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Sam Morris / Las Vegas Sun
UNI guard Ali Farokhmanesh signals his game winning three-point shot as he pushes his way past UNLV guard Tre’Von Willis during their first round NCAA Basketball Tournament game Thursday, March 18, 2010 at the Ford Center in Oklahoma Ctiy. UNI won the game 69-66 on a last second three-point shot.
Monday, April 23, 2012 | 2 p.m.
2012 MWC-MVC Challenge
Nov. 17
San Diego State at Missouri StateNov. 28
Boise State at CreightonFresno State at Southern Illinois
Dec. 1
Wichita State at EvansvilleEvansville at Colorado State
Drake at Nevada
New Mexico at Indiana State
Dec. 4
Wyoming at Illinois StateDec. 19
UNI at UNLVUNLV will host the big-ticket game in the final year of the Mountain West-Missouri Valley Challenge, bringing Northern Iowa to the Thomas & Mack Center on Dec. 19.
The official pairings were announced Monday afternoon as the conferences enter the final season of a four-year deal. The Rebels are 2-1 in the challenge, defeating Southern Illinois at home in 2009-10, winning a blowout at Illinois State in 2010-11 and falling last year at Wichita State.
UNLV is 0-1 all-time against the Panthers, losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2010 on Ali Farokhmanesh’s late 3-pointer. With both teams expected to contend for conference titles in 2012-13, this is the easily the best matchup on the slate.
The format for this year’s challenge has changed a little bit from the last two years, when all of the games were played within a week of each other. This year it’s spread out over a month, with San Diego State at Missouri State kicking things off Nov. 17. The Aztecs-Bears game is probably the second best on the schedule.
It’s a good RPI game for the Rebels, who also have games at North Carolina and a home Thanksgiving tournament featuring Oregon, Cincinnati and Iowa State on the non-conference schedule. Last year, UNI finished No. 71 in the RPI according to teamrankings.com. And at the same time UNLV is hosting its tournament this fall, the Panthers will be in the Battle 4 Atlantis field that also includes Duke, Louisville and Missouri.
Taylor Bern can be reached at 948-7844 or taylor.bern@lasvegassun.com. Follow Taylor on Twitter at twitter.com/taylorbern.
Glad they get UNI this season. The name Farokhmanesh has rang in my ears the past couple seasons still. Hoping for some payback.
Northern Iowa a "marquee/big-ticket game"?
How pathetic does that sound?
Sometimes logic_shoulld_read the article before commenting, and maybe even watch some college basketball.
big-ticket game in the final year of the Mountain West-Missouri Valley Challenge, bringing Northern Iowa to the Thomas & Mack Center on Dec. 19.
Rebel's should win this one
Doesn't Farokhnmanesh's mother work as a volleyball coach or something to that effect that at UNLV? I remember there being on odd connection between a family member of his working at UNLV...
RE RunThisTown: Yes, his mother is the volleyball coach at UNLV, a hire they made not too long after that game.
RE logic_should_rule: No one is saying this is a huge non conference game, but when you look at the rest of the schedule for this "challenge," this is clearly the best matchup and as I said, UNI should have a very good RPI this year which will help UNLV win or lose.