# 2008–09 Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball team

The 2008–09 Northern Iowa Panthers men's basketball team represented University of Northern Iowa in the 2008-09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team, which played in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), was led by third-year head coach Ben Jacobson. In 2007–08, the Panthers finished 18–14 (9–9 in the MVC).

## Pre-season

Northern Iowa played two games during the preseason. They faced Dubuque and Wayne State at home.

## Regular season

On January 31, 2009, the Panthers tied a school record for the most consecutive wins with a 61–57 victory over Indians State. The record tied the 1963–1964 State College of Iowa Panthers team. On February 2, 2008, Northern Iowa received 1 point in the AP Top 25 poll which had them ranked 45th. On March 9, 2008, Northern Iowa received 3 points in the AP Top 25 poll which had them ranked T-37th.

## Roster

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.
| No. | Position | Player |
| 5 | G | Ali Farokhmanesh |
| 10 | G | Brian Haak |
| 11 | G | Kwadzo Ahelegbe |
| 13 | G | Johnny Moran |
| 15 | G | Jon Montgomery |
| 20 | F | Jake Koch |
| 21 | G | Travis Brown |
| 22 | G | Kerwin Dunham |
| No. | Position | Player |
| 25 | G | Carlton Reed |
| 32 | F | Lucas O'Rear |
| 33 | C | Austin Pehl |
| 34 | F | Adam Koch |
| 43 | F | Adam Rodenberg |
| 52 | G | Anthony James |
| 53 | C | Jordan Eglseder |

## Schedule

Missouri Valley Conference Standing: T-1st :
| Date | Opponent* | Location | Time$^#$ | Result | Overall | Conference |
| Exhibition Games ||||||||
| November 4, 2008 | Dubuque | Cedar Falls, IA | 7:05 p.m. | W 69–51 | 1–0 | 0–0 |
| November 10, 2008 | Wayne State | Cedar Falls, IA | 7:05 p.m. | W 44–27 | 2–0 | 0–0 |
| Regular Season Games ||||||||
| November 15, 2008 | Denver | Cedar Falls, IA | 12:05 p.m. | W 61–56 | 1–0 | 0–0 |
| November 19, 2008 | Illinois Chicago | Chicago, IL | 7:00 p.m. | L 84–77 | 1–1 | 0–0 |
| November 23, 2008 | Texas Southern | Cedar Falls, IA | 4:05 p.m. | W 74–67 | 2–1 | 0–0 |
| November 25, 2008 | Chicago State | Cedar Falls, IA | 8:05 p.m. | W 81–70 | 3–1 | 0–0 |
| November 28, 2008 | #15 Marquette | Hoffman Estates, IL | 7:30 p.m. | L 73–43 | 3–2 | 0–0 |
| November 29, 2008 | Auburn | Hoffman Estates, IL | 4:30 p.m. | W 67–61 | 4–2 | 0–0 |
| December 3, 2008 | Iowa State | Cedar Falls, IA | 8:05 p.m. | L 71–66 | 4–3 | 0–0 |
| December 6, 2008 | North Dakota | Cedar Falls, IA | 3:05 p.m. | W 69–49 | 5–3 | 0–0 |
| December 9, 2008 | Iowa | Iowa City, IA | 6:05 p.m. | L 65–46 | 5–4 | 0–0 |
| December 13, 2008 | Wyoming | Casper, WY | 4:30 p.m. | L 74–65 | 5–5 | 0–0 |
| December 21, 2008 | South Dakota State | Cedar Falls, IA | 1:05 p.m. | W 72–55 | 6–5 | 0–0 |
| December 28, 2008 | Indiana State | Cedar Falls, IA | 1:05 p.m. | L 85–84 | 6–6 | 0–1 |
| December 31, 2008 | Southern Illinois | Carbondale, IL | 7:05 p.m. | W 59–51 | 7–6 | 1–1 |
| January 3, 2009 | Wichita State | Cedar Falls, IA | 7:05 p.m. | W 78–54 | 8–6 | 2–1 |
| January 6, 2009 | Creighton | Omaha, NE | 7:05 p.m. | W 69–66 | 9–6 | 3–1 |
| January 10, 2009 | Missouri State | Cedar Falls, IA | 7:05 p.m. | W 78–64 | 10–6 | 4–1 |
| January 13, 2009 | Evansville | Evansville, IN | 7:05 p.m. | W 58–47 | 11–6 | 5–1 |
| January 17, 2009 | Drake | Des Moines, IA | 11:05 a.m. | W 81–59 | 12–6 | 6–1 |
| January 21, 2009 | Bradley | Cedar Falls, IA | 7:05 p.m. | W 66–61 | 13–6 | 7–1 |
| January 25, 2009 | Missouri State | Springfield, MO | 6:05 p.m. | W 78–69 | 14–6 | 8–1 |
| January 28, 2009 | Illinois State | Cedar Falls, IA | 7:05 p.m. | W 59–55 | 15–6 | 9–1 |
| January 31, 2009 | Indiana State | Terre Haute, IN | 12:05 p.m. | W 61–57 | 16–6 | 10–1 |
| February 3, 2009 | Bradley | Peoria, IL | 7:05 p.m. | W 61–58 | 17–6 | 11–1 |
| February 8, 2009 | Creighton | Cedar Falls, IA | 1:05 p.m. | L 77–71 | 17–7 | 11–2 |
| February 11, 2009 | Southern Illinois | Cedar Falls, IA | 7:05 p.m. | W 81–55 | 18–7 | 12–2 |
| February 14, 2009 | Wichita State | Wichita, KS | 7:05 p.m. | L 69–61 | 18–8 | 12–3 |
| February 18, 2009 | Drake | Cedar Falls, IA | 7:05 p.m. | L 47–46 | 18–9 | 12–4 |
| February 21, 2009 | Siena | Newtonville, NY | 2:00 p.m. | L 81–75 | 18–10 | 12–4 |
| February 24, 2009 | Illinois State | Normal, IL | 7:05 p.m. | W 69–67 | 19–10 | 13–4 |
| February 28, 2009 | Evansville | Cedar Falls, IA | 7:30 p.m. | W 69–62 | 20–10 | 14–4 |
| Missouri Valley Conference tournament ||||||||
| March 6, 2009 | Indiana State | St. Louis, MO | 12:05 p.m. | W 73–69 | 21–10 | 14–4 |
| March 7, 2009 | Bradley | St. Louis, MO | 1:35 p.m. | W 76–62 | 22–10 | 14–4 |
| March 8, 2009 | Illinois State | St. Louis, MO | 1:05 p.m. | W 60–57 | 23–10 | 14–4 |
| NCAA tournament ||||||||
| March 19, 2009 | #18 Purdue | Portland, OR | 1:30 p.m. | L 61–56 | 23–11 | 14–4 |
| *Rank according to ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. $^#$All times are in CST. Conference games in BOLD. ||||||||