

Incoming Transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Aarias Austin	1	G	6'4"	180	Junior	Gurnee, IL	Junior college transfer from Des Moines Area Community College.

Incoming recruits

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Luke McDonnell PF	Dubuque, IA	Dubuque Senior High School	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Sep 18, 2013
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Spencer Haldeman PG	Epworth, IA	Western Dubuque High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	May 12, 2014
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Justin Dahl C	Eden Prairie, MN	Holy Family Catholic High School	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Aug 8, 2014
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Lincoln Conrey SF	Waterloo, IA	Waterloo West High School	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	Apr 15, 2015
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2015 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 25, 2014.

2016 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2016 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Juwan McCloud PG	Germantown, WI	Germantown High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	150 lb (68 kg)	May 9, 2015
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 24, 2015.

Roster

2015–16 Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 1 Aarias Austin 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr Des Moines Area CC Warren Township Gurnee, IL F 2 Klint Carlson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) RS So Waverly-Shell Rock Waverly, IA C 3 Ted Friedman 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) RS So Ankeny Ankeny, IA G 4 Paul Jesperson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 206 lb (93 kg) RS Sr Virginia Merrill Merrill, WI G 5 Matt Bohannon 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sr Linn-Mar Marion, IA G 11 Wes Washpun 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Sr Washington Cedar Rapids, IA F 12 Lincoln Conrey 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Fr Waterloo West Waterloo, IA C 15 Justin Dahl 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Fr Holy Family Carver, MN G 20 Jeremy Morgan 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 192 lb (87 kg) Jr Iowa City West Coralville, IA G 22 Robert Knar 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) RS So Mundelein Mundelein, IL F 25 Bennett Koch 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 232 lb (105 kg) RS So Ashwaubenon Ashwaubenon, WI G 30 Spencer Haldeman 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Western Dubuque Peosta, IA G 33 Wyatt Lohaus 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Iowa City West North Liberty, IA F 35 Luke McDonnell 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Dubuque Senior Dubuque, IA	Head coach Ben Jacobson (North Dakota) Assistant coach(es) Erik Crawford (Iowa State) Kyle Green (Hamline) P.J. Hogan (Morningside) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on   Injured   Current redshirt Roster

Schedule

^[3]

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
11/01/2015* 4:00 pm		Truman State	W 70–50		McLeod Center (4,455) Cedar Falls, IA
Non-conference regular season
11/14/2015* 11:00 am		Colorado State MW–MVC Challenge	L 78–84	0–1	McLeod Center (4,455) Cedar Falls, IA
11/17/2015* 7:00 am, ESPN2		Stephen F. Austin College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon	W 70–60	1–1	McLeod Center (4,720) Cedar Falls, IA
11/21/2015* 1:00 pm, ESPN3		No. 1 North Carolina	W 71–67	2–1	McLeod Center (7,018) Cedar Falls, IA
11/25/2015* 7:00 pm, ESPN3		Dubuque	W 83–63	3–1	McLeod Center (4,578) Cedar Falls, IA
11/28/2015* 2:00 pm, MidcoSN		at North Dakota	W 97–51	4–1	Betty Engelstad Sioux Center (2,302) Grand Forks, ND
11/30/2015* 7:00 pm, ESPN3		North Texas	W 93–70	5–1	McLeod Center  Cedar Falls, IA
12/05/2015* 5:00 pm, CSN		at Richmond	L 67–82	5–2	Robins Center (6,323) Richmond, VA
12/08/2015* 6:00 pm, ASN		at George Mason	W 73–65	6–2	EagleBank Arena (4,102) Fairfax, VA
12/12/2015* 8:00 pm, ESPN3		at New Mexico Diamond Head Classic mainland round	L 57–76	6–3	The Pit (13,154) Albuquerque, NM
12/19/2015* 6:00 pm, ESPNU		vs. No. 5 Iowa State Big Four Classic	W 81–79	7–3	Wells Fargo Arena (15,424) Des Moines, IA
12/22/2015* 12:30 am, ESPN2		at Hawaiʻi Diamond Head Classic quarterfinals	L 52–68	7–4	Stan Sheriff Center (8,463) Honolulu, HI
12/23/2015* 10:30 pm, ESPNU		vs. Washington State Diamond Head Classic consolation	W 63–59	8–4	Stan Sheriff Center (7,365) Honolulu, HI
12/25/2015* 2:30 pm, ESPNU		vs. BYU Diamond Head Classic 5th place game	L 76–84	8–5	Stan Sheriff Center (6,172) Honolulu, HI
Missouri Valley Conference regular season
12/30/2015 7:00 pm, ESPN3		Bradley	W 80–44	9–5 (1–0)	McLeod Center (5,230) Cedar Falls, IA
01/02/2016 7:00 pm, ESPN3		at Southern Illinois	L 73–75	9–6 (1–1)	SIU Arena (6,106) Carbondale, IL
01/06/2016 7:00 pm, ESPN3		at Missouri State	L 58–59	9–7 (1–2)	JQH Arena (4,297) Springfield, MO
01/09/2016 7:00 pm, ESPN3		Drake	W 77–44	10–7 (2–2)	McLeod Center (5,105) Cedar Falls, IA
01/13/2016 6:00 pm, ESPN3		at Indiana State	L 60–74	10–8 (2–3)	Hulman Center (3,544) Terre Haute, IN
01/16/2016 3:00 pm, ESPN3		Loyola–Chicago	L 41–51	10–9 (2–4)	McLeod Center (6,033) Cedar Falls, IA
01/20/2016 7:00 pm, ESPN3		Wichita State	L 55–74	10–10 (2–5)	McLeod Center (5,425) Cedar Falls, IA
01/23/2016 3:00 pm		at Illinois State	L 67–76	10–11 (2–6)	Redbird Arena (7,103) Normal, IL
01/27/2016 8:00 pm, ESPN3		at Bradley	W 68–50	11–11 (3–6)	Carver Arena (5,334) Peoria, IL
01/31/2016 3:00 pm, ESPN3		Southern Illinois	W 67–58	12–11 (4–6)	McLeod Center (5,275) Cedar Falls, IA
02/03/2016 6:00 pm, ESPN3		Evansville	W 57–54	13–11 (5–6)	McLeod Center (4,805) Cedar Falls, IA
02/06/2016 1:00 pm, CBSSN		at Drake	W 82–66	14–11 (6–6)	Knapp Center (4,724) Des Moines, IA
02/10/2016 7:00 pm, ESPN3		Missouri State	W 83–69	15–11 (7–6)	McLeod Center (5,755) Cedar Falls, IA
02/13/2016 11:00 am, ESPN2		at No. 25 Wichita State	W 53–50	16–11 (8–6)	Charles Koch Arena (10,506) Wichita, KS
02/17/2016 7:00 pm, ESPN3		at Loyola–Chicago	L 56–59	16–12 (8–7)	Joseph J. Gentile Arena (1,690) Chicago, IL
02/20/2016 3:00 pm, CBSSN		Illinois State	W 75–66	17–12 (9–7)	McLeod Center (6,145) Cedar Falls, IA
02/24/2016 7:00 pm, ESPN3		Indiana State	W 66–44	18–12 (10–7)	McLeod Center (5,911) Cedar Falls, IA
02/27/2016 1:00 pm, ESPN3		at Evansville	W 54–52	19–12 (11–7)	Ford Center (6,552) Evansville, IN
Missouri Valley tournament
03/04/2016 2:30 pm, ESPN3	(4)	vs. (5) Southern Illinois Quarterfinals	W 66–60	20–12	Scottrade Center (10,560) St. Louis, MO
03/05/2016 2:30 pm, CBSSN	(4)	vs. (1) Wichita State Semifinals	W 57–52 ^OT	21–12	Scottrade Center (14,299) St. Louis, MO
03/06/2016 1:00 pm, CBS	(4)	vs. (2) Evansville Championship	W 56–54	22–12	Scottrade Center (14,299) St. Louis, MO
NCAA tournament
03/18/2016* 8:50 pm, TBS	(11 W)	vs. (6 W) Texas First Round	W 75–72	23–12	Chesapeake Energy Arena (15,279) Oklahoma City, OK
03/20/2016* 6:40 pm, truTV	(11 W)	vs. (3 W) No. 15 Texas A&M Second Round	L 88–92 ^2OT	23–13	Chesapeake Energy Arena (15,279) Oklahoma City, OK
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. W=West Region. All times are in Central Time.

References

1. "How UNI managed the biggest collapse of all time". March 20, 2016.
2. "College Basketball News, Videos, Scores, Teams, Standings, Stats".
3. "2021-22 Men's Basketball Schedule".