Men’s basketball finishes season strong, prepares for Arch Madness
Jeremy Morgan (20) was named All-MVC Honorable Mention. Morgan currently leads the MVC with 60 steals.
Mar 3, 2016
The UNI men’s basketball team has finished the 2015-2016 regular season and is making preparations for Arch Madness this weekend in St. Louis. The Panthers’ conference record of 11-7 marks them tied for fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference along with Southern Illinois.
The season started off on a tough note as the Panthers lost their season opener to Colorado State at home. The loss seemed to be a small hiccup as UNI recorded a five-game winning streak afterwards. One of those victories happened to be the 71-67 victory against then-No. 1 North Carolina.
The momentum slowed down as the Panthers went 4-4 over the next eight games. In that span, they were able to defeat then-No. 5 Iowa State, 81-79, in the Big Four Classic in Des Moines.
The season looked gloomy as the Panthers then dropped six of their next seven games. Their record was 10-11 at one point and it did not look like they were going to make a post-season tournament.
All of a sudden, the Panthers kick started something new as they won nine of their last 10 games. Most of those victories came from MVC leaders such as Wichita State, Illinois State, Evansville and Southern Illinois.
With the big push at the end of the season, the Panthers finished with a total record of 19-12. They received a No. 4 seed in the Arch Madness tournament and still have a shot to make the NCAA tournament.
A number of players received honors for their great seasons. Wes Washpun was named Second Team All-Conference as he finished the season with a team-high 436 points and conference-high 168 assists.
Matt Bohannon and Jeremy Morgan were named All-Conference Honorable Mentions. Bohannon finished the season with 383 points as well as a conference-high of 89 three-pointers. Morgan finished the season with 315 points and a conference-high 60 steals.
Klint Carlson was named on the All-Bench team thanks to his 181 points and 99 rebounds, while Bennett Koch was named on the Most-Improved team thanks to his 247 points and 107 rebounds.
The Panthers start off Arch Madness as they will play the Southern Illinois Redbirds on Friday, March 4 at 2:30 p.m.
