Northern Iowa’s tenuous playoff situation and scheduling difficulties have increased the level of frustration for Panther coach Mike Dunbar. U-N-I is 7-3 on the season heading into this week’s game against Southwest State of Minnesota, the second of two division-two opponents on the slate. Dunbar says the Panthers want to play quality competition but the success of the Gateway Conference is creating problems.Dunbar says U-N-I would like to resume a series with Drake but the Bulldogs won’t schedule the Panthers.Dunbar says U-N-I’s inablity to fill its schedule with quality opponents may cost them an at-large spot in the national playoffs.Dunbar says the solution may be to decrease the number of regular season games and expand the one-double-a playoff field to 32-teams.Drake athletic director Lynn King says they put together a schedule that is in the best interest of their program and don’t feel it is their role to help U-N-I or any other program qualify for the playoffs.King says a number of factors are considered when they put a schedule together.
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