The UNI men open the season tonight at home as they take on Northern Illinois in the opening round of the BTI Tournament. The round robin format also includes Cal-Poly and UMASS.

Panther coach Ben Jacobsen says Northern Illinois has a new team and new coach, and Cal Poly returns a majority of the team that just missed the NCAA tournament. He says U-Mass also returns a number of players off a good team.

Jacobsen says they are happy to host a tournament with quality competition. He says they’ve found out it’s the best way to build a resume for the NCAA tournament, and to get ready to play in the conference.