The Northern Illinois University men’s basketball team heads on the road for the first time in 2024 on Saturday (Jan. 6) as the Huskies travel to Athens, Ohio, to face the Ohio Bobcats. Game time in Athens is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT and will be available on ESPN+, as well as on radio on 94-9 WDKB in DeKalb, the NIU Huskies app and the Varsity Network app.

NIU (6-7, 0-1 MAC) is looking for its first conference victory after the Huskies opened the league slate with a 73-51 setback on Tuesday night (Jan. 2) at home against Akron. NIU went just 4-of-27 from the field in the opening half as the Zips built a 19-point halftime lead. David Coit (Columbus, N.J./Atlantic Cape CC) scored 21 points to pace the Huskies, Harvin Ibarguen (Cali, Colombia/Seward County CC) had seven points and a team-high seven rebounds.

Coit currently ranks fifth in the Mid-American Conference in scoring at 18.2 points per game. He leads the league, and ranks 32nd nationally, in three-point field goals, making 2.92 per contest, and also ranks second in the MAC, 48th in the country, shooting 88 percent from the free-throw line.

In head coach Rashon Burno’s first two seasons, the Huskies have won nine conference road games, the fifth-best total in the league. Last season, NIU went 5-4 in league road games, its best mark since the 2005-06 season.

The Bobcats have a 6-7 overall record, 0-1 in MAC play, after beginning the league slate with an 86-77 setback at home against Toledo on Tuesday night (Jan. 2). Four players are averaging in double figures for the Bobcats, led by 14.0 points per game from Jaylin Hunter. Shereef Mitchell is averaging 13.6 points per contest, Elmore James adds 12.4 points and AJ Clayton is chipping in 11.2 points per game.

Ohio swept a pair of meetings between the two schools last season, including a 77-68 victory in Athens (Feb. 21, 2023). NIU defeated Ohio, 58-57, in the regular season finale in 2021-22 in DeKalb and its last win in Athens came on Jan. 5, 2019, 72-66 in overtime, behind 20 points and 14 rebounds from Lacey James. This will be the first of two meetings between NIU and Ohio as the Bobcats will visit DeKalb on Feb. 24.

NIU will be back on the road on Tuesday, Jan. 9, as the Huskies travel to Western Michigan before returning home to host Bowling Green on Saturday, Jan. 13, at 3 p.m.