Men's Basketball Face Northern Illinois on the Road

THIS WEEKENDS ACTION

UNI vs NIU | Saturday, November 9 | 3 p.m. | Convocation Center |

THE SERIES
The Panthers and Huskies will take the floor for the 22nd time in program history on Saturday afternoon. The Panthers hold a 13-8 series lead on the Huskies. UNI has won the last two matchups, picking up a 52-45 win during the 2009-10 season and won 75-45 during the 2007-08 season.

THE HUSKIES
• NIU reached the Mid-American Conference Tournament Semifinals for the first time since 2003 last season. Seeded seventh, the Huskies topped 10th-seed Ohio, 80-61, in DeKalb in the tournament opener. NIU then downed No. 2 seed Toledo, 80-76, in the tournament quarterfinals in Cleveland be-fore falling, 71-67, to No. 3 seed Bowling Green in the semifinals.

• NIU scored a school-record 2,506 points last season, made 940 field goals, 229 three-pointers and shot 73.1 percent as a team from the free-throw line.

• The Huskies led the MAC in field goal percentage, shooting 47.1 percent as a team, 45th nationally. That was the best mark by a NIU team since 2006-07, when the Huskies shot 47.6 percent.

• Mark Montgomery enters his ninth season as head coach at NIU as the only coach in school history to have both beaten a ranked opponent (#14 Buffalo, Jan. 22, 2019) and guided the Huskies to a post-season appearance (2016 Vegas 16). Montgomery is fourth in school history with 105 career wins, pick-ing up his 100th on Jan. 29, 2019 against Ohio.

• Eugene German is the leading returning scorer in the MAC, averaging 20.4 points per game last sea-son, shooting 49 percent from the field and 41.4 percent from three-point range. German ranked 41st nationally in scoring in 2018-19.

• German enters his senior season with 1,569 career points, sixth-most in NIU history and 12th-most among active players in NCAA Division I.

• German is currently 10th in NIU history in field goals made (580), fifth in three-point field goals made (165) and fifth in three-point field goal attempts (450).

• Lacey James averaged 8.0 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, 10th in the MAC, last season while ap-pearing in all 34 games, making 31 starts. James averaged 2.97 offensive rebounds per game last sea-son, 45th in the nation.

THE PANTHERS
• UNI opened the season with 58-53 victory over the Monarchs of Old Dominion in the McLeod Center.

• Austin Phyfe recorded a double-double in his first game back after receiving a medical redshirt a season ago. Phyfe finished with 10 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 assists.

• Spencer Haldeman found the starting lineup in the season opener and tied his career high with 6 rebounds.

• AJ Green was named to the Lou Henson Award Preseason Watch List. The Lou Henson Award is presented annually to the nation's top Division I mid-major player.

• The Panthers were consistent at the free throw line during the 2018-9 season, making 74.7 percent, the second highest mark in the Valley.

• The Panthers return four MVC award winners from last year's team.
                • AJ Green: All-Freshman, All Newcomer, Third Team All-MVC, Freshman of the Year.
                • Spencer Haldeman: MVC Sixth Man of the Year.
                • Isaiah Brown: All Defensive Team
                •Luke McDonnell: Most Improved Team

• The Panthers were selected to finished 3rd in the MVC Preseason Poll.

• Sophomore, AJ Green, was named Preseason First Team All-MVC. The lone Panther to make the preseason list.

• Ben Jacobson enters the season ranked fifth all-time in MVC coaching victories with 267.

• Jacobson also ranks fifth in the league record book for MVC-only wins with 139 triumphs.

THE STREAK
UNI has made at least one 3-Pointer in 629 straight games – the longest active streak in the Missouri Valley Conference. The last time UNI failed to make a 3-point basket came Feb. 3, 2000, vs. Southern Illinois in a 72-58 Panther victory in the UNI-Dome. UNI went 0-for-4 from 3-point land vs. the Salukis in that contest.

2019 MVC PRESEASON POLL
#             Team (1st-place votes) Points
1.            Missouri State                   410
2.            Bradley                              368
3.            UNI                                     343
4.            Loyola                                340
5.            Drake                                 243
6.            Indiana State                   210
7.            Illinois State                      193
8.            Evansville                          132
9.            Valparaiso                          98
10.          Southern Illinois               83

PRESEASON 1st TEAM ALL-MVC
Barrell Brown, Bradley
Tulio Da Silva, Missouri State
AJ Green, UNI
Tyreke Key, Indiana State
Cameron Krutwig, Loyola

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Players Mentioned

Isaiah Brown

AJ Green

Spencer Haldeman

Luke McDonnell

Austin Phyfe

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