DeKalb, Ill. - The Northern Illinois men's basketball squad returns to the friendly confines of the NIU Convocation Center on Wednesday (Jan. 30) night, as the Huskies welcome MAC East rival Miami (OH) for a 7 p.m. (CST) tip-off.
The Huskies are coming off of a heartbreaking 63-59 defeat at the hands of Bowling Green on Sunday (Jan. 27) afternoon, despite a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds from freshman Darion Anderson. NIU junior guard Jarvis Nichols tops the Huskies in scoring with 10.2 points-per-game.
Miami used a 22-point, nine rebound, five assist performance from senior forward Tim Pollitz to earn the 65-52 MAC victory over Eastern Michigan on Saturday (Jan. 26). Pollitz tops the RedHawks with 16.4 points-per-game, while guard Michael Bramos adds 15.9 points-per-game.
All-Time Series: Miami (OH) holds a 21-12 lead over the Huskies in their all-time series.
The Last Time: Miami (OH) forwards Nathan Peavy and Tim Pollitz combined for 37 points and 14 rebounds to help lead the host RedHawks to the 62-59 MAC victory over Northern Illinois at Millett Hall on January 30, 2007. NIU senior guard Mike McKinney posted a game-high 20 points for the Huskies.
Like Father, Like Son: NIU head coach Ricardo Patton is one of 13 coaches across America, whose son is playing for his squad. Michael Patton is a freshman point guard for the Huskies, who is averaging 6.8 points-per-game.
Fine Freshman: Huskie guard Darion Anderson is second among MAC freshmen in scoring (as of Jan. 27), as he is averaging 9.4 points-per-game. Bowling Green's Chris Knight tops the MAC with 11.7 points-per-game.
Calling All Alumni: NIU will hold its 8th Annual Alumni Day on February 2, prior to the Huskies' 2 p.m. showdown against Ohio. Doors will open at 10 a.m. with the Alumni game held at 11 a.m. at the NIU Convocation Center. For more information, contact NIU Director of Marketing Cindy Green at (815) 753-0369 or cmgreen@niu.edu.
Double-Double: NIU freshman guard Darion Anderson became the second player in as many games for the Huskies to notch a double-double with an 18-point, 10-rebound performance against Bowling Green on Sunday (Jan. 27). Senior forward Egan Grafel picked up a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds against Ball State on January 22. The last time NIU had three consecutive games with a double-double, came during the 2002-03 campaign as Marcus Smallwood achieved that feat against Western Michigan (3/8/03, 13 points, 15 rebounds), Buffalo (3/10/03, 14 points, 12 rebounds) and Western Michigan (3/13/03, 10 points, 10 rebounds).
Double-Double (Part Deux): The last time NIU had three different players post double-doubles in consecutive games came during the 1995-96 campaign with Mike Hartke (UIC, 2/8/96, 10 points, 10 rebounds), T.J. Lux (Green Bay, 2/10/96, 10 points, 11 rebounds) and Chris Coleman (Milwaukee, 2/15/96, 21 points, 10 rebounds) picking up the trifecta.
40/40/40 Club: Northern Illinois notched a season-best 44 rebounds in Sunday's loss to Bowling Green, marking the second consecutive game that the Huskies have posted over 40 caroms in a game. The last time NIU was able to record 40 rebounds in three straight games came during the 2003-04 campaign against Eastern Michigan (44, 1/14/04), Ohio (41, 1/17/04) and Ball State (42, 1/20/04).
My Name Is: NIU freshman guard Darion Anderson also goes by the nickname, "Jake", short for his middle name, Jakeon.
Injury Report: Senior swingman Ben Rand is out indefinitely with plantar facsciitis in his left foot.
Blazin' Bench: The NIU bench outscored the Huskie starters 41-22 in the 77-63 loss to Central Michigan on Saturday (Jan. 18), marking the seventh time this season, the most in NIU Division I history, that the reserves have accomplished that feat. As a team, NIU's bench is averaging 28.1 points-per-game.
Paradise Lost: NIU senior guard Ryan Paradise announced on January 11 that he would hang up his No. 10 jersey due to the pain from the numerous injuries that he has sustained throughout his tenure as a Huskie.
Recruiting Class: NIU head coach Ricardo Patton has inked four student-athletes to National Letters of Intent, including guards Mike Dinunno (Chicago, Ill./Von Steuben), Bryan Hall (Chicago, Ill./Whitney Young), Dominique Johnson (Detroit, Mich./Southwest Tennessee C.C.) and forward Tyler Storm (Geneseo, Ill./Geneseo) to play for the Huskies in 2008.
Freshman `20': With his 20 point performance against Western Michigan on January 5, guard Michael Patton became NIU's second freshman this season, joining Darion Anderson (23 points, Indiana State, Nov. 20; 22 points, Central Michigan, Jan. 19), to reach the 20-point plateau. The last time NIU had two freshmen each score at least 20 points in a game during a season was during the 1973-74 campaign, when both Carroll Holmes and Ricky Hicks each accomplished that feat.
Knockin' `Em Down: Prior to the beginning of the Mid-American Conference slate, Northern Illinois was shooting 64.8% (169-for-261) from the free throw line. Since then, NIU is shooting 75.0% (69-for-92) from the charity stripe in conference play.
Found Long Range: Junior guard Jarvis Nichols has knocked in at least one three-pointer in each of the Huskies' MAC contests this season. In conference play, Nichols is shooting 51.9% (14-for-27) from beyond the arc.
Are You Experienced?: Of NIU's 11 active players, the Huskies have seven student-athletes who are in their first season of Division I basketball.
Up Next: Northern Illinois continues its three-game home stretch on Saturday, Feb. 2, as the Huskies welcome Ohio for a 2 p.m. (CST) tip-off.
