Men's Hoops Prepares For Northern Iowa On Wednesday Night
12/18/2007 12:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Setting
The UMKC men's basketball team will take on its second straight opponent from the Missouri Valley Conference on Wednesday night when it hosts Northern Iowa at Municipal Auditorium. The game between the Kangaroos and Panthers will tip-off at 7:05 p.m., and it will be broadcast live on Metro Sports.
On The Tube
Wednesday's game will be broadcast live on Metro Sports. Neil Harwell will call the play-by-play, while Doug Elstun will serve as the color commentator.
On The Air
All UMKC men's basketball games can be heard on Sports Radio 810 WHB AM. Fans can also hear the games online at www.810whb.com. “The Voice of the Kangaroos” Danny Clinkscale will call the play-by-play action for UMKC for the seventh straight season. Former Kangaroo Michael Watson will serve as the color commentator.
On The Web
Fans can watch all UMKC home games and all league contests live on SummitTV. Fans can access SummitTV through www.umkckangaroos.com or www.thesummitleague.org. More than 275 men's and women's games will be featured as part of the $49.95 annual subscription package.
Live Stats
Fans can follow the action as it happens via live stats at www.umkckangaroos.com.
A Look At Northern Iowa
The Panthers enter Wednesday's game with a 7-2 overall record after tallying an easy 99-48 victory over Wartburg on Saturday in Cedar Falls. Four UNI players finished the contest in double figures in the game with center Jordan Eglseder leading the way with 15 points.
Northern Iowa opened the year by winning its first four games before dropping a 61-55 decision at fellow Summit League school South Dakota State on Nov. 23. The Panthers second loss came on Dec. 5 at home against Iowa (62-55).
Guard Jared Josten leads a balanced scoring attack for UNI with a 11.9 average. Eglseder is chipping in 11.7 points, while forward Eric Coleman averages 11.4 points and a team-high 8.2 rebounds in a reserve role. Four other Panther players average 7.1 points or better.
UNI has been a strong free throw shooting team, as it connects on .761 (143-188) of its attempts. The Panthers also hold a large advantage on the glass, 37.1-30.6.
UNI Game Facts
- Northern Iowa is ranked 18th in the latest Collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Poll.
- The Panthers represented the United States at the World University Games last summer in Bangkok, Thailand. UNI, who was the first college team to wear the Red, White and Blue of Team USA in a major international competition, posted a 5-1 record on the trip.
- Reserve guard Carlton Reed made his Panther debut on Saturday against Wartburg with eight points on 2-of-4 shooting. Reed transferred to UNI after playing his first two seasons at the University of Iowa.
- Senior guard Adam Viet has made a career against playing UMKC. Viet has connected on 13 three-pointers in three career games against the Kangaroos. Last season, he made 7-of-8 long balls en route to a game-high 24-points.
- Forward Eric Coleman has posted a double-double in all three career meetings against UMKC. He is averaging 14.3 points and 12.3 boards against the Kangaroos.
UNI vs. UMKC - The Series
Northern Iowa leads the all-time series over UMKC, 6-1. The Panthers have claimed the last three meetings in the series, which includes a 85-53 victory in Cedar Falls last season, and a 87-64 win at Municipal in 2005. The Kangaroos' lone victory over UNI came in 2001 in a 79-64 decision in Kansas City.
Last Contest
The Kangaroos rallied from a 13-point second half deficit to top Wichita State, 59-56, last Saturday at Municipal Auditorium. UMKC trailed by 13 points early in the second half, before battling back to take a three-point lead (52-49) with 2:30 remaining. WSU led one final time courtesy of a Gal Mekel long ball, but the Kangaroos took the lead for good on a Dane Brumagin acrobatic lay-up before securing the three-point win.
Notes From The WSU Game
- UMKC finished with 10 assists to just eight turnovers in the contest. The eight miscues were a season-low for the squad. The Kangaroos also forced the Shockers into 18 turnovers in the contest.
- After going 3-15 from long range in the first half, the Kangaroos connected on 6-of-8 second half attempts against WSU.
- UMKC was outrebounded, 42-31, in the game. The Kangaroos, however, tallied nine steals to zero for the Shockers.
The Win Over Wichita State Is...
- UMKC's first over the Shockers since Jan. 4,1994, which was a 81-68 victory in Kansas City.
- just the second win for UMKC over Wichita State all-time.
- the Kangaroos' first victory over a team from the Missouri Valley Conference since 2001. UMKC topped Missouri State (69-63-OT) on Nov. 27, 2001, and Northern Iowa (79-64) on Dec. 1, 2001.
- the second victory by a Summit League school over the MVC this season. South Dakota State topped Northern Iowa, 61-55, on Nov. 23 in Brookings.
Number of the Day - 59
The Kangaroos scored 59 points in the win over Wichita State. The point total is the lowest point total in a winning effort since Feb. 8, 2003, when UMKC topped Chicago State, 59-56, in Kansas City.
Back To The Friendly Confines Of Municipal
The Kangaroos are in the midst of a stretch where they play six of eight games inside the friendly confines of Municipal Auditorium. The squad has had success at their home venue this season, as it has posted a 4-1 record. The team's lone home defeat came at the hands of Eastern Washington (54-65) on Dec. 3.
The squad is averaging 71.8 points at Municipal, while shooting .421 from the floor and .424 from long range. UMKC is averaging 10.0 three point field goals on its home court this season.
Brumagin Is Lights Out
Junior Dane Brumagin didn't continue his torrid scoring pace against Wichita State on Saturday night, but he scored all of his points in the second half in helping the Kangaroos rally to a three-point win over the Shockers. The forward finished the game with 13 points on 4-of-11 shooting.
Brumagin had been lights out for the Kangaroos in the previous two contests, as he scored a total of 75 points. He opened with a 40-point outburst, which included 29 second half points, against Oakland on Dec. 6, when he made 12-of-17 shot attempts. Seven of the makes were from three-point range. The point total is the high in The Summit League this season.
The junior followed it up with a 35-point performance at IPFW on Dec. 8. Twenty-three of those points came in the opening half on 10-of-11 shooting.
Brumagin leads the team in scoring with a 19.5 per game average. The figure ranks sixth in The Summit League and 43rd in the nation this season. On the year, the forward has scored in double figures in 9-of-11 games, which includes five games with 20 or more points. He also has nine such games in his career.
Buckling Down Defensively
The Kangaroos played their best defensive game of the season in the win over Wichita State on Saturday. UMKC allowed opponent lows in five major categories - points (56), field goals (17), field goal percentage (.378), three-point field goals (4) and three-point field goal percentage (.235).
