The Northern Iowa Panthers (19-3) will head to the Athletics Recreation Center in Valparaiso, Indiana to take on the Valparaiso Crusaders (12-11) Wednesday.
The game (8 p.m. ET start time) won’t be on TV anywhere, but anyone in the U.S can watch it live on ESPN+:
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Once signed up for ESPN+, you can then watch Northern Iowa vs Valpo live on your computer via ESPN.com, or on your phone (Android and iPhone compatible), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the ESPN app.
Northern Iowa vs Valpo Preview
The Panthers have won three straight, winning their most recent game against Evansville, 80-68. Junior forward Austin Phyfe led Northern Iowa in scoring with 16 points. Phyfe is averaging 10.9 points a game, which is third on the team, and he’s the Panthers’ leading rebounder, hauling in 7.3 boards a game.
Guard AJ Green leads the Panthers in scoring, averaging 19.4 points a game. Trae Berhow is second on the team in scoring, netting 14.2 points a game. They lead a Northern Iowa team that is tops in the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring offense, averaging 77.4 points per contest.
While the Panthers enter this game playing solid ball, the Crusaders have been a work in progress. Valpo is scoring 73.6 points a game, but they have been alternately winning and losing for what seems like the entire season. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games, and they haven’t won more than three games in a row this year.
These two teams last met on January 15, and Northern Iowa won handily, 88-78. AJ Green had a game-high 29 points, leading the Panthers to victory in the second half. Green said after that game he felt his performance was sparked by the home crowd: “Having that energy from the crowd, that’s what it’s all about,” Green said afterwards. “We love the fans coming to pack the McLeod just like they did tonight. We need that every night. They help us for sure.” Northern Iowa head coach Ben Jacobsen agrees.
“Protecting home court was big for him,” Jacobson said about Green after the game. “I think you could feel that starting the second half. The crowd was (standing) up for a long time because Valpo didn’t score, and it gave our crowd a chance to stay with it. During that stretch AJ had the ball in his hands a bunch and made plays, made shots,” Jacobson said. He and the Panthers won’t have that home crowd to fall back on in this one, however.
The Panthers have won four of the last five games against the Crusaders, including the last two meetings. Northern Iowa is 6-2 on the road so far this season.
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How to Watch Northern Iowa vs Valpo Basketball