UNI Basketball Tickets
It’s not easy being the third-best basketball program in a state, but the Northern Iowa Panthers seem to be handling it just fine. At times, there are plenty of cheap UNI basketball tickets available, but there are also times when the Panthers are in the national spotlight. Slowly but surely, Northern Iowa has become one of the most notable mid-major programs in the country, making last-minute UNI basketball tickets a treat for any basketball fan in the Hawkeye State.
Just the Beginning
Former Northern Iowa player Greg McDermott is the person most responsible for putting UNI on the college basketball map. He inherited a struggling program in 2001 but would go on to take the Panthers to the NCAA Tournament in three consecutive seasons from 2004 to 2006. That run ended a 14-year tournament drought with UNI’s only other tournament appearance coming in 1990 when they upset Missouri in the First Round as a no. 14 seed. After the 2006 season, McDermott left to pursue other endeavors, but even without him, the success at his alma mater was just getting started.
The Apprentice Becomes the Master
Ben Jacobson served as an assistant under McDermott and ended up being the successor to his former boss in 2006. In his third season at the helm, Jacobson got the Panthers back to the Big Dance, winning both the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament titles. However, it was the following year that Northern Iowa earned a permanent place in college basketball lore. As a no. 9 seed, the Panthers defeated UNLV in the First Round and then pulled off a stunning upset over the tournament’s top seed Kansas in the Round of 32 thanks to an incredible shot by Ali Farokhmanesh that sent UNI to the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history.
The shot by Farokhmanesh will always be remembered as one of the greatest shots in NCAA Tournament history. It also ensured that UNI won’t be soon forgotten, especially since the Panthers remain one of the best teams in the Missouri Valley and one of the mid-major programs fans need to watch closely year after year.
