UNI on ESPN-U This Saturday

The University of Northern Iowa men’s basketball team (4-5 overall) will take to the McLeod Center floor Saturday at 11 a.m. (CT) against the VCU Rams (8-2 overall).

• Fans are encouraged to wear white gear for Saturday’s White Out.

• Rich Hollenberg (play-by-play) and Mark Adams (analyst) will call the VCU-UNI game live on ESPNU this Saturday.

• UNI is one of 11 NCAA Division I teams to have won a postseason game in each of the last four seasons. Joining UNI on the list is Butler, BYU, Creighton, Gonzaga, Kansas, North Carolina, Ohio State, Purdue, Syracuse and VCU.

• UNI has fared well in the BracketBuster return games, going 7-2 in those return contests, including a 3-1 mark in those return home games.

• UNI set a McLeod Center record with 12 steals in its 55-50 win over Savannah State on Tuesday.

• UNI junior point guard Deon Mitchell leads the Panthers in scoring (13.8 ppg) and in steals (1.2 spg). Mitchell recorded five steals in Tuesday’s win over Savannah State.

• Junior forward Nate Buss has put on quite a show the last six games. Buss is averaging 14.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg and is shooting 65.4 percent (34-of-52) from the field over the past six games. Buss has also made 52.6 percent (10-of-19) of his three-point shots in the last six contests.

• UNI is 43-9 (.827) vs. non-conference opponents all-time in the McLeod Center.
• UNI is 22-6 all-time in the month of December in McLeod.

• UNI has made at least one 3-pointer in 438 consecutive games - the longest active streak in the Missouri Valley Conference.

• UNI has made at least three 3-pointers in 90 straight games.

BRACKETBUSTERS REMATCH!
VCU scored a 77-68 BracketBusters win over UNI on Feb. 17, 2012, in the only previous encounter between the two schools on the hardwood.