ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Long ago, Ben Jacobson saw something in Trey Campbell that a national TV audience finally got to witness on March 8.
“He’s laid-back by nature. You don’t see a lot of emotion,” the Northern Iowa men’s basketball coach said of his senior guard. “But he always comes through … and he always has.”
In the biggest game of his life, Campbell came through time after time, calmly draining six 3-pointers Sunday to propel the Panthers to the Missouri Valley Conference tournament title with an 84-69 victory over Illinois-Chicago in front of an announced crowd of 6,750 at the Enterprise Center.
Late in the game, the hometown kid even allowed himself a moment of sheer jubilation. With the shot clock winding down, Campbell drove into the lane and got thumped to the floor, keeping his balance just long enough to bank in an improbable shot, then turning to some UNI fans who had leapt to their feet and shouting: “That’s my shot!”
Campbell, at a lithe 6-foot-4, 195 pounds, was the embodiment of the Panthers’ tireless effort all weekend. His 23 points in the final capped a performance that netted him Most Outstanding Player honors as sixth-seeded UNI (23-12) became the first team to ever win four games in four days at Arch Madness.
The prize is the program’s first NCAA Tournament berth in 10 seasons. The Panthers can rest now, awaiting the announcement of their next destination, and opponent, on Selection Sunday (March 15).
“Ever since my freshman year, this is what I’ve been dreaming of, what I’ve been thinking of. It’s been my only goal,” Campbell said of leading UNI to its ninth Big Dance.
The Cedar Falls native, who grew up competing on sports teams with Jacobson’s son, Hunter, received no Division I scholarship offers other than the one Jacobson extended to him. But it was the only one he coveted. And, while he stayed the course, a group of like-minded teammates joined him at UNI.
Among them was Ben Schwieger, the do-it-all sixth man who came over from Loyola Chicago and provided 18 points to Sunday’s cause. It was Campbell, and then Schwieger, who provided the two biggest shots of the game for the Panthers, after the fifth-seeded Flames (19-15) finally got within striking range in the second half. UNI saw its lead cut to 56-54, only to have the duo strike back with a pair of 3-pointers that put the team in the clear for good.
“Trey Campbell is the heart and soul of this team,” Schwieger raved afterward. “He’s so steady as a player, steady as a person, and he’s who we can rely on when it gets to difficult situations.”
Forward Tristan Smith joined the Panther party this season, bringing a football mentality to the roster after he starred for four seasons at the NAIA level. Smith stands a sturdy 6-6, 235 pounds, and it was his injury in January that precipitated a five-game tailspin for UNI.
“I see myself as the junkyard dog kind of guy. I might foul out, or I might get 10 rebounds, whatever the team needs,” Smith said.
On Sunday, he contributed a season-high seven assists, led the Panthers with eight rebounds, and also scored nine points, all while playing 22 minutes at the only speed he knows. The Panthers were 23 points better than the Flames while Smith was on the court throwing his weight around.
“I guess I’m a passer now, too,” he quipped. “But this is why I came to UNI, to realize a lifelong dream of playing in the NCAA Tournament. I loved what I saw here, a beautiful culture to come and join. A team that has the talent to win. A team that will sacrifice everything for each other.
“There was no doubt in our minds that we could win four games in four days. That’s what it took, so that’s what we did.”
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: How Northern Iowa basketball punched its ticket to NCAA Tournament