The past three MVC champions -- Wichita State, Southern Illinois, and Drake -- took significant tumbles as defending champs.    Northern Iowa, co-champions with Creighton in 2009, won't fall into the same pit. The Panthers return five starters and the MVC's top sixth man. Coach Ben Jacobson approaches everything with a solid, no-nonsense manner. The Panthers won't get caught up in the hype.    UNI did run into problems during February. [read more]