Illinois State led by as many as 18 points in the first half before Northern Iowa started cooking, winning their first Missouri Valley Tournament Championship, 69-60, since repeating in 2009 and 2010, their fourth title in the 21st century.
Northern Iowa wins Missouri Valley Conference basketball tournament 2015
Northern Iowa overcame an 18-point deficit for an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by beating Illinois State 69-60 for their 10th ever trip to March Madness
Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports
It’ll also be the Panthers’ first trip to the tourney since 2010 when they reached the Sweet 16 with a run that included victories over eighth-seeded UNLV and a big win over top-seeded Kansas that year. This will be the tenth time the program has reached the NCAA Tournament.
The Panthers were paced by Missouri Valley Player of the Year Seth Tuttle, who dropped 15 points and nine rebounds against the Redbirds. Illinois State tried to blitz the Panthers at the game’s end, but fell, being led by Daishon Knight’s 14 points and six rebounds.
These two teams also have history. It was the 70th all-time meeting of the two clubs since 1899, which was the Redbirds’ first-ever basketball season and UNI was the first school Illinois State ever played in the Missouri Valley.
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