THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK HOOPS… The Peacocks take on two more conference foes this week, both in the state of Illinois. They travel to University of Illinois Springfield for a 7:30 matchup on Thursday, Jan. 11 and then head to Quincy University on Saturday, Jan. 13 for a 3 p.m. tip off.
FOLLOW ALONG… There will be a pair of live options for those who are unable to make it to Springfield and Quincy this weekend. Both live stats and a webcast can be found through the links attached with this story. Fans can also refer to UIUPeacocks.com/Live for all links on each gameday.
RECAP OF LAST WEEK… The Peacocks went 2-0 last weekend against McKendree University and Lewis University. In their 97-83 win over the Bearcats, the Peacocks saw even scoring contributions across the board as all five starters were in double figures, and four of them netted 18 or more points.
Nick Reid led the charge with 21 points on 8-16 shooting and 4-9 from beyond the arc. His efforts were complemented by
Noah King with 19 points,
Jake Hilmer and
Kyle Hrncir with 18 and
Caleb Delzell with 11.
Against Lewis, Upper Iowa emphasized the defensive side of the ball as the 70 points they gave up was their second-lowest of the season and 13 points less than their average (83) allowed per game. The trio of
Nick Reid,
Noah King and
Jake Hilmer paced the Peacocks with their double-digit scoring outing. Reid and King netted 18 each and Hilmer chipped in 14, while dishing out a team-high five assists.
NUMBERS TO TAKE NOTE OF… Hilmer is tabbed in several of the individual rankings on the national scene. He sits second in the country in points per game with 24.4, trailing Kelvin Jones of Emmanuel with 26.1 points per contest. He ranks fifth in assist to turnover ratio with 59 assists and only 14 turnovers (4.21) and tenth in free throw percentage with 92.13% (82-89).
Hilmer is aided by two other double-digit scorers in King (19.2 per game) and Reid (14.2 per game). Reid leads the team in rebounds with 6.6 per game, followed by Hrncir with 5.4. Hrncir is shooting 66.1% from the floor, while
William Kiburis and Delzell fall in line behind with 54.8% and 51.4%. Delzell paces the team beyond the arc with 52% shooting on 26 makes.
RECEIVING VOTES IN THE NABC… Men's basketball has received votes in the latest NABC Top 25 Rankings for the first time this season. They are 8-4 on the year and 3-1 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, with one of their losses coming from No. 14 Northwest Missouri State earlier this season, where they fell 91-82. The Peacocks are earning national attention alongside fellow league member University of Indianapolis, who is also receiving votes in the poll.
ACROSS THE CONFERENCE... Upper Iowa sits third in the league (3-1) behind the University of Indianapolis (5-0) and Missouri- St. Louis (5-1). The Peacocks lead in scoring with 91.4 points per game, followed by Illinois Springfield with 82.3. They are third in field goal percentage with 49.8%, trailing Illinois Springfield (51.9%) in second and McKendree (53.4%) in first. UIU ranks second in free throw percentage with 78.7%, following Truman State at the top of the list with 80.7%.
Individually, Hilmer (24.4) leads the conference in scoring, while King (19.2) is third. Reid is tabbed sixth in both rebounds and blocks, hauling in 6.6 boards and 1.3 steals per game. Delzell is second in three-point field goal percentage with 52%.
TAKING CARE OF THE BASKETBALL… The Peacocks take pride in their ability to handle the basketball as they currently lead the country in Division II in turnovers per game with a minimal amount of 6.4. The team has turned the ball over only 83 times this season, with MSU Moorhead trailing behind them in second with 109 (7.8 per game).
SCOUTING THE STARS… Illinois Springfield is 11-5 overall and 4-2 in conference play. After receiving votes in the NABC Top 25 last week, they were served their second loss in the GLVC against William Jewell 76-73. Their other conference loss was to UMSL (87-81), who currently ranks second in the league. The Stars are first in team three-point percentage with 43.4%, second in scoring in the GLVC with 82.3 points per contest and second in field goal percentage with 51.9%. UIS has four scorers in double digits, led by Jordan Rice and Jacob Hanna with 15.7 and 13.8 points per game.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES… Quincy has come out on top in three of their last four games, but sits at 8-6 (3-3 GLVC) on the season. Last weekend, they fell to Rockhurst 80-66 on Wednesday, but turned things around and defeated Southwest Baptist 66-50 on Saturday. The Eagles are led in scoring by Zion Richardson with 14.9 points per game, followed by Isaiah Foster with 11.1. The Eagles rank second in the conference in rebounds with 38.5 each outing.
THE SERIES... Upper Iowa and Quincy have met five times prior to Saturday's contest, their first matchup dating back to the year 2010. The Peacocks are ahead in the series 3-2, winning the most recent head-to-head in 2018 by a score of 104-92. Their largest margin of victory was in the year 2017, when they bested the Eagles 81-59 in Quincy.
ON THE HORIZON… The Peacocks are back in Fayette next weekend as they host Drury on Thursday, Jan. 18 and Southwest Baptist on Saturday, Jan. 20.
