The UNI men’s basketball team earned several awards following the conclusion of the 2021-22 regular season. After earning the regular-season title with a 14-4 record in Missouri Valley Conference play, the league soon announced its individual honors.

UNI junior guard AJ Green was named the Larry Bird Player of the Year, earning the honor for the second time in his collegiate career (the first came in 2019-20). Green averaged 21.2 points per game in league play, including four games in which he scored 30 or more points. He averaged a league-high 94.4% from the free throw line, inucluding a streak of 44 consecutive made  free throws, tied for the fifth-longest in conference history. He is the fifth UNI player to earn the league’s top individual award, joining Jason Daisy in 1997, Adam Koch in 2010, Seth Tuttle in 2015, and Green himself in 2020.

Green, who was the preseason favorite to win the Player of the Year, was also named to the all-MVC First Team, along with Gage Prim and Isiaih Mosley of Missouri State, Terry Roberts of Bradley and Lucas Williamson of Loyola-Chicago.

Green’s UNI teammate Noah Carter was named to the all-MVC Second Team. He was fifth in the league in scoring, averaging 17.1 points per game in conference play. Carter saw a substantial improvement this season, as he averaged 11 points per game in 2020-21 and was limited to a role off the bench. But his strong and consistent play soon earned him a spot in the starting lineup and all-conference honors.

UNI’s Bowen Born took home the Sixth Man of the Year award for his play in the second unit this season. Last year’s Freshman of the Year, Born averaged 7.4 points per game in 2021-22. His start to the season was limited because of injury but soon found consistency as the season progressed. Born put up a season-high 20 points in UNI’s overtime victory against Loyola on Feb. 26, which included a timely three-pointer to put the game away in the final minute of action.

UNI head coach Ben Jacobson took home the 2021-22 Coach of the Year honors, for the fifth time in his career. Jacobson’s Panthers started out rough, with a 4-7 record and were hit with injuries and COVID-19 complications. However, Jacobson lead the Panthers to win 14 of their last 17 games, en route to the regular-season MVC title.