Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson says the Panthers must do a better job of guarding the ball on Wednesday night when they visit Valparaiso. The Panthers are 7-7 in the Missouri Valley Conference and defense was an issue in the first half of Sunday’s 67-59 loss at Illinois-Chicago.

Even at this late stage of the season the Panthers are still searching for consistency. They have dropped four of their last five games.

Jacobson says the Panthers need to get more serious about the things it takes to become consistent.

Valparaiso is 2-12 in the Valley.