Northern Iowa grabbed some attention midway through December, beating Colorado in Boulder to move to 9-1 overall in the midst of an appropriate, tasteful non-conference schedule. The Panthers hadn’t entered the year a clear Missouri Valley Conference favorite, but with that victory, they became one in the public eye.
The more dramatic reactions to UNI’s rise said Ben Jacobson’s team was headed to that…other…tournament, and that their first-round opponent there should look the hell out. These reactors seemed to forget that the Missouri Valley tournament is in St. Louis, not Cedar Falls. Arch Madness, ever heard of it? Also, UNI would have to win three straight games there. No easy task, with Loyola and Bradley and Indiana State all decent if not actively good.
No, UNI was never a sure bet to get real good and whiff on the NIT automatic bid. More appropriate reactors saw the development for what it was: a mid-major becoming a clear regular season favorite but a conference tournament underdog, relative to the field. In other words, UNI established themselves as one of the leading candidates for an NIT automatic bid. UNIT, anybody?
Now, though, those hopes look more frail. On Tuesday, UNI went to Bloomington, and Illinois State sent them home hurting. A blown lead. Loads of turnovers. Scorch marks on their chests after getting burned from deep.
Still, the question existed of whether this was a good sign for UNI’s NIT chances.
The answer is no.
Sure, Northern Iowa is no longer looking so likely to win their conference tournament. But they’re also looking less likely to win their league’s regular season title, which is the much harder part of earning the evasive NIT automatic bid (significant stat: fewer than one half as many teams earn an automatic bid to the NIT as earn one to the NIT’s bloated, bloviating nephew). It was not a helpful loss. It was a troubling one. And Ben Jacobson must find a way to get his guys to bounce back this weekend when Bradley comes to town. Otherwise, the once-roaring flame of UNIT hopes will be subdued to but a flicker.
