CEDAR FALLS - The University of Northern Iowa started the front nine with a bogey - a home loss to ninth-place Indiana State.

Since then, the Panther basketball team has rattled off five birdies (road wins) and three pars (home victories) to make the turn at four-under par.

Despite a two-stroke advantage over Illinois State and Bradley in the Missouri Valley Conference race, nine daunting holes still stand between the Panthers and their first MVC regular-season championship.

And with any championship, the pressure intensifies over the closing stretch.

"A two-game lead can go away quick in this league," UNI guard Ali Farokhmanesh said. "Wichita State has won three in a row (after starting 0-6), and two weeks ago many thought that might not have happened at all.

"Right now, you can't say anyone is in the leader's chair. There's too much basketball left."

UNI's back nine starts at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday against an explosive and athletic Illinois State squad at the McLeod Center. The Panthers still have two games with the Redbirds, a road tilt at Bradley and home dates with Creighton and Southern Illinois.

"The title isn't going to be determined until the very end," senior Travis Brown said. "We're going to have a lot of games left that we're going to have to come ready to play.

Teams are going to be ready for us now."

That's just one of the challenges facing UNI the second time through the round-robin schedule. Teams are also better prepared and more familiar with the Panthers' personnel.

"There's a lot of ideas that get passed around right now through tape," UNI head coach Ben Jacobson said. "A lot of things get moved around from team to team, in terms of what works against each team. That's a real challenge."

Ever since the home hiccup to Indiana State, the Panthers (14-6, 8-1 MVC) have won eight straight - six of those by eight points or more.

"It seems like we've had a lot more passion and motivation to get the job done every night since then," Brown said.

The biggest surprise has come on the road. The Panthers have been perfect, collecting wins at Creighton, Southern Illinois, Evansville, Drake and Missouri State. No UNI team has ever won more than five league road games in a single season.

"I don't think anyone saw that coming after not winning a road game in the non-conference," Jordan Eglseder said.

UNI has been balanced on offense, evident by four players averaging double figures and a fifth close to that. Defensively, the Panthers are holding opponents below 40 percent shooting and 60 points during the win streak. And the bench has been steady with the play of Brown, Lucas O'Rear and Kerwin Dunham.

"The biggest key is, we continue to get better," Jacobson said. "The only way to do that is to practice the way we've been practicing.

"We've played good basketball, but we're going to have to play better. Because of the makeup of this team, we can get better."

UNI may need only one or two more birdies (road wins), but it also can't afford a stretch of bogeys (home losses).

"We have to keep the same mentality we've had every night for the past few weeks," forward Adam Koch said. "We just need to keep proving who we are and taking care of business."

Contact Matt Coss at (319) 291-1468 or matt.coss@wcfcourier.com

CLOSING STRETCH

Here's a look at what the back nine of the MVC race features for UNI:

- Illinois State (Wednesday)

Redbirds have two of the league's most talented plaeyrs in Champ Oguchi and Osiris Eldridge

- at Indiana State (Saturday)

In addition to handing UNI its only MVC loss, the Panthers have dropped three straight in Terre Haute

- at Bradley (Feb. 3)

Braves will be revved for rematch after leading for 35 minutes in Cedar Falls last week

- Creighton (Feb. 8)

Bluejays have won nine of last 10 meetings, including four straight in Cedar Falls

- Southern Illinois (Feb. 11)

Young Salukis are already much better than they were in late December

- at Wichita State (Feb. 14)

Shockers own home wins over Creighton and Illinois State

- Drake (Feb. 18)

Bulldogs will be eager to prove themselves after UNI dismantled them in Des Moines

- at Illinois State (Feb. 24)

Redbirds are only Valley team not to lose a conference home game

- Evansville (Feb. 28)

Aces haven't won in Cedar Falls since 2001-02 campaign