Valparaiso (7-13, 4-7) vs. Northern Iowa (6-13, 4-9)
McLeod Center, Cedar Falls, Iowa; Saturday, 8 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Two forwards will be on display as Donovan Clay and Valparaiso will face Austin Phyfe and Northern Iowa. The sophomore Clay is averaging 9.8 points over the last five games. Phyfe, a senior, is averaging 9.6 points over the last five games.
TALE OF TWO ROSTERS: Valparaiso has leaned on senior leadership while Northern Iowa has been fueled heavily by freshmen this year. For the , seniors Clay, Ben Krikke and Eron Gordon have scored 47 percent of the team’s points this season, including 52 percent of all points over their last five. On the other hand, freshmen Phyfe, Bowen Born and Nate Heise have combined to score 43 percent of Northern Iowa’s points this season.DOMINANT DONOVAN: Clay has connected on 22.7 percent of the 66 3-pointers he’s attempted and has gone 3 for 8 over the last three games. He’s also converted 68.3 percent of his free throws this season.
YET TO WIN: The are 0-10 when they score 68 points or fewer and 7-3 when they exceed 68 points. The Panthers are 0-10 when they fail to score more than 68 points and 6-3 on the season, otherwise.
ASSIST RATIOS: The Panthers have recently used assists to create buckets more often than the . Northern Iowa has 40 assists on 66 field goals (60.6 percent) across its previous three matchups while Valparaiso has assists on 39 of 71 field goals (54.9 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: Valparaiso is ranked second in the MVC with an average of 69.9 possessions per game.
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