Northern Iowa Panthers 2025: NCAA Tournament Drought Ends?
Northern Iowa Panthers basketball preview: 72% returning minutes plus key transfers. Can Ben Jacobson finally end the NCAA Tournament drought?
The Missouri Valley Conference is once again going to be one of the best conferences outside of the power ranks this season. The Northern Iowa Panthers have seen many successful seasons underneath Ben Jacobson’s 19 seasons at the helm, including a 20-13 record last year that earned them a bid to the NIT. However, Panthers fans are itching to get back to the NCAA Tournament.
The Panthers haven’t reached the big dance since 2016 when they appeared as an 11-seed, took down Texas in the first round and nearly did the same to Texas A&M in the Round of 32. The year prior was their historic 31-4 season where they reached 11th in the AP poll and received a 5-seed, but lost to Louisville in the second round.
The Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook recently released their projections and they have the Panthers at second place behind Illinois State. Evan Miya has them also in second place (overall 95th in the country), but behind Bradley. Needless to say, it’s going to be another incredibly tough year in the Missouri Valley. However, Ben Jacobson has defied the odds of the modern era of college basketball by retaining a remarkable over 70% of the minutes last season.
With just five players leaving, two of which to the portal. Jacobsen brought in three intriguing freshman, an NAIA All-American, and two underrated players from the power conference ranks looking for their big break. Could this be the season that Northern Iowa breaks the NCAA Tournament drought? Let’s take a look at their roster movement.
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Roster Turnover
The Panthers lost the following players:
Tytan Anderson (Ineligible)
15.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.1 steals
Jacob Hutson (Ineligible)
11.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists
Cael Schmitt (Ineligible)
4.4 points, 0.8 rebounds, 0.9 assists
Charlie Miller (Junior) - Northern Michigan (DII)
1 points (17 games / 2.8 minutes)
Wes Rubin (Sophomore) - TBD
0.8 points, 0.5 rebounds (12 games / 1.8 minutes)
The Missouri Valley has been on fire retaining players. We covered Illinois State a few weeks ago and the Redbirds are returning a ton of players. However, Northern Iowa is even higher. In fact, the Panthers are returning a whopping 72% of their minutes from last season.
Losing both Tytan Anderson and Jacob Hutson hurt. Anderson wrapped up a remarkable five year career with Northern Iowa, going from averaging just 1.7 points and 8.2 minutes per game as a sophomore to winning the Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year and being named to the First Team All-Conference last season. Anderson embodies what Jacobsen has built at Northern Iowa. Hutson spent his final two seasons with the Panthers after starting out at Loyola Chicago for three seasons. He formed himself into a reliable big man who could also stretch the floor a bit and knock some shots down from outside.
Cael Schmitt transferred in from Coe College, but he appeared in just 15 games this season due to injuries. His best game of the season came against a huge win over Bradley as he finished with 12 points in 18 minutes.
Looking at the transfers, the Panthers did incredible as they lost just two players and neither had significant roles on the team.
Returning Players
Northern Iowa has the following players returning this season:
Trey Campbell (Senior)
11.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.4 steals
Ben Schwieger (Senior)
9.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists
Max Weisbrod (Senior)
5.9 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists
Chase Courbat (Senior)
0.8 points, 0.4 rebounds (13 games / 1.8 minutes)
Leon Bond III (Junior)
9.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists
RJ Taylor (Junior)
7.5 rebounds, 1 rebound, 2.1 assists, 1.5 steals
Kyle Pock (Junior)
2 points, 0..6 rebounds
Hunter Jacobson (Junior)
0.6 rebounds (12 games / 1.8 minutes)
Will Hornseth (Sophomore)
5 points, 2.3 rebounds
Redek Born (Sophomore)
1.3 points, 1.2 rebounds
Cade Courbat (Redshirt Freshman)
DNP
Guards
Max Weisbrod (6’4)
Coming out of the Division II ranks at Northern Michigan, Weisbrod immediately stepped into a solid rotational role for the Panthers. During his sophomore season at Northern Michigan, he averaged 17.2 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 43.3% overall and 39.1% from beyond the arc. In his first season in Division I, he appeared in 33 games while starting 12. He shot 42% overall and 40.4% from three-point on 3.5 attempts per game. 70% of his shot attempts came from the three-point mark, so he’s turned himself into a bit of a three-point specialist as he finished 189th in the country. Coming into his senior season, he’ll be looking at a similar role for the Panthers as an offensive weapon.
R.J. Taylor (5’11)
After looking great through his first eight games of the season, R.J. Taylor went down with an injury against UIC, cutting his sophomore season short. He shot 51.1% overall and 27.8% from three point on 18 attempts. His three point shooting could use some work as he finished his freshman season shooting 5-34. However, he is a strong finisher inside the arc and he’s shown signs of being a playmaker. Before going down with his injury, he was averaging 2.4 assists per game through the first seven. His 15.7% assist rate was going strong, however, he does need to cut down on the turnovers a bit as he finished with a 22.8% turnover rate. It’s worth noting how strong of an on-ball defender he is as well. Through those seven games, he averaged 1.7 steals including three against North Texas and UC Irvine who were two of the best teams outside of the power conferences. Coming back into this season healthy, he’s going to play a vital role for the Panthers.
Trey Campbell (6’4)
Retaining Trey Campbell for another season is the highlight of the upcoming year. He’s entering year four with the Panthers, and he’s coming off his best one year. He finished the season with a 108.7 offensive ratting, a 53.7% effective field goal percentage, a 55.6% true shooting percentage, and a remarkable 43.1% three-point shooting percentage which was 54th in the country. He’s not just offensively strong either as he finished with a 15.5% defensive rebounding percentage, a 2.8% steal percentage, and a 19.8% assist rate. Okay, that was a lot of metrics to essential say…Trey Campbell is very good. He had some dominating games last season, including 30 points against Illinois State, but he’s known as a stat sheet stuffer. Against Indiana State, he finished with 14 points, five rebounds, five assists, two blocks, and three steals. He’s a menace on the court, he can score, he can take over as a play maker, and he’s strong on defense. With Tytan Anderson out of eligibility, Campbell is going to be the go-to player for the Panthers this season.
Forwards
Ben Schwieger (6’8)
Schwieger transferred into Northern Iowa after spending two seasons with Loyola Chicago and he picked up where he left off his freshman season with the Ramblers. In his freshman year, he averaged 9.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 45.4% overall and 34.9% from beyond the arc. For Northern Iowa last season, he started in 25 games and appeared in 33 overall while shooting 49.2% from the floor and 36.6% from beyond the arc. His 18% defensive rebounding percentage was 381st in the country, while his 40.7% three-point shooting within the Missouri Valley was 6th best in the MVC. The Panthers are loaded and Ben Schwieger is going to be a piece of that lethal starting lineup.
Kyle Pock (6’6)
Pock has spent his first two seasons with Northern Iowa where he has appeared in 65 games off the bench. The 6’6 incoming junior shot 35.5% last season from the floor and 35.2% from beyond the arc. He took 62 shots, in which 54 of those were three point attempts. Considering the depth they have at his position, I think it’ll be hard for him to crack through to a larger role.
Leon Bond III (6’5)
Leon Bond transferred in after a nice freshman season at Virginia where he averaged 4.1 points and 2.8 rebounds across 24 games. Last year, he appeared in 23 games, starting 21. He shot 55.6% overall from the floor and 33.3% from three-point on 39 attempts. From inside the arc, he shot a ridiculous 62.3%, which was 140th in the nation. He had an insane game against Montana where he finished with 37 points on 12-15 shooting and a perfect 9-9 from the free throw line. At 6’5, he doesn’t play a true wing position that will sit outside a shoot a lot of threes, but he is an efficient scorer that loves to crash the boards as well. He’ll be a big piece to the puzzle for Northern Iowa this year.
Will Hornseth (6’8)
Coming off a strong freshman season, Hornseth is going to be looking to contribute once again and take another step forward. Last year, he appeared in 33 games and started in one while shooting 68.3% from the floor. He’s more of a traditional power forward as he attempted just two three pointers. He finished with a 123.4 offensive rating and a remarkable 9.6% offensive rebounding percentage. There is a lot to like about the potential of Hornseth, and with Jacob Hutson gone, he’ll have an opportunity to earn an even larger role to help lock down the paint.
Centers
Chase Courbat (6’10)
We haven’t seen much of Courbat over his three seasons at Northern Iowa. He’s appeared in 30 games, and he’s averaged 1.5 minutes. It’s hard to see him take a huge leap in contributions this season, but at 6’10 on a roster that overall lacks significant height, it is possible we see a slight uptick off the bench.
Walk-ons
Hunter Jacobson, Redek Born, and Cade Courbat are walk-ons, so you should expect to see a similar level of production this season.
Roster Additions
The Panthers have added the following players to their roster:
Tristan Smith (Senior) - Concordia (NAIA)
18 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.7 blocks
Ismael Diouf (Senior) - NC State
2.2 points, 1.4 rebounds (18 games / 8 minutes)
Marino Dubravic (Sophomore) - Baylor
0.5 points, 0.4 rebounds (18 games / 3.3 minutes)
Levi Valdo (Freshman)
Geon Hutchins (Freshman)
Jalen Wilson (Freshman)
Guards
Levi Valdo (6’4)
Talk about a deep cut find here from Jacobson with Levi Valdo. Valdo comes from Cameroon, but he played for a Series B team in Italy last season called Foppiani Fulgar Fidenza. He had some monster stat lines, including 29 points, nine rebounds, and three assists against Fulgor Omegna. He finished with five double-doubles as he averaged 16.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 2.6 steals per game. I think this is a huge diamond in the rough type of player for Northern Iowa. Look for him to potentially redshirt this season, especially with the overall seniority and depth at the guard position, but Valdo could be a huge long-term piece for the Panthers.
Geon Hutchins (6’4)
At 6’4, Hutchins has great size at the guard position. He averaged 20 points, five rebounds, and two assists per game as a junior. Last season, he earned a spot of the Division II All State team in Michigan after averaging 16 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks per game. He’s super crafty around the rim and I love that he has a little bit of a mid-range game already. I think it’s going to be tough for any of the freshman to earn a lot of minutes this season, but don’t be surprised to see a bit of Hutchins this year unless he redshirts.
Hutchins had offers from Western Michigan, Robert Morris, Oakland, and Central Michigan.
Jalen Wilson (6’8)
Wilson is listed as a three-star recruit, 313th overall in the incoming class, and the fourth best recruit coming out of Minnesota this season. The 6’8 forward is a tremendous scorer. He has a nice jump shot that allows him to shoot from outside in a flex-four type of role. Last year, he averaged 22 points per game, and as a junior he dropped 43 points in a single game. I’d be shocked if we don’t see some action from Wilson this season in the same type of role in the rotation that Hornseth had last year.
Wilson had offers from Nebraska, Bryant, and Kansas City.
Forwards
Tristan Smith (6’6)
After spending four seasons at the NAIA level, Smith decided to hit the portal and make the jump to Division I. Last season, he was nothing short of incredible at Concordia. He shot 60.1% overall and 37.1% from beyond the arc while averaged 18 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.7 blocks per game. His incredible season earned him the GPAC Player of the Year award, and a spot of the NAIA 1st Team All-American roster, but his freakish athleticism allowed him to work his was through the Darkhorse Dunker competition as well. Smith is absolutely DI talent and I think he’ll be a fun player to watch this season for Panthers fans.
Ismael Diouf (6’9)
Alright, Diouf has a wild journey so lets get started. He spent two seasons at Laval College in Canada where he emerged as both an offensive and defensive threat. After his sophomore season, he got drafted first overall in the Canadian Elite Basketball League. He appeared in five games, then he decided to jump to NCAA college basketball where he landed at NC State. Man, if that doesn’t sum up the state of college basketball, I don’t know what will. Anyway, he appeared in 18 games and averaged eight minutes per game. He had a couple of strong appearances, including a nine point, five rebound, and two assist game against Stanford in the Wolfpack’s narrow 74-73 loss. he finished with seven points against California and Virginia Tech as well. With Hutson no longer with Northern Iowa, there is a gapping hole down low for the Panthers and I believe that Diouf is going to play a role in filling that void this season.
Centers
Marino Dubravcic (6’10)
The 6’10, 228 pound center out of Croatia spend his freshman season with the Baylor Bears. He appeared in 18 games and averaged 3.3 minutes. He took just six shots and grabbed just eight rebounds, so truthfully, he just haven’t seen enough of him yet to make a good judgement on what his potential could be. He is an absolute horse on the floor, and he does have some overseas experience. He played on Croatia’s U18 team in the FIBA Euro Championship tournament where he averaged 6.7 points and 3.9 rebounds. I don’t think Dubravcic is going to be playing 25 minutes a game, but I could definitely see 10-15 minutes to get some experience and develop into a long-term piece for the Panthers.
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Expectations
The Northern Iowa Panthers are loaded up-and-down the lineup coming into this season. They are returning three primary starters and have plenty of options to fill the voids of Tytan Anderson and Jacob Hutson. I’d imagine a potential starting lineup could look like:
R.J. Taylor
Trey Campbell
Leon Bond III
Ben Schwieger
Will Hornseth/Ismael Diouf
Trey Campbell, Leon Bond, and Ben Schwieger are going to be locks in the starting rotation. At the traditional center position, you can run a smaller lineup with Will Hornseth or you could run with Ismael Diouf and see what he can do in an extended role. Obviously, Marino Dubravcic is a great option, however, he’s barely played at this level so I would find it hard to imagine that he’d be starting the season in the starting lineup.
At the guard position, I’d lean towards having R.J. Taylor in the starting lineup to help run point alongside Trey Campbell. Coming off the bench, you’d have Max Weisbrod, Kyle Pock, and Tristan Smith. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised to see Tristan Smith sneak his way into the starting lineup at some point throughout the season. His metrics and skill level in the NAIA were just too high and we’ve seen plenty of players make the jump and immediately contribute in a large role. c
My primary concern for the Panthers is their lack of experience with height. Losing Jacob Hutson is a huge blow and now the only player 6’10 or above is Marino Dubravcic who has played roughly one hour of college basketball last season. We’ll have to see a huge jump from Ismael Diouf, Dubravcic, Chase Courbat, or Will Hornseth to love down the void that’s open down low. I foresee a combination of Diouf and Hornseth being the key to success here. Diouf has experience from Canada and he at least saw some action for NC State last season.
Looking at the Panthers’ non-conference schedule, there is a lot to like. The notable games are South Dakota State, Furman, Wichita State, UC Irvine, and Saint Mary’s. Cal State Northridge and Oakland are two solid games as well, then you still have the winner of San Jose State and Tulsa. It’s going to be difficult for the Missouri Valley Conference to reach a two-bid status, but there are legitimately four teams that could all finish in the top 100 of KenPom this season, so I wouldn’t fully rule that out.
Overall, this is a wildly talented Northern Iowa squad. Their ceiling is winning the Missouri Valley Conference and at a minimum they will finish in the top four of what will be an ultra-strong conference this season.