UNI looks to hold on to MVC lead

  The UNI Panthers will try to stay unbeaten in Missouri Valley Conference play tonight when they visit Illinois State. The Panthers are alone in first in the Valley race with a 4-0 record while the Rebirds are winless in four starts. UNI coach Ben Jacobson says that record is deceiving as they have a lot of new players and as they get more experience, they’re going to get better. Jacobson says Illinois State has started out with some tough league games and their record is not indicative of their ability.Illinois State is 8-7 overall and Jacobson says they are much tougher to guard this season. He says they’ve always been a good defensive team that struggled to score points. Jacobsen says they brought in three junior college players and a very good freshmen who give them more offense.Despite a 13-2 record UNI has failed to crack the top 25 on either of the polls. Jacobson says while the recognition would be nice he is not concerned with it. He says it’s good for the university and the program and recruiting and the fans. Jacobsen says he doesn’t put any thought though into whether they should be rated.