Tue., Jan. 18 at Southwest Missouri State 7:05 p.m.

Sat., Jan. 22 at Bradley 7:05 p.m.

The University of Northern Iowa men's basketball team (12-4, 3-2 Missouri Valley Conference) hits the road this week for two league road games. The Panthers start off by heading to Springfield, Mo., on Tuesday (Jan. 18) to face the SMS Bears for the second time in a week. On Saturday (Jan. 22), UNI heads to Peoria, Ill., to face the Bradley Braves. Both games are 7:05 p.m. tipoffs.

SMS is 7-7 overall, 1-5 in the Valley. The Bears, who have lost four straight and six of seven, most recently dropped a 61-60 heartbreaker at Southern Illinois Jan. 15, when the Salukis banked in a three-pointer at the buzzer. The Bears have a balanced scoring attack, as eight players average between 6.1 and 9.6 points per game. Senior Tamarr Maclin leads the team in scoring (9.6 ppg) and rebounding (6.1 rpg) ... Bradley is 10-4 this season, 3-3 in MVC games. The Braves play at Southern Illinois on Wednesday before hosting the Panthers. Junior forward Marcellus Sommerville, one of the MVC's top players, is tied for the conference lead in scoring at 18.3 points per game. He is also among the league leaders in rebounding at 7.2 rpg. Tony Bennett averages 13.1 ppg and Jeremy Crouch averages 10.0 ppg and has made a team-high 27 three-pointers.

SMS holds a 34-12 edge in the all-time series, but UNI has won the last three meetings, including a 68-63 victory Jan. 12 in Cedar Falls. Prior to the three-game Panthers winning streak, SMS had won 14 in a row over UNI. The Bears have claimed seven straight wins over the Panthers in Springfield ... Bradley holds a 20-8 lead in the all-time series with UNI, but the Panthers have won four of the last six between the two schools. UNI is 1-13 all-time in games played in Peoria, with the win being a 67-61 decision in 2001-02, which was Greg McDermott's first season at the helm of the Panthers' program.

Tuesday night's game at SMS will be broadcast throughout the midwest as part of the Missouri Valley Conference's television package. The game will be seen live on Fox Sports Midwest and Comcast SportsNet Chicago, and tape delayed at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday (Jan. 19) on Metro Sports in Kansas City, Mo. Mitch Holthus handles the play-by-play, while Chris Piper provides analysis.

Greg McDermott (UNI '88) is in his fourth season at the helm of his alma mater, and in his 11th season as a head coach overall. He has compiled a 58-46 mark at UNI, 30-29 in the MVC. Overall, he has a career coaching record of 189-110, including six years at Wayne State (Neb.), and one year at North Dakota State.

Last season, McDermott led UNI to a 21-10 record and first-ever Missouri Valley Conference championship, and the team's second-ever NCAA tournament appearance. The Panthers' 12-6 MVC record and #2 seed in the league tournament were program-bests since joining the Valley in 1992.

Prior to coming to UNI, McDermott guided Wayne State to four consecutive 20-win seasons during his tenure, with a conference championship and an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance. He was the 1998-99 NABC/Chevrolet North Central District Coach of the Year, and the 1999-2000 Northern Sun Coach of the Year. A native of Cascade, Iowa, McDermott played for UNI from 1984-88 and scored 1,033 points (currently 23rd on the Panthers' all-time scoring list), and led the team in field goal percentage three straight seasons.

UNI head coach Greg McDermott's weekly call-in show can be heard each Thursday night from 6 - 7 p.m. on KXEL, and airs live from Pepper's Sports Grille and Pub in Cedar Falls. KFXA (Fox 28) will air McDermott's weekly coach's television show each Saturday at 11:00 a.m., and the show will also air on Fox College Sports each Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.

UNI's men's basketball games can be heard on the UNI Sports Network, with KXEL 1540-AM serving as the flagship station. Affiliates include KGLO (1300 AM, Mason City), KPSZ (940 AM, Des Moines) and KQWC (1570 AM/95.7 FM, Webster City). Long-time Panthers announcer Gary Rima handles play-by-play duties, while former UNI assistant coach Kevin Boyle serves as analyst. All Panther games will also be streamed on UNI's official athletic website, www.unipanthers.com.

The Panthers will appear numerous times on television again this season. Local affiliate KFXA (Fox 28) will broadcast at least two more UNI games, Jan. 29 at Drake and Feb. 12 at Illinois State.

The Panthers will appear twice on the Missouri Valley Conference's television package -- Jan. 18 at Southwest Missouri State and Feb. 23 at Southern Illinois. The Panthers also might appear on ESPN or ESPN2 as part of Bracket Buster Saturday III on Feb. 19, with their opponent to be determined in early February. That game will be played in the UNI-Dome.

Each Monday, UNI's in-season coaches will speak at Noon in the back room of Pepper's Sports Bar and Grill, located on 18th street in Cedar Falls. The public and media are invited each week. KXEL (1540-AM) will air the coaches comments at 5:00 p.m. each Monday afternoon.

Cedar Falls, Iowa - Creighton's Nate Funk hit a 19-foot jumper at the buzzer to lift the Bluejays to a 67-66 win over the University of Northern Iowa Jan. 15 in the UNI-Dome.

After Chris Foster had given the Panthers the lead, 66-65, with seven seconds left on a pair of free throws, Creighton inbounded the ball to guard Johnny Mathies. Mathies raced upcourt, but the ball was knocked free at the top of the circle by the Panthers' John Little. The ball bounced to Funk, who rose up and nailed his shot as the horn sounded.

UNI (12-4, 3-2 Missouri Valley Conference) was led by junior guard Ben Jacobson who had 19 points, while backcourt mate Erik Crawford had 18. Both Jacobson and Crawford grabbed seven rebounds in the game. Creighton (11-6, 3-3 MVC) was led by Mathies who had 18 points, while Funk added 17.

The teams entered the locker room tied, 32-32. The Panthers held an 11-point lead, 28-17, with under five minutes to go in the half, but the Bluejays went on a 15-4 run to even the score. CU's Pierce Hibma grabbed a loose ball in the lane and scored as the halftime buzzer sounded.

There were three ties and five lead changes in the game's final two and a half minutes. After Mathies scored to put Creighton up 61-58, Foster nailed a three to even the score with 1:26 left. Dane Watts followed with a basket to give the Bluejays a 63-61 lead, before Jacobson nailed a three from the left wing to give UNI a 64-63 edge. CU's Tyler McKinney scored the final two of his 14 points with 17 seconds left on a driving layup, before Foster was fouled and gave UNI the lead for the final time, 66-65.

UNI shot 49.0 percent (25-51) from the field to Creighton's 48.3 percent (28-58). The Panthers also outrebounded the Bluejays, 34-25, and made 11 free throws to CU's five.

Panthers' junior guard Ben Jacobson is having a remarkable season for the Panthers. The 6-3, 195 pound Jacobson leads the team and is tied for first in the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring at 18.3 points per game, but that just tells part of the story. Jacobson is shooting 53.5 percent from the field for the season (115-215), which ranks seventh in the conference, and his 215 field goal attempts are third most in the league. Jacobson also leads the conference in three-point field goal percentage at 54.4 (37-68), and would be among the leaders nationally but he does not qualify for the minimum number of makes (2.5 per game).

UNI is 12-4 after 16 games, which is tied for the team's best record this far into a season since the school turned Division I for the 1981-82 campaign. The 1989-90 team, under the direction on Eldon Miller, also started the season 12-4. That squad made the school's first-ever appearance in the NCAA tournament. The best start ever to a Panther season is 19-1 by the 1963-64 team, coached by Norm Stewart, and that squad advanced to the NCAA College Division National Tournament.

Creighton's buzzer-beating 67-66 win over UNI on Saturday night snapped an 11-game home winning streak for the Panthers dating back to last year. The last team to defeat the Panthers in the UNI-Dome prior to Saturday was Illinois State on Jan. 28, 2004.

Senior point guard Chris Foster suffered a season-ending knee injury late last season, missing UNI's final regular season game and all four of the Panthers' post-season contests. After surgery and rehab, Foster was back and ready to play for the start of UNI's 2004-05 regular season. But despite being less than one year out from the injury, Foster has continued to provide a much-needed spark off the Panthers' bench. He is averaging 5.6 points, 1.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game for the season, but is averaging 8.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per contest over his last six games.

UNI junior guard Ben Jacobson reached 1,000 career points against Indiana State on Jan. 9. The 6-3, 195 pound native of Sioux City became the 27th player in UNI history to reach that milestone, and just the 15th since the Panthers turned Division I in the 1981-82 season. In addition, Jacobson -- who currently has 1,040 points -- is just the sixth UNI player to reach the century mark in scoring in his junior season.

Ben Jacobson now ranks 23rd on UNI's career scoring chart with 1,040 points, after his 19-point effort against Creighton Jan. 15. That night he passed his current coach, Greg McDermott, who had 1,033 points from 1985-88. Jacobson needs just six more points to move past two other players, Howie Pigg (1,041 -- 1952-55) and Jerry Holbrook (1,045 -- 1960-62) and into 21st place.

UNI is shooting .520 from the field, which leads the Missouri Valley Conference and ranks third in the NCAA in the most recent set of national statistics (Jan. 10). Only Utah State and North Carolina have a higher team shooting percentage. The Panthers, who have shot better than 50 percent from the field as a team in 11 games this season, also lead the MVC and rank 10th in the country in three-point field goal percentage at .420. UNI has posted a better shooting percentage than its opponent a total of 14 times this season, and is 12-2 in those games.

This year's version of the Panthers leads the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring, averaging 75.9 points per game. UNI has scored better than 80 points six times this year and has been held below 70 just five times. The last time a UNI team averaged better than 80 points per game was in the 1988-89 campaign, and it has only happened three times in school history (1967-68, 1968-69 and 1988-89).

Sophomore forward Grant Stout had his best game as a Panther against Illinois State Jan. 3. The 6-8, 220 pound Stout scored a career-high 18 points and grabbed a career-best 15 rebounds to lead UNI to a 75-55 win over the Redbirds. Stout hit 9-of-13 shots from the field in the game, and also blocked four shots. For the season, Stout is averaging 10.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocked shots per game.

UNI's three-guard starting rotation of Erik Crawford, Ben Jacobson and Brooks McKowen have 144 assists and just 85 turnovers this season. McKowen ranks fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference in assist/turnover ratio (52 assists/24 turnovers), and both Crawford and Jacobson rank in the top 15 of the MVC in that category as well.

This year's squad has started the year 12-4, one of the best starts in school history. But under fourth-year UNI head coach Greg McDermott, a strong start to the season is par for the course. In three of McDermott's four years at the Panthers helm, the team has gotten out of the gates the right way: UNI was 6-2 in McDermott's inaugural season of 2001-02, and went 7-3 to begin the 2003-04 campaign.

One concern for the Panthers entering this season was the youth in the frontcourt, and whether UNI would be able to find capable replacements for the departed David Gruber and Matt Schneiderman. Those worries have been dispelled, as sophomore Grant Stout and freshman Eric Coleman have not only stepped in, they have posted just as good of combined numbers than Gruber and Schneiderman did a year ago. Stout and Coleman have combined to averaged 22.6 points and 14.7 rebounds per game, compared to Gruber and Schneiderman's 23.1 points and 13.3 boards per contest of last year. In addition, Stout and Coleman have nine total double-doubles, after Gruber and Schneiderman combined for six all of last season.

The Panthers are ranked in a host of categories in the most recent NCAA national statistics, released Jan. 10. The Panthers rank third in field goal percentage (52.4), 10th in three-point field goal percentage (42.7), 42nd in scoring offense (77.2 ppg), 43rd in scoring margin (+11.4), 20th in assists per game (17.4), 45th in winning percentage (78.6) and 27th in turnovers per game (12.9). Individually, Eric Coleman is 18th in field goal percentage (61.9) and Grant Stout is 46th in blocked shots (2.0).

UNI's reserves came through with solid efforts all the way around in the Panthers' 81-58 win at UMKC Dec. 11. UNI got 21 points off the bench, which was the team's second-highest output of the season from the non-starters. A total of six players scored off the bench for UNI, led by Chris Foster with six points and John Little with five.

The Panthers enter this Saturday's game with a 12-4 record, but could very easily be 15-1. UNI's first two losses were a 76-70 double-overtime setback at Cincinnati Nov. 24 and a 76-73 loss at 17th-ranked Iowa Dec. 7. Against the Bearcats, the Panthers held an 18-point lead midway through the second half before UC charged back to get the victory. Against the Hawks, UNI had possession of the ball, trailing 74-73, and had a jumper miss with five seconds left that would have given it the lead. Then, Jan. 15 against Creighton, the Bluejays hit a shot with 0.2 seconds left to give CU a 67-66 win over UNI.

Freshman Eric Coleman has certainly made his presence felt in his young Panthers career. The 6-6, 230 pound Coleman is averaging 12.1 points and 6.9 rebounds this season for UNI -- including a career-high 24 points and 10 rebounds against Iowa State Dec. 1. Coleman was named Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week Dec. 6, Dec. 13 and Dec. 27, and MVC Player of the Week Dec. 27.

Sophomore point guard Brooks McKowen didn't score against Iowa State Dec. 1, missing both of his field goal attempts. But the former Iowa "Mr. Basketball" -- and state's all-time prep scoring leader with 2,831 points -- made his impact felt nonetheless, as he dished out a career-high 11 assists against the Cyclones with just three turnovers. He has 52 assists and just 24 turnovers so far this season.

UNI's combination of Erik Crawford, Ben Jacobson and Eric Coleman combined for 79 of the team's 99 points in the team's 99-82 win over Iowa State on Dec. 1. Each posted a career high in scoring: Crawford with 28, Jacobson with 27 and Coleman with 24, with Coleman also grabbing 10 rebounds for his first-ever double-double. The trio connected on 31-of-46 shots from the field in the game, including being 10-of-16 on threes.

The Panthers drained 13 three-pointers against Wagner Dec. 21, which set a UNI-Dome record. The previous mark of 12 had been set several times, most recently Dec. 1 against Iowa State. Freshman guard Adam Viet hit the record-setting three-pointer against the Seahawks, as UNI finished 13-for-23 from three-point range on the evening.

All five UNI starters reached double-figures in scoring against Cincinnati Nov. 24. Erik Crawford led the way with 16, followed by Brooks McKowen with 13. Grant Stout, Eric Coleman and Ben Jacobson each had 10 for the Panthers. That marked the first time that all five UNI starters had reached double-digits in points since Dec. 30, 2003, when Crawford (11), Jacobson (16), McKowen (11), Matt Schneiderman (14) and David Gruber (14) accomplished the feat in an 82-70 win against Siena. That was the only time last year all five starters reached double-digits in scoring. UNI has had at least four players score in double figures eight times.

The Panthers' starting five has certainly delivered this season. Four of the team's five starters are averaging in double figures, led by Ben Jacobson, who leads the team (and is tied for the lead in the Missouri Valley Conference) at 18.3 ppg. Erik Crawford averages 14.0 points per game, Eric Coleman averages 12.1 ppg, and Grant Stout averages 10.5 ppg. The Panthers' fifth starter, point guard Brooks McKowen, is among the MVC leaders in assist/turnover ratio.

Sophomore Grant Stout has posted six double-doubles this season. Stout recorded 10 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against Wayne State Nov. 21, and then had 10 points and 10 boards versus Cincinnati Nov. 24. He then had 10 points and 10 rebounds against Loyola Dec. 4, and also had 12 points, 10 rebounds and six blocked shots against UMKC Dec. 11. Against Illinois State Jan. 3, he had 18 points and 15 rebounds -- both career highs. He had 12 points and 11 boards against Indiana State Jan. 9 for his most recent double-double. Stout is averaging 10.5 points and 7.8 rebounds overall this season.

UNI nearly pulled off one of the biggest wins in the history of the program on Nov. 24, when it travelled to face perennial NCAA powerhouse Cincinnati. The Panthers built a 12-point halftime lead, 36-22, and led by as many as 18 points in the second half, before the Bearcats came storming back. UNI fell behind by four in the first extra session, but was able to battle back and force a second OT, before eventually falling, 76-70, in 2 OTs. Erik Crawford led the way with 16 points, and all five UNI starters reached double-figures in scoring.

In this week's CollegeInsider.com Top 25, UNI is ranked 16th, and a total of five Missouri Valley Conference teams are ranked. Southern Illinois (4), Wichita State (6), Creighton (16) and Bradley (24) are also in the top 25.

The Panthers 84-66 win over Wayne State on Nov. 21 was the team's third straight season-opening victory under fourth-year head coach Greg McDermott. The Panthers defeated Chicago State last season (83-59) and won at Montana in 2002-03 (77-71) in their opening games of those campaigns. Only in McDermott's first season of 2001-02 did UNI drop its opener, a 71-57 loss on a neutral court to San Diego State. Ironically, that year marked the best five-game start under McDermott, as the team won its next four to begin the year 4-1.

The Panthers were pegged for third place in the 2004-05 Missouri Valley Conference preseason media poll, released on Tuesday, Oct. 26. UNI, who was tied with Creighton for third, received one first place vote and 265 total points. It is the highest the Panthers have been picked in the MVC preseason poll since joining the Valley for the 1991-92 athletic year.

UNI junior guard Ben Jacobson was one of five players voted to the 2004-05 Missouri Valley Conference preseason all-conference team. Jacobson averaged 14.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game for the Panthers a year ago and was an honorable mention All-MVC pick. He was also named Most Outstanding Player of the 2004 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, as he tied his then-career high with 26 points against SMS in the championship game.

Drake and the University of Northern Iowa will be involved in an historic night of basketball Nov. 20, 2005, when they play the first college basketball games to open the sparkling new Wells Fargo Arena in downtown Des Moines.

The Mediacom Communications Two Rivers Shootout will feature the Drake and UNI men's basketball teams in a doubleheader, playing opponents to be named later. Drake will play the first game and UNI will play the nightcap. The games will be televised by Mediacom Communications.

The Wells Fargo Arena, with a seating capacity of 16,558 for basketball, is part of the Iowa Events Center, a premier state-of-the-art multi-purpose facility for sports, concerts, entertainment, trade shows, conventions and exhibits. The $217 million facility, which also includes the Hy-Vee Hall and Veterans Memorial Auditorium, will total more than one million square feet in size and is situated along the banks of the Des Moines River.

"We are excited to partner with Drake to open the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines," said UNI Athletics Director Rick Hartzell. "Our thanks go out to Dave Blank and Dr. Tom Davis for helping to make this happen and for the great camaraderie that has developed between our programs. This game will be a great opportunity for our team to open a new building and it will be a great opportunity for our fans, alumni and friends in Des Moines to see and enjoy our team and how they play."

"This is a great opportunity for UNI basketball," said Panthers basketball coach Greg McDermott. "We are honored to help open the Iowa Events Center and to have two Missouri Valley Conference teams playing that day is outstanding for our league. We have so many fans and alumni in the Des Moines area, and we are thrilled to be able to play in front of them in this outstanding new facility."

Grant Stout was selected the Prairie Farms/Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athletes of the Week for the period of Jan. 3-9.

Stout averaged 12.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, as the Panthers defeated Illinois State (75-55) on Jan. 3, lost at Evansville (92-73) on Jan. 7 and won at Indiana State (64-48) on Jan. 9. Stout, who has a 3.05 cumulative grade-point average in general studies, also went 17-for-24 from the field (.708).

Erik Crawford of UNI was selected the Prairie Farms/Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athletes of the Week for the period of Dec. 27-Jan. 2, Commissioner Doug Elgin announced.

This is the third time Crawford has earned this weekly award. Crawford powered the Panthers to victories over Valparaiso (67-49 on Dec. 30) and Northwestern State (69-62 on Dec. 31). Crawford, who has a 3.04 cumulative grade-point average in leisure services, averaged 11.0 points and 6.0 assists in both games during the Las Vegas Shootout.

Panthers' junior guard Erik Crawford was selected the Prairie Farms/Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Week for the period of Nov. 29 - Dec. 6, Commissioner Doug Elgin announced.

Crawford averaged 23.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists while shooting 62.5 percent (15-for-24) from the floor and 58.3 percent (7-for-12) from three-point range in victories over Iowa State (99-82) on Dec. 1 and at Loyola (80-73) on Dec. 4. Crawford, who has a 3.04 cumulative grade-point average in leisure services, scored a career-high 28 points versus Iowa State (including a career-high five three-pointers) and collected 19 points, six boards and six assists at Loyola.

Panthers' junior guard Erik Crawford was selected the Prairie Farms/Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Week for the period of Nov. 15-21, Commissioner Doug Elgin announced.

Crawford scored 20 points to lead the Panthers to an 84-66 win over Wayne State on Nov. 21. Crawford hit 8-of-12 shots from the field and 3-of-4 attempts from the free throw stripe while collecting five rebounds, two assists, one blocked shot and a steal.

Freshman center Eric Coleman was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player and Newcomer of the Week Dec. 27. This is the first time Coleman earned Player of the Week honors, and third time he was been named Newcomer of the Week.

Coleman continued his impressive rookie campaign, as he averaged 18.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in two UNI wins. He tied his career high with 24 points and grabbed eight boards against Longwood Dec. 23. Coleman was a perfect 8-for-8 from the field and was 8-for-11 from the line against the Lancers. Against Wagner, Coleman scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds in just 22 minutes of action. For the week, Coleman hit on 12-of-15 shots from the field (.800) and was 13-for-17 from the free throw line (.765).

For the second time this season, freshman center Eric Coleman was named the State Farm MVC Newcomer of the Week Dec. 13.

Coleman had a pair of double-doubles as UNI went 1-1. He scored 16 points and grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds at #17 Iowa on Dec. 7, hitting 8-of-12 shots from the field. He also had a career-high five assists, one block and two steals versus the Hawkeyes. Against UMKC Dec. 11, Coleman again scored 16 points, grabbing 10 rebounds. He hit 7-of-12 shots from the floor against the Kangaroos. For the week, Coleman averaged 16.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game, shooting 62.5 percent from the floor (15-for-24).

UNI swept this week's State Farm Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball awards, as junior guard Erik Crawford was named player of the week and freshman center Eric Coleman was named newcomer of the week Dec. 6.

Crawford led the Panthers to a pair of wins, at home over previously unbeaten Iowa State and at Loyola-Chicago. Crawford scored a career-high 28 points vs. Iowa State, hitting 9-of-13 shots from the field and 5-of-7 from three-point range. His five treys were also a career high. Against Loyola, Crawford had 19 points, six assists and six rebounds. For the week, Crawford averaged 23.5 points per game, 4.5 rebounds per game, shot .625 from the floor (15-for-24), .583 from the three point line (7-for-12), and had nine assists with just one turnover in the two games.

Coleman had a monster week for the Panthers. He scored a career-high 24 points and grabbed a career-best 10 rebounds against Iowa State on Dec. 1, hitting 11-of-16 shots from the field. He then scored 16 points on 8-of-12 field goal shooting against Loyola, grabbing nine rebounds against the Ramblers. For the week, Coleman averaged 20.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.

Redshirt freshman Atila Santos gave the Panthers a lift off the bench against Wayne State in his first regular-season college game. The 6-10, 225 native of Salvador, Brazil scored 14 points -- second highest on the team behind Erik Crawford's 20 -- while hitting 6-of-8 shots from the field and both of his free throw attempts. Santos also grabbed two rebounds, had two assists, one blocked shot and one assist in his Panthers debut.

The Panthers posted a pair of dominating performances in its two exhibition games. UNI won by an average of 45 points in the two contests, defeating Dubuque (93-34) and Southwest Minnesota State (71-40). UNI shot 50 percent from the field in the two games, while holding its opponents to just 27 percent shooting.

During the 2003-04 season, the Panthers toppled three teams that were ranked in the nation's top 25. On Dec. 9, UNI defeated then 24th-ranked Iowa, 77-66, behind a career-high 24 points from guard Erik Crawford. On Jan. 14, the Panthers topped 20th-ranked and previously unbeaten Creighton, 82-73. Freshman guard Brooks McKowen led the way against the Bluejays with a career-best 24 points, including six three-pointers. Finally, on Mar. 1, UNI defeated #15 Southern Illinois, 68-52, behind 16 points from both Matt Schneiderman and David Gruber.

UNI drained 223 three-pointers in 2003-04, which established a new school record for treys in a season. But that's nothing new for a Greg McDermott-coached team. In fact, McDermott's first UNI team (2001-02) made 217 for the previous record, and his second squad (2002-03) connected on 216 threes. With the exception of the past three seasons, UNI has made more than 200 threes just one other time in its history, when the 1995-96 team under head coach Eldon Miller made a then-school record 204.

UNI's win over UW-Green Bay on Feb. 21, 2004 was the 1,000th win in the 103 year history of Panther men's basketball. UNI is now 1,017-981 since originating the program in the 1900-01 season. The Panthers have fielded a team every year since then, except during the 1944 and 1945 seasons, when there were no squads due to World War II.

Last year, UNI picked up its 20th victory in the MVC semifinals Mar. 7, which was just the third time ever (and second since joining Division I) that the Panthers have reached that milestone. Both the 1963-64 teams (under head coach Norm Stewart) and the 1989-90 squads (under head coach Eldon Miller) won a school-record 23 games. Each of those teams advanced to NCAA tournament play, as did the 2003-04 Panthers.

UNI signed three players to national letters of intent during the early signing period beginning November 10. Inking to play with the Panthers for 2005-06 were guard Mason Stewart (Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley), forward Jermain Raffington (Bad Krozingen, Germany/Urspring) and guard Travis Brown (Richfield, Minn./Richfield).

"We are very excited to add Mason, Jermain and Travis to our program," McDermott said. "All three are fundamentally sound from a basketball standpoint, and possess the work ethic and positive attitude that has become the staple of our team. They are also leaders in their respective communities and have a proven record of academic success."

Stewart, a 6-2, 175-pound combo guard, averaged 19.2 points per game as a junior for Waubonsie Valley High School. He reached double-figures in scoring in 28 of 30 games, with a season high of 30, while shooting 44 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range. He was a unanimous all-conference selection both his sophomore and junior seasons, and an honorable mention all-area pick as a junior by the Chicago Sun-Times.

"Mason brings instant energy to the basketball floor," McDermott said. "His ability to change the game defensively and create opportunities with his quickness on the offensive end of the floor is very impressive."

The 6-8, 220-pound Raffington played at Urspring School in Schelklingen, Germany. In 2002, Raffington was selected as one of the top five players at the Dirk Nowitzki Basketball Academy. He averaged 13 points and nine rebounds per game as a member of the German U20 national team this past summer.

"Jermain's ability to defend on the perimeter, as well as be an effective scorer both on the block and from the three-point line, will be a great addition to our front line," McDermott said.

Brown averaged 17 points, seven rebounds and three assists last season for Richfield High School. The 6-3, 175-pound shooting guard helped lead the Spartans to a 21-5 record and a conference co-championship in 2003-04. Brown was also a member of the Howard Pulley AAU team that produced current Panthers Erik Crawford and Eric Coleman.

"Travis is a very complete basketball player," McDermott said. "We were impressed with his ability to score in a variety of ways. He is a fierce competitor that can impact the game on both ends of the floor."