When the Illinois State men’s basketball team went 17-1 in Missouri Valley Conference play last season and didn’t get invited to the NCAA Tournament, the sting wasn’t just felt in Normal, Ill.
Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson winced right along with Redbird fans.
“We simply did not do our part to help them get an at-large bid, and that’s a responsibility that I take very seriously,” Jacobson said Friday before a Coaches vs. Cancer fundraiser in West Des Moines.
Jacobson’s Panthers stumbled to a 14-16 record this winter, the first losing mark in his 10 seasons at the helm.