Northern Iowa Wins MVC Title Over UIC 84-69

Northern Iowa captured the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title with an 84-69 victory over UIC on Sunday in St. Louis, securing the Panthers' ninth automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and their first appearance since 2016.

The sixth-seeded Panthers, who finished the season with a 23-12 record, overcame the fifth-seeded Flames, 19-15, in a game that marked UNI's sixth conference championship. Northern Iowa became the lowest seed to win the tournament and the first team to claim four victories in as many days during the event. The Flames, who joined the Missouri Valley in 2022, reached their first title game in the league but fell short of their first conference crown since 2004.

Trey Campbell led Northern Iowa with 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including six 3-pointers on nine attempts. He connected on two of those early in the second half to spark a pivotal surge. Ben Schwieger added 18 points off the bench, going 7-of-8 from the field and hitting three 3-pointers. Will Hornseth and Leon Bond III each scored 10 points, while Tristan Smith contributed nine points and a game-high eight rebounds. The Panthers shot a season-best 63 percent from the field, making 31 of 49...