Dance Diary

[GonzoCat]

There is no way 13 sent anyone and I highly doubt 8 did either. Why would they trash UNI (other than their normal trashing of UNI)? It was my understanding last year that was an NCAA rule. If you don't cover a team during the season you don't get credentials to cover them in the NCAA. Makes sense to me, keeps just any old station from showing up to cover the tourney and piggy back on a tourney team they don't cover.

Anyway my guess is they requested credentials just in case there was a situation like last year UNI was the only show in town, but since they covered both Iowa and ISU I doubt they had the manpower to cover 3 tourney sites.

[JCPanthers]

Not sure if this has been posted yet or not, but Big Jordan Egleseder was in OK City following his future team's tournament run. He also attended the pre-game party and many Panther fans got the opportunity to visit with him. He's very excited about coming to UNI and already feels like he is part of UNI's basketball program.

[Panthers to the Bone]

It was great to be back in the tourney this year, and I don't really care what other's expectations were, my thoughts at the beginning of the year were that if this team could win 20 games and get into the NIT, it would be a great momentum builder from where this program has been. Seriously, I remember driving back from Milwaukee last season just thinking to myself how great it would be to do this again in 2 years. I mean, we lost our senior leadership, our inside-out combo, and our heart and soul (so we thought). Honestly, how many of you "old-timers" thought that after the team made the dance in 1990 that you would be seeing the Panthers do the same thing in the next five years with Eldon Miller, let alone 14 years?

What I'm getting at is that we must really, really appreciate what is going on here. It is so difficult to go back to back years to the tourney as a mid-major...and even more difficult to get an at-large bid. I think it shows just how far this program has come. But think about it in this light...what if Benny's shot didn't go down in Wichita? We would have been in the NIT. My point is that what if next season that is Nate Funk draining a 3 as time expires to send the Panthers home for an NIT matchup? It's not fun to think about, and I don't wish that on this program, but in all honesty, we ARE NOT guaranteed next season's NCAA tournament. Is it a great goal? Absolutely! Is our conference continually getting better? You betcha! And with alot of hard word, some key plays going the Panthers way, and improved FT shooting this team is going to be in the thick of things come next season.

This post was not meant to be a downer, but yet, to be a reflection on what great things have been accomplished by this year's squad. We have an excellent team coming back next season, and we should be optimistic about what next season holds in store for our Panthers....but also take some time, and keep in perspective just how lucky we are to have a great team to follow, and how fun expectations are now. Because just 4 years ago I was sitting around the house, watching the NCAA tournament on tv, with my team having been on the shelf for 3 weeks already, and not much in regards to expectations for the UNI Panthers!

Remember where we have come from, cherish these last couple years, and with hard work, bouncing of the ball in the Panthers favor, and quality coaching there will be many more fun years of Panther basketball ahead of us!