Can UNI Repete as MVC Champs

[Out of Balance]

With all five starters coming back from last year, most will say yes. But before you do, lets look at their season last year.
They were 14 / 4 in conference play and 3 wins in the MVCT in St. Louis.

They won 6 Home games and 8 on the Road
They won 7 games by 1-5 points (3H & 4R)
They won 3 games by 6-10 points (all on the Road)
They won 4 games by 10-26 points (3H & 1R)

They lost 3 Home games and 1 on the Road
They lost 2 games by 1-5 points (both at home)
They lost 2 games by 6-10 points (1H & 1R)

They were 6-3 at home and 8-1 on the Road

You take the 8-1 road record and add 3 more wins in St Louis now they had a 11-1 Road Record in the conference. Now one would have to ask yourselfs can they have a another road record like this again this year
I say Noway and NOway will they repete I think the door is wideopen for someone and BU has a great chance to win this thing outright.
PLAY BIG Jimmy

[houstontxbrave]

With all five starters coming back from last year, most will say yes. But before you do, lets look at their season last year.
They were 14 / 4 in conference play and 3 wins in the MVCT in St. Louis.

They won 6 Home games and 8 on the Road
They won 7 games by 1-5 points (3H & 4R)
They won 3 games by 6-10 points (all on the Road)
They won 4 games by 10-26 points (3H & 1R)

They lost 3 Home games and 1 on the Road
They lost 2 games by 1-5 points (both at home)
They lost 2 games by 6-10 points (1H & 1R)

They were 6-3 at home and 8-1 on the Road

You take the 8-1 road record and add 3 more wins in St Louis now they had a 11-1 Road Record in the conference. Now one would have to ask yourselfs can they have a another road record like this again this year
I say Noway and NOway will they repete I think the door is wideopen for someone and BU has a great chance to win this thing outright.
PLAY BIG Jimmy

We guard a 3 at home and dont get a real questionable intentional foul call there and I really dont think UNI is all that fearsome. They are very good, but I dont think they are head and shoulders better then us.

[SFP]

I believe this year will be tougher for them to repeat but they have to be the overwhelming favorite. Winning on the road is extremely tough and it shows you a team that has the fundamentals down pact. Can we beat them? Yes! Can we win the Valley? Only if we also can be consistent and like them even when they were not playing their best game they always seemed to hang around just enough to make it a game. If we rebound and play some great team D we'll be just as tough to beat.

[AZ BU Fan]

For the historian/stat & record guys/gals -

Has there been any precedence of a Valley team winning the title and returning all five starters?

If so, does history give us any clue as to what may happen this year with UNI?

Sorry OOB, I don't think you will see JL and BU going bigger this year, unless you consider TB at the 4 going bigger....

[bugregshu]

When a team wins a lot of close road games consistently, it starts becoming less about luck, and more about the team's identity. I don't think it's a coincidence that UNI was so good on the road last year. And a team that does that AND gets all 5 starters back (with NCAA tourney experience) has to be the overwhelming favorite to win the valley.

[Grassman]

Northern Iowa

They were within 2 with 16 seconds left in the NCAA against the BIG TEN champ, Purdue!
Also, they were obviously the best team at the Mo. Valley Tournament.
This team can play ball.
That being said, they can be beat and may not win THE VALLEY in 2010!
However, they have to be the preseason Fave.

[Out of Balance]

For the historian/stat & record guys/gals -

Has there been any precedence of a Valley team winning the title and returning all five starters?

If so, does history give us any clue as to what may happen this year with UNI?

Sorry OOB, I don't think you will see JL and BU going bigger this year, unless you consider TB at the 4 going bigger....

I'm no historian friend, so I will have to leave it to someone else to answer your ?'s They are good ones! As for going big, people will not like what I am about to say but if Jimmy does not, I see us finishing again 4-6 Just look at UNI they have a very good balance inside/outside game. They have some really big guys both in height and weight in Koch (6'8 255), Fgleseder (7' 280) and O'rear (6'6 255) plus I think Koch's (6'9 255) little brother who RS last year is on this years roster. Just have to have a good inside game to open up the outside game

[real fan]

Yes UNI could repeat, No I don"t believe they will as they will no longer be a secret and teams will be more prepared to beat them at home. I look for them to lose 6 games in the conf. this season.

[tornado]

UNI had a really hot stretch from Dec. 31, 2008 to Feb 3, 2009.
In that stretch, they won 11 straight games, but they were NOT overpowering...
Those games were almost all close, many within 3-4 pts...

Then from Feb. 3 on...UNI went 3-4 over the rest of the regular season and 6-5 (with two of those wins in OT) all the way to the end of even the tournaments...
They really had no injuries of significance, yet were often playing teams during that stretch (like BU) who were hampered with injuries...

UNI is everyone's pick (except CHN) to win the Valley again, but I see strong evidence that they are not unbeatable.

In fact, on 2/18, UNI had a late season home game against Drake...
Drake was doing poorly, going nowhere, coming off a 2-8 stretch while UNI was peaking...
UNI should have killed the Bulldogs, yet on their own home floor, UNI shot poorly, committed 21 TO, and scored only 46 points. And even though Drake played an equally terrible game,
getting terribly outrebounded and going to the FT line only half as much as UNI, Drake still pulled off a road win at UNI.
UNI should have been able to win this game with their subs...so this late season sputtering coinvinces me Northern Iowa's season gives rise to some solid hope they are vulnerable.

If they are good enough to run away with the Valley, then more power to them, but I think it's a safe bet that they won't run away with it...in fact, I think they might have quite a bit of trouble holding on to the top spot.

[Beninator]

UNI are the MVC champs until someone knocks them off! I want us to stay under the radar for as long as possible and then knock them out!

[Bradleyguy10]

Let me just be the first in this thread to say that I'm glad UNI won last year. I get tired of sports where its always the same teams. Like the yankees with baseball...it gets boring. Look at this thread. I think it's crazy that everyone is talking about how UNI is the cream of the crop in this league and trying to find out of they are "beatable". Just a few years ago they weren't a threat to anyone, unbelievable. This makes sports fun. I'm glad Creighton didn't win AGAIN. UNI...the top of the valley...haha that's awesome. Hopefully BU's time will come again.

I think the valley could do well this year...too bad we don't have that many opportunities to prove it and won't get more than a maximum of 2 teams in.

[MacabreMob]

Sssshhhhhh.....

Bradley is the favorite to win the MVC

[Braves4Life]

When a team wins a lot of close road games consistently, it starts becoming less about luck, and more about the team's identity. I don't think it's a coincidence that UNI was so good on the road last year. And a team that does that AND gets all 5 starters back (with NCAA tourney experience) has to be the overwhelming favorite to win the valley.

Actually, I think winning the close games and road games says more about the coaching, IMO. I really have never believed that UNI was all that talented. And, for the record, I DO NOT think they repeat this year. I think you know who gets my first place vote

[Out of Balance]

Actually, I think winning the close games and road games says more about the coaching, IMO. I really have never believed that UNI was all that talented. And, for the record, I DO NOT think they repeat this year. I think you know who gets my first place vote

A lot of pushing to the cushion there friend

[squirrelgotdead]

ISU may have lost a player or two (I'm not sure on starters off-hand) from their back-to-backs in 1997 and 1998, but that would be the most likely candidate. Otherwise it might be a Tulsa team from '94-95. Without looking it up, those are the most probable.

UNI went 7-1 vs. the remaining top 4 league teams last year (CU, ISU, and BU).

The last two years they are 9-6 vs. the same 3 programs (2-5 in 2008 ).