Things are looking up for the UNI basketball team, according to head coach Ben Jacobson. The Panthers picked up wins over Loyola and Missouri State last week in what Jacobson calls the best stretch of the season for his team thus far. “We are coming out of our best week, and that’s good. You’d like it to start in mid-January and say we are coming out of our best week and say it for 5 or 6 weeks in a row,” Jacobson says. But he says  it’s good they are doing it now as they have a lot of basketball left.

Jacobson has shuffled his starting lineup in each of UNI’s last five games, and he says he still doesn’t know that he’s found the right combination. He says making a lot of changes is very different compared to what they have done in the past, but he says they will continue to make a change if it’s needed to find the best lineup.

The Panthers visit Drake tonight looking to sweep the season series from the Bulldogs. Jacobson says he’s been impressed by the progress Drake has made under first year head coach Ray Giacoletti. He says they seem to have a different type of commitment to defense and rebounding.

Jacobson says that his team will also need to continue to make strides defensively as they head down the home stretch of the regular season.

The Panthers and the Bulldogs will tip it off at 8:00 tonight in Des Moines.

By Jesse Gavin, KCNZ, Cedar Falls