Optimism for NIU men’s basketball evident

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By Woodrow Carroll

With three starters returning, including senior guard Eugene German, who averaged 20.4 points per game last season, Northern Illinois University’s men’s basketball team is looking for a breakout season.

The Huskies, 17-17 overall and 8-10 in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) last season, will welcome back senior Lacey James, 6-9, and junior guard Rod Henry-Hayes, among starters last year.

Letterwinners Giarges Daow, Trendon Hankerson, Zaire Mateen, and Noah McCarty, return.

Huskies’ head coach Mike Montgomery, in his ninth season, saw his team suffer through a six-game losing streak in February 2019 before closing strong. Northern Illinois was on a four-game winning streak and reached the MAC Tournament semifinals for the first time since 2003 before falling to Toledo, 71-67.

Last season, the Huskies surprised MAC favorite and visiting Buffalo, 77-75, on a last-second basket byMcCarty. It was a big victory for the Huskies given Buffalo finished 32-4 overall and 16-2 in the MAC. Buffalo tacked on the MAC Tournament championship and a victory over Arizona State in the NCAA Tournament before falling to Texas Tech.

There appears to be no MAC powerhouse such as Buffalo in the MAC this season.

Northern Illinois will welcome Missouri Valley Conference foe Northern Iowa to the Convocation Center at 3 p.m. Saturday for the season-opener. Northern Iowa is the first of 13 games for the Huskies prior to Conference games. Important Northern Illinois road games will include Iowa State, November 12; Pittsburgh, November 16; a trip to California to play St. Mary’s, December 5; and UC Davis, December 7.

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