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| Northern Iowa senior point guard Trey Campbell |
For the first time this season, Furman will head out for a true road test and specifically, the McCleod Center, to take on the Northern Iowa Panthers, as the Paladins start their season off in the same conference destination that they started the 2024-25 campaign, which is inside a Missouri Valley Conference venue.
Last season, the Paladins opened with their first true road test at the Curb Events Center against Belmont, where Furman would end up coming away with a 76-74 win, which was the first of a school-record tying 12 wins away from Timmons Arena last season.
The Paladins have racked up 74 true road wins over the past nine seasons, and head into a tough environment Friday night against UNI.
As far as the series is concerned, it will mark the second all-time meeting between Furman and Northern Iowa on the basketball hardwood, with the only other meeting coming in the 2003-04 campaign, which is one that would see the Panthers post an impressive 21-10 season, including a 12-6 finish in the Missouri Valley, which was good enough for second in the MVC. The Paladins were able to post what was a 64-55 win over the Panthers on that occasion.
Much like Furman's current crop of talented freshmen, the 2003-04 team had a freshman class assembled by then top assistant Niko Medved, that could at least rival the current rookie class of talent brought in by Bob Richey and staff.
Two of those freshmen--Robby Bostain (Duluth, GA), Quan Prowell (Columbus, GA) and Eric Webb (St. Paul, Minn), were instrumental in helping the Paladins pull out the impressive nine-point road win at West Gymnasium. Bostain led the way with a then career-high 18 points, while Prowell, who would go on to SoCon Freshman of the Year honors, finishes with 13 and Eric Webb added 11. All told, the aforementioned freshman trio combined to score 44 of the Paladins' 62 points in leading them to a huge road win.
To Furman fans, UNI is probably more known for its football successes, with much of those coming under the direction of former head coach Mark Farley, who retired as the head coach of the Panthers last season. He took the Panthers to the FCS National title game in 2005, losing to Appalachian State, 21-16, in the national title game in Chattanooga.
It would be the first of three titles for the Mountaineers. UNI was also the alma mater of NFL Hall-of-Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, who played for both the St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals to the Super Bowl, which included winning one with the Rams in 2000. He was also the quarterback of the Cardinals when they made their lone appearance in the Super Bowl in 2009, losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
UNI is widely regarded as one of the top programs to have never won the national title at the FCS level, and despite both Furman and UNI's success on the gridiron, somehow the two have not crossed paths with one another in the FCS Playoffs.
But aside from its success as a football program, Northern Iowa has also established itself as a pretty strong basketball program in the Missouri Valley Conference over the years, especially under the direction of Ben Jacobsen, who is in his 20th season as the head coach.
The Panthers are in their 125th season as a program, and in its 124th season a year ago, the Panthers were winners of 20 games (20-13) and ended up with an impressive 14-6 record in MVC play, which was good enough for a third-place finish in what is perennially one of the toughest mid-major basketball conferences in college hoops.
Despite the strong season a year ago, the Panthers would get upset in the quarterfinals of the MVC Tournament against No. 11 seed Valparaiso, 64-63, as UNI saw its tournament run come to an end much earlier than anticipated with the setback.
Like Furman, the Panthers were good enough to garner an invite to the NIT, where also like Furman, the Panthers would fall in the opening round of the tournament in the Lone Star State, as the Panthers were in Dallas where they would drop a 73-63 contest to the Mustangs.
Furman was, of course, in Denton for its NIT opening round clash, where it fell by an almost identical score, dropping a 75-64 contest to the Mean Green. High expectations have been a part of both programs DNA in the recent past.
Since its inception as a basketball program back the early 1900s, the UNI Panthers have registered over 1,400 wins in now what is its 125th season of basketball, and have made one more NCAA Tournament berth than Furman has in its 118-year history of basketball, as the Paladins have won just shy of 1,400 times (1,388) in its rich basketball history.
Overall, the Panthers have made a total of 19 postseason appearances in various tournaments, won four MVC regular-season titles, five MVC Tournament crowns and have totaled exactly 1,427 wins in the program's history.
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| Former Northern Iowa guard and current Colorado State Head Coach Ali Farokmanesh |
One of the more memorable moments from UNI lore is the 2009-10 Panthers team, which was led by Ali Farokmanesh, who hit a late three to seal one of more memorable "March Moments" in tournament history, leading the Panthers to a 69-67 win over the No. 1 seeded Kansas Jayhawks as the No. 8 seeded Panthers made a run to the Sweet Sixteen before eventually seeing the magic carpet ride come to an end with a 59-52 loss to Michigan State, in what was a great tournament for fans of mid-major basketball.
Farokmanesh's heroics were part of one of the greatest teams in program history, and the 30 wins are only the second-best win total for the program in its decorated basketball history, as UNI would post a 31-4 record, which included a 16-2 mark in the MVC some five years after Farokmanesh's history-making shooting effort vs. Kansas.
However, that 2014-15 Panthers team won just one postseason game, knocking off No. 12 Wyoming in the opening round as the No. 5 seed, with a 71-54 opening round win. The Panthers would eventually get bounced from the tournament with a 66-53 loss to defending national champion Louisville in the Round of 32.
Farokmanesh is now the new head coach of Colorado State after former Furman head coach and assistant coach in two different stints--Niko Medved--assumed the head coaching position at Minnesota during the off-season. Instead of taking Farokmanesh with him to Minneapolis, he left him in Colorado Springs to assume the head coaching post for the Rams.
As for UNI's Ben Jacobsen (376-245), he has been the head coach on the two best teams in program history and is to no one's surprise also the most successful head coach in program history.
Previewing the Panthers:
Entering Friday night's contest against the Paladins, UNI has gotten off to a 2-0 start to the season, having posted wins over Cal State Northridge (W, 86-57) and South Dakota State (W, 65-58), as the Paladins will mark UNI's third home game to start out the 2025-26 season.
The Panthers came into the season with three returning starters to the fold, with senior guard Trey Campbell (10.0 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 5.0 APG), senior guard Max Weisbrod (7.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG) and 6-8 forward Ben Schwieger (10.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG) highlighting the list of veterans returning for the 2025-26 season. If you include junior guard RJ Taylor (2.5 PPG, 1.5 RPG) and redshirt junior wing Leon Bond III (17.0 PPG, 2.0 RPG), there are a full five Panthers returning to the fold that have starting experience, and like Troy, the Panthers are a team that enters Friday night's clash against the Paladins with a wealth of overall experience returning to the fold.
That meant that, like with Furman, who returned seven regulars from the rotation from a team that won 25 games a year ago, there would also be some lofty expectations for a UNI team that had so much continuity and leadership returning off a team that won 20 games and made an NIT appearance last season. So, it was of little surprise when the Panthers were selected to finish second overall in the preseason Missouri Valley Basketball poll.
It all starts with Campbell for the Panthers. The senior point guard will be the third really good point guard the Paladins will have faced this season, with each NCAA Division I point guard having been a challenge thus far. High Point brought in Rob Martin from SEMO, and his quickness gave the Paladins fits in the opener, while Troy's Cooper Campbell was a difference maker and a shot-maker in the Trojans win at Timmons Arena last Friday night.
Martin scored 22 points in the opener to lead the Panthers to a 97-71 win in the season opener in the Field of 68's Opening Day Marathon, while Campbell's 21 points and timely perimeter shooting was enough to power the Trojans to a 64-61 win over the Paladins last Friday at Timmons Arena.
It all starts with Campbell, of course, who is UNI's Rob Martin and Cooper Campbell all rolled into one. In fact, as good as HPU's Martin or Troy's Campbell were, UNI's Trey Campbell might be even better than those two.
Through the first two games this season, Campbell is averaging 10.0 PPG, 3.5 RPG and 5.0 APG, with five turnovers in the first couple of outings for the Panthers in 2025-26. Campbell comes off a 2024-25 season in which he was a third-team All-Missouri Valley selection at guard for the Panthers and appeared and started all 33 games for UNI, averaging 11.3 PPG in 29.5 minutes-per-game.
As a perimeter threat, there were none better than Campbell last season shooting the basketball for UNI, as he finished the season connecting on 72 threes and shot 42.9% from downtown last season (72-of-168). Campbell did struggle a little last time out in the win over South Dakota State, as he went just 2-of-12 from the field and finished with just seven points against the Jackrabbits.
It was a rare off shooting night for the senior point guard and included in that 2-of-12 effort against the Jackrabbits was just 1-for-5 from three-point range in the win. It was the 100th game in a UNI uniform for the senior point guard, and it also marked his 65th-consecutive start.
In the 29-point win in the opener against Cal State-Northridge, Campbell finished with 13 points on 4-of-13 shooting from the field, including a 3-for-9 effort from long-range.
Helping share the double-figure scoring load with Campbell so far this season are wing Leon Bond III and forward Tristan Smith (13.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG). Bond and Smith have been the Panthers leading scorers through the first couple of outings this season. Smith is a 6-5, 230-lb graduate transfer from Concordia (Neb.), which is an NAIA program that he helped lead Concordia to the second round of the national tournament last season, and it was a 2024-25 season that would see Smith set a school record for points in a season at Concordia, posting 677 total points for the season. Smith averaged 20.5 PPG, 8.6 RPG and 4.2 APG during his final season at Concordia.
Through his first two games as a Panthers player, he has posted 10 and 16 points, respectively, and is a combined 9-of-15 shooting (60%) from the field in his first two games at UNI. He was impressive the last time out in UNI's win over South Dakota State, posting 16 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field and was 8-for-11 shooting from the charity stripe in the game.
During his final season at Concordia, Smith racked up 12 double-doubles and blocked multiple shots in 18 games. He has one block in two games so far this season but is an excellent on the defensive end of the floor.
Bond III is one of the returning veterans for the Panthers and through two games, he's been the most reliable scoring option, at 17.0 PPG. Bond opened the season with 23 points against Cal State Northridge, which came on a 9-of-14 shooting effort, including a 5-for-8 shooting performance from three-point range. In UNI's most recent outing against South Dakota State, Bond added 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field, including a 2-for-4 effort from three-point range.
Bond has proven to be the Panthers most prolific three-point threat through the first two outings this season, as he connected on 7-of-12 shots from long-range, which converts to a blistering 58.3% shooting clip in two games.
The 6-5 redshirt junior wing is coming off a 2024-25 campaign, which saw him start 21 contests for the Panthers, averaging 9.6 PPG and 4.4 RPG, shooting an impressive 55.6% from the field. He would suffer a season-ending injury to cut his season short, scoring in double figures six times before an injury would ultimately cut his season short. Last season was Bond's first for the Panthers after spending his freshman season (2023-24) at Virginia. Bond appeared in 24 games for the Cavaliers as a redshirt freshman, averaging 4.3 PPG and 2.8 RPG. He redshirted the 2022-23 in Charlottesville, which also happened to be the Furman team that UVA lost to in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, 68-67.
Bond showed he could be a prolific scorer last season in a 104-76 non-conference win over Montana, as he posted 37-point effort on 12-of-15 shooting from the field, including going 4-for-5 from three-point range and a perfect 9-of-9 at the charity stripe. He also added three rebounds, two steals and a block in 35 minutes of work in the 28-point win over the Grizzlies in the mid-December win last season.
Sophomore forward Will Hornseth (8.0 PPG, 3.5 RPG) and 6-4 senior guard Max Weisbrod round out what appear to be the projected starters for the Panthers heading into Friday night's contest. Hornseth is in his second season in Cedar Falls, and the 6-8, 230-lb native of De Pere, Wisconsin, saw action in every game last season for the Panthers, and was a highly efficient post presence, but wasn't a big-time scorer, averaging just 5.0 PPG last season. However, he managed to post an impressive 68.3% shooting clip from the field last season for the Panthers.
All told, Hornseth logged action in 33 games, with one start last season, averaging 14.7 MPG. His 68% shooting clip last season for UNI was remarkable, and a single-season record, as he finished the campaign with 165 total points, and scored a season and career-high 12 points in what was a 79-68 win over Missouri State last season.
So far this season, Hornseth has started both outings against Cal State Northridge and South Dakota State and matched his career-high of 12 points last time out against the Jackrabbits, as he finished with 12 points in 32 minutes of floor time. Hornseth connected on 6-of-9 shots from the field, adding four rebounds and a pair of blocks. It was arguably the best all-around performance of Hornseth's UNI career. About the only thing Hornseth struggled to do was shoot free throws, as was 0-of-3 from the line against South Dakota State. In two games this season, Hornseth has picked up where he left off a year ago, connecting on 72.7% (8-of-11) of his shots from the field.
Weisbrod is kind of like UNI's version of Ben Vander Wal, or the Panthers version of the ultimate "glue guy." Weisbrod does all the dirty work for the Panthers, whether it be diving after a loose ball on the floor, or taking a charge. Weisbrod moved into the starting lineup late in the 2024-25 season after Leon Bond III suffered what would prove to be a season-ending injury.
The 6-4 senior guard transferred into UNI prior to last season after spending two seasons at Northern Michigan after helping his former program to its first regular-season conference title since 1992-93 season, which included an appearance in the Division II NCAA Tournament, starting all 30 games during the 2023-24 season.
In his first season with the Panthers, Weisbrod appeared in all 33 games, including making starts in the final 12, averaging 5.9 PPG (195 points), 1.9 RPG (63 rebounds) and 1.5 APG (52 assists), while posting 0.5 SPG (17 steals).
Along with being a glue guy and excellent defensive presence for the Panthers, Weisbrod also excels as a perimeter shooter, and he's connected on a blistering 41.0% (48-of-117) from three-point land in his two seasons with the Panthers.
Much like Campbell, Weisbrod is a player that the Paladins must be aware of at all times from the perimeter, as Furman has to find a way to limit the open looks Weisbrod gets from long-range to have a shot to pull off a huge true road win Friday night.
Weisbrod connected on 46 triples last season and finished out the campaign scoring in double figures six times, including a season-high 18 points in one of the most impressive wins of the 2024-25 season for the Panthers--an 83-69 triumph over a Bradley team that was receiving votes in the AP Top 25 poll--and in that game Weisbrod posted a 6-for-9 effort from the field, including a 5-for-7 effort from three-point land.
In the first two games this season, Weisbrod has posted six and nine points, respectively, in contests against Cal State Northridge and South Dakota State, nearly doubling his minutes from the opener against the Jackrabbits, as he logged 30 minutes of floor time against South Dakota State. Weisbrod finished 3-of-4 from the field, including 2-of-3 from three-point range in the seven-point win. He also added four rebounds, two assists and a steal in the win for the Panthers.
The Panthers have featured roughly an eight-man rotation in the first couple of games this season, with 6-8 forward Ben Schwieger, 5–11-point guard RJ Taylor, and 6-5 junior forward Kyle Pock () all seeing key minutes off the bench through the first two games this season for the Panthers.
Schwieger was a reliable option as a "sixth man" off the bench for the Panthers in both games this season. He's been an impact player ever since arriving as a transfer from Loyola Chicago prior to the 2024-25 season. He entered the 2025-26 season on the MVC Preseason Watch List and is coming off a season in which he saw action in all 33 games for the Panthers, including having made 25 starts.
Schwieger averaged 9.9 PPG last season, scoring a career-high 328 points in a single-season. Like Weisbrod and Campbell, Schwieger is an effective threat from three-point range, connecting on 30-of-82 shots from long-range a year ago, while connecting on 49.2% (118-of-240) a year ago.
Schwieger opened the season with 13 points, five rebounds and three assists in the opener against Cal State Northridge, while following that up with seven points, five rebounds and one block in 23 minutes of work against South Dakota State last time out. Through the first two games, Schwieger is shooting 58.3% (7-of-12) from the field and 33.3% (1-of-3) from long range.
The one real interesting player for the Panthers is RJ Taylor, who is a player that saw his 2024-25 campaign cut short due to an Achilles Tendon tear just eight games into the campaign. He provides added support as a backup behind Campbell at the point. Like Schwieger, Taylor was also a member of the preseason MVC Preseason Watch List and started all eight games before that unfortunate injury brought his season to a premature end.
Taylor is one of UNI's better on-ball defenders as well, and posted five points, two rebounds, and one assist in 13 minutes off the bench against Cal State Northridge, while posting a steal and a rebound in eight minutes of work against South Dakota State.
Through two games this season, the Panthers are averaging 75.5 PPG while surrendering 57.5 PPG, shooting a combined 50% (56-of-112) from the field and 39.2% (20-of-51) from three-point range, while limiting foes to just 37.9% (39-of-103) from the field and just 25.6% (11-of-43) from three-point range. The Panthers currently rank 101 in KenPom's latest rankings (as of Nov. 13, 2025) and are projected to defeat the Paladins, 76-67, on their home court with a 79% chance of winning the game.
While I am not surprised the Panthers are projected as heavy favorites, it is a little surprising that the Panthers are nine-point favorites, which is the largest projected victory of any foe Furman is projected to lose of its 10 KenPom predicted losses remaining on the 2025-26 schedule.
Noting the Paladins:
--Furman has not shot the ball well from three-point range, connecting on just 28.4% (27-of-95) from long-range through the first three games of the season, including an 11-of-45 effort from long-range last time out vs. Columbia International in what was a 30-point win (89-59) over the NAIA foe. The Paladins have also shot the ball at just a 42.6% (78-of-183) through the first three games.
--The Paladins have turned it over 48 times in comparison to 45 assists through the first three outings. By comparison, the Paladins had just 40 turnovers and 52 assists through the first three games last season. However, there was a substantial improvement last time out, with just nine turnovers after having posted 39 of their 48 turnovers in the first two games of the season in losses to High Point (L, 71-97) and Troy (L, 61-64).
--Furman has 74 true road wins over the last nine seasons, including tying a school record with 12 true road wins last season. The 74 true road wins over the past nine seasons ranks fifth in the country behind only Vermont (87), Belmont (85), UC Irvine (79) and UNCG (76).
--After committing 39 turnovers and allowing opponents to shoot a combined 50.4% in the first two games of the season, Furman rebounded nicely in the win over Columbia International, holding its NAIA foe to 38.5% shooting for the game, turning it over just nine times in the 89-59 win over the Rams.
--Furman's dynamic freshman guard Alex Wilkins has posted 11, 16 and 26 points in his first three games as a Paladin, with his 26-point effort against Columbia International marking the most point scored by a true freshman Devin Sibley dropped 26 points on Feb. 14, 2015, in a 66-59 road loss at ETSU. The true freshman and four-star recruit out of Mattapan, Mass., is averaging 17.7 PPG, 4.0 APG, shooting 40% (6-of-15) from three-point range, and is a perfect 9-of-9 from the charity stripe through the first three games of the season.
--Through three games this season, Furman has shot 12 more free throws (54-42) as compared to the first three games last season, and that has included seeing the Paladins score six more points (38-32) from the charity stripe this season, shooting 70.7% (38-of-54) through the first three games this season.
--Furman has won 224 games since the start of the 2015-16 season, which is more than any team in the SoCon over that same span.
--Furman enters ranked 162 (as of Nov. 13, 2025) in the latest KenPom rankings
Furman's Probable Starting Five
G Alex Wilkins (17.7 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 4.0 APG)
G Tom House (5.3 PPG, 4.0 RPG)
F Ben Vander Wal (6.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.0 SPG)
F Cooper Bowser (9.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.3 SPG)
C Charles Johnston (10.3 PPG, 10.7 RPG)
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