5 years after embarking on a miraculous run to the Sweet 16, toppling then-#1 seed Kansas along the way, the Northern Iowa Panthers will make a return to the NCAA Tournament this year after downing Illinois State 69-60 in the championship game of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament.
Down 14 at the break and by as many as 18 in the first half, senior forward Seth Tuttle, NIU’s leading scorer (15.3 points per game) and rebounder (6.7 per game), stepped up and delivered with a 15-point, 9-rebound effort to spark the comeback. Tuttle will command most of the attention from NIU’s Tournament opposition, so it will be up to seniors Deon Mitchell and Nate Buss to provide the scoring threat that will keep defenses honest. Marvin Singleton, the 4th senior starter on this lineup, will provide size (5.1 rebounds per game) to help Tuttle in the paint.
Head coach Ben Jacobson was at the helm for the 2010 run, and we will be sure to hear more references to Ali Farokhmanesh and that famous victory.
(Feature Image: USA Today/Jasen Vinlove)