Game Day Quick Facts:
Northern Illinois vs. Buffalo

Game Time: 2:05 p.m. (CST)

Radio: The Huskie Sports Radio Network will be on the air for Sunday’s game against the University at Buffalo. Bill Baker handles the play-by-play duties, with Sid Simmons providing color commentary. Stations covering the game include: WLBK-AM 1360 - DeKalb; WBIG-AM 1280 - Chicagoland; WRHL-AM 1060 - Rochelle; WSEY-FM 95.7 - Rockford, Freeport; WMKB-FM 102.9 - LaSalle-Peru.

Coaches: Rob Judson (Illinois ’80) is 36-40 in his third season at Northern Illinois. Reggie Witherspoon (Empire State ’95) is in his fifth season at Buffalo and is 73-117 at the school.

The NIU Series With Buffalo
Northern Illinois leads the all-time series with Buffalo 12-3 and have won five of the last six contests ... The Huskies won both meetings with the Bulls last season, 70-61 on Feb. 6 in Buffalo and 81-64 in DeKalb, IL ... That last meeting between the two clubs came during the opening round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament ... NIU has never lost to the Bulls at home as it is a perfect 7-0 in games played in DeKalb ... As members of the Mid-American Conference, NIU leads the series 6-2 ... The series between the two programs dates back to Jan. 29, 1966, when NIU defeated Buffalo 90-77 in Buffalo.

About Buffalo
Buffalo is looking to snap a six-game losing skid after winning five straight games in December ... Kick starting that streak was an 82-64 MAC-opening win over Bowling Green on Dec. 3 ... Since that streak, however, the Bulls have fallen on hard times, losing their last six ... Preseason All-MAC performer Turner Battle leads the Bulls in scoring, averaging 12.7 ppg ... The guard also leads the team in assists (47) and is second in steals with 23 ... Yassin Idbihi is the only other Bull scoring in double-figures ... The freshman center is averaging 10.0 points and 6.2 rebounds an outing ... Despite falling 86-74 at Marshall (Jan. 17), Idbihi scored a career high 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting, while Battle came through with his first double-double of the season, a 15-point, 10-rebound effort.

Smallwood’s Statistics Stellar
There are no denying the numbers senior forward Marcus Smallwood has put up through his senior season ... Ranked among the MAC’s top 10 in six statistical categories, Smallwood is the only player in the Conference to be ranked among the top five on five statistical lists ... The conference leader in rebounding average (10.2) and defensive rebounds (7.2), Smallwood is third in blocked shots per game (1.36), fourth in offensive rebounds (3.19), and fifth in field goal percentage (.510) ... Also ninth in the MAC with a 15.4 point per game scoring average, Smallwood is the only MAC player to average a double-double and leads the conference in double-dips with six ... While he doesn’t rank among the MAC leaders, Smallwood is actually second on the team in assists with 34.

Smallwood’s Double-Double Average A Rare Feat
With a scoring average of 15.4 points and a rebounding average of 10.2, Marcus Smallwood is one of only 14 players in Division I basketball to average a double-double ... A 6-foot-6 power forward, Smallwood is also one of only two players 6-foot-6 and under to average the accomplishment (Cuthbert Victor of Murray State is the other) ... Last season, Smallwood was one of only 20 players in Division I hoops to average a double-double ... This season, Smallwood leads the MAC with six double-doubles ... He has 26 double-dips in his NIU career.

The Windex Men
Northern Illinois has owned the boards in its last three contests ... After being outrebounded 39-31 by Bowling Green (Jan. 10), the Huskies have been on a rebounding frenzy, grabbing an average of 42.3 rebounds a game including 15.6 offensive boards a game ... During that span, the Huskies have enjoyed a +10.6 rebounding advantage over their opponents ... In all games, NIU leads the MAC in rebounding advantage (+4.4) and is second in total rebounds 37.9 ... The Huskies also boast two of the MAC top rebounders in Marcus Smallwood and Rome Sanders ... Smallwood leads the Conference and ranks ninth nationally on the glass with a 10.2 rpg. average, while Sanders is averaging 5.1 boards and ranks 18th in the MAC ... In his last three games, Sanders is averaging 8.0 boards.

Fox Sports Chicago To Air Jan. 31 Game vs. Toledo
For NIU men’s basketball fans unable to make the trip to DeKalb, IL, for the Jan. 31 contest against Toledo, never fear, as Fox Sports Net Chicago will air the 5:05 p.m. game ... Saturday’s (Jan. 31) game against the Rockets will be the first time that the Huskies have been on TV in the Chicagoland area this season ... Handling play-by-play duties will be Eric Collins, while former Chicago Bull great Norm Van Lier handles the expert analysis ... Mitch Robinson will cover sidelines.

About Head Coach Rob Judson
Rob Judson is in his third season at the helm of the Northern Illinois men’s basketball program and owns a career record of 36-40 ... With the 36 wins in two and a half seasons, the Huskies actually have two more victories than the 34 wins they attained during the four seasons prior to Judson’s arrival ... Those 36 wins also place Judson 10th all-time on the NIU coaching wins list ... He needs just two more wins to tie Roland Cowell (1926-29) for ninth in career wins ... Judson accumulated a 29-30 record through his first-two seasons at NIU ... Only Jim Molinari won more games in his first-two seasons at NIU against intercollegiate opponents ... With Judson as an assistant coach, Molinari’s Huskies went 42-17 in 1989-91, his lone two seasons as head coach ... Roland Cowell also won 29 games against intercollegiate competition from 1926-28, his first two seasons at NIU ... The Huskies have performed well on the road during the Judson era ... After going 5-9 on the road in his first season (2001-02), the Huskies went 8-6 on foreign courts last year including a stretch of seven consecutive road wins in the MAC from Jan. 8 to Feb. 15 ... After taking over a program that won only five games the year before his arrival, Judson’s teams have enjoyed immediate success, winning 12 games in his first season and 17 last year ... Judson’s squad has also fared well in the Mid-American Conference, going 20-18 over his tenure ... Among active coaches, only Charlie Coles of Miami-Ohio (22-14) and Tim Buckley of Ball State (23-13) won more MAC games than Judson in their first two seasons.

Senior Scoring Surge
Seniors Marcus Smallwood and P.J. Smith have grown into one of the MAC’s top 1-2 scoring punches ... Ninth in the MAC with a 15.4 ppg. scoring average, Smallwood is averaging 18.0 ppg. in the last four games, which includes a pair of 22-point games two weeks ago at Akron (Jan. 10) and at Bowling Green (Jan. 14) ... The last time Smallwood had back-to-back 20-point games was as a sophomore, when he poured in 20 against Ball State (Feb. 2, 2002) and 20 at Eastern Michigan (Feb. 9, 2002) ... While his run of 20-point games came to an end at Ohio (Jan. 17), Smallwood still managed his sixth double-double of the season with 11 points and 12 rebounds ... Over the last month, Smith has turned into one of the Conference’s most consistent scoring threats ... After seeing his scoring average dip to 9.4 ppg. following a Dec. 19 loss vs. San Jose State, the Maywood, IL, native is averaging 16.7 points in his last nine contests ... Included in the stretch are 20-point outings at Ohio (Jan. 17), vs. St. Francis (Dec. 30) and at BYU-Hawaii (Dec. 20) ... The Maywood, IL, native also had an 18-point performance at Akron and 19 points against Eastern Michigan (Jan. 14) ... With his scoring run, Smith has moved up to 14th in the MAC (all games) in scoring average and his 16.7 ppg. scoring average in seven MAC games leads all Huskies and ranks sixth in the Conference.

Smith Initiated Into NIU 1,000-Point Club
His lay up at the 5:03 mark of the second half against Ball State not only brought the Huskies to within five points (59-54) against Ball State, but also gave senior P.J. Smith his 1,000th point in a Northern Illinois uniform ... Currently with 1,002 points, Smith became the 24th player in NIU history to top 1,000 career points ... Smith is the second Huskie to top 1,000 points this season ... Teammate Marcus Smallwood scored his 1,000th point earlier this season against San Jose State on Dec. 19 ... The last time NIU had two 1,000-point scorers on the same team was the 2000-01, season when Leon Rodgers (1998-2002) and Mike Brown (1997-2001) played together ... The last set of teammates to eclipse 1,000 points in the same season were Billy Harris (1,331) and Jim Bradley (1,134) in 1972-73.

Smallwood Adds To MAC-Leading Double-Double Total
With 11 points and 12 rebounds at Ohio (Jan. 17), Marcus Smallwood registered his 26th career double-double ... Already with six double-dips this season, Smallwood leads the MAC in double-doubles and is tops among active players in career double-doubles ... Of his 26 career double-doubles, 18 have come in MAC play including two last year against Buffalo.

Small’s, Smith Ascend NIU Career Scoring List
Next on the list is current assistant coach Donald Whiteside (1987-91) ... Following a 17-point night on Tuesday at Buffalo, senior forward Marcus Smallwood is four points behind the standout guard for 15th on NIU’s career scoring list ... Currently with 1,151 points, Smallwood is 24 points behind Rodney Davis (1984-88) for 14th ... Davis scored 1,175 career points ... P.J. Smith reached the 1,000-point plateau against Ball State (Jan. 20) and now the senior guard will look to shoot up the NIU career scoring chart ... Currently 24th with 1,002 points, Smith is just six points behind Terry Kulp (1945-49) who is in 23rd with 1,008 career points ... For his collegiate career, Smith actually has 1,266 career points ... Smith spent his freshman season at Illinois State and scored 264 points ... Smallwood and Smith are the first set of teammates to top 1,000 career points since Leon Rodgers (1998-2002) and Mike Brown (1997-2001) ... The last set of teammates to eclipse 1,000 points in the same season were Billy Harris (1,331) and Jim Bradley (1,134) in 1972-73.

Return To Sender
No easy buckets ... That has been the NIU defensive philosophy and a major reason why the Huskies are second in the MAC in field goal percentage defense (.404) ... The Huskies lead the MAC in blocked shots, 4.35 per game, thanks to the tandem of James Hughes and Marcus Smallwood ... A redshirt freshman, Hughes ranks second in the MAC and sixth nationally among freshmen in swats per game (1.8) ... Already with 30 blocks on the season, the Silvis, IL, native has had at least one block in 15-of-17 games and set the NIU freshman record with six blocks in the season-opener against Eastern Illinois (11-22-03) ... Third in the MAC with 1.30 blocks a contest, Smallwood has 22 swats this season and 134 for his career ... Smallwood is tied for third all-time at Northern Illinois in career blocks and needs just one to pass Hubert Register (1991-95) ... As a team, the Huskies have 74 blocks and have eight or more blocks on four separate occasions ... All but two NIU players, Bryson McKenzie and Anthony Maestranzi, have recorded blocks this season.

Northern Illinois Visits The Pro Football Hall of Fame
A lesson in excellence ... That’s what the Northern Illinois men’s basketball team got when it visited the Professional Football Hall of Fame on Jan. 8 ... Prior to a workout in North Canton, OH, at Walsh University, the Huskies stopped by the Hall of Fame to see first hand examples of athletes at the top of their field ... Featured exhibits during the Hall of Fame tour included the actual jersey worn by Walter Payton when he broke Jim Brown’s rushing record in 1984, a collage celebrating 20 years of Monday Night Football and a display of championship rings from each Super Bowl.

Paradise Out Indefinitely
A reoccurring left wrist injury suffered as a high school senior will sideline rookie guard Ryan Paradise for an indefinite amount of time ... A key member of the NIU backcourt, Paradise had surgery on his left wrist on Thursday (Jan. 22) and had a pin inserted to stabilize the wrist ... Prior to the surgery, Paradise appeared in 14 games and averaged 3.4 points and 1.4 rebounds ... While he averaged 14.6 minutes per game on the season, the former Naperville Central standout had averaged 19.3 minutes in his final three games.

The Huskie Book Club
A year ago, it was Ernest Hemingway’s Old Man and the Sea ... This season, head coach Rob Judson handed out copies of John Steinbeck’s The Pearl as the Huskies embarked on their Jan. 6 -10 road trip to Akron and Bowling Green ... With an assignment to read two chapters each day, brief quizzes were given before practices to make sure players were keeping up with their reading assignments.

Huskies In The Classroom
Their efforts on the basketball court get more attention, but NIU’s efforts in the classroom should not go unnoticed ... When semester grade-point-averages were released last week, the men’s basketball team reached new heights ... In addition to enjoying the highest team GPA of the Rob Judson era, the men’s basketball program had its highest GPA in over 10 years.

Rayhorn Tabbed For IBCA Hall of Fame Induction
One of Northern Illinois’ all-time greats, Allen Rayhorn will be enshrined into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association on April 24 in Normal, IL ... Regarded as one of the school’s top Players of the Century, the 6-foot-9, 202-pound Rayhorn led the Huskies to their first NCAA Tournament in 1982 ... His career numbers of 1,848 points and 1,077 rebounds rank third and second, respectively, in Northern Illinois history.

Free Throws Tell The Tale
If the Huskies have learned anything lately, it is that free throws add up ... NIU is being outshot 430-318 at the line, and face an 86-point season deficit at the charity stripe ... Standing alone, that stat is important, but when seven of a team’s 10 losses have come by a single-digit margin, the stat becomes paramount ... In those seven single-digit defeats, opponents have hit 166-of-226 free throws ... That’s a per game average of 24-of-33 ... Conversely NIU is 77-108 total in those seven games, an average of 11-of-15.5 per contest ... When you break the numbers down, NIU is being outscored by 13 points per game at the line in its seven single-digit defeats.

Free Throws Continued
One positive about the free throw line has been NIU’s recent improvement ... Despite a sluggish outing on Saturday at Ohio (14-of-25), the Huskies are shooting 73.9 percent (82-of-111) in the last five and a half games ... After opening 1-of-8 against Ohio on Jan. 3, NIU finished the game 15-of-18 from the line against Bobcats ... The Huskies were also 7-of-9 at Akron (Jan. 10) and had their best day at the stripe at Bowling Green (Jan. 14), when they hit 17-of-21 charity shots (81.0 percent) ... Against Eastern Michigan (Jan. 14), the Huskies hit 75.0 percent (15-of-20) of their charity shots and were 14-of-18 at Ball State (Jan. 20).

P.J. = Pretty Jumper
The first half of December was forgettable for P.J. Smith ... NIU’s most creative scorer, Smith had just one double-figure scoring game (17 at Marshall) in the month’s first 19 days ... As a result, his scoring average plummeted from 15.7 ppg. to 9.4 ppg. following a 53-41 loss to San Jose State on Dec. 19 ... Since that game, however, Smith has taken off offensively, reaching double-figures each of the last nine games including 20-point efforts at Ohio (Jan. 17), vs. St. Francis (Dec. 30) and at BYU-Hawaii (Dec. 20) ... During that span, Smith is averaging 16.7 points per game and is shooting 45.0 percent from the field ... In addition to his three 20-point outings, the preseason All-MAC choice scored 18 at Akron (Jan. 7) and 19 against Eastern Michigan (Jan. 14) ... At Ball State (Jan. 20), Smith scored 14 points and topped 1,000 career points in a NIU uniform ... A likely reason for Smith’s early scoring slump was his shot selection, or lack thereof ... During his skid, Smith took just 6.4 shots per game ... In the last nine, Smith is averaging 12.8 attempts.

Home Sweet Home
The NIU Convocation Center has become a beautiful site for the Huskies as they are a perfect 6-0 on the season in their friendly confines ... In addition to the unblemished record, the rims and nets have been a little more friendly as well ... Below is a breakdown of NIU’s per game averages in its five games at the Convo and its 11 games away from it.

Paulsen Adds Versatility To NIU Post
Although he plays the same position as All-Conference performer Marcus Smallwood, freshman Paige Paulsen has continued to impress since the start of the MAC season ... At Ball State (Jan. 20), Paulsen scored a career high 12 points, including 10 in the second half, as the rookie led NIU back from a 12-point deficit midway through the second frame ... The Custer, S.D., native also grabbed three offensive boards, had one block and one steal ... Prior to the MAC season, Paulsen played in just eight of the season’s first-11 games and averaged only 4.8 minutes ... In the last six games, the forward is averaging 10.5 minutes and is contributing 4.5 points and 2.2 rebounds ... He has also set career highs in scoring twice prior to his 12-point outburst at Ball State.

Paying His Dues, Thompson Sees Increased Playing Time
The consummate team player, Walter Thompson paid his dues for Northern Illinois during his first-three seasons and is seeing increased playing time as a return ... Thompson played in just nine games last season and logged only 41 total minutes ... This season, Thompson has already played in 15 games and is averaging 7.9 minutes an outing ... At Ohio (Jan. 17) Thompson played a season high 30 minutes after Anthony Maestranzi picked up two early fouls ... At Ball State, Thompson had the most efficient statistical line of the night, hitting a trey, going 2-of-2 from the line, dishing out two assists with no turnovers and ripping away three steals.

ESPN, Jay Bilas Show Smallwood The Love
NIU senior forward Marcus Smallwood was named the most underrated/underappreciated player in the Mid-American Conference by ESPN’s Jay Bilas ... Here is what Bilas had to say about Smallwood ... “Smallwood is an outstanding post player who commands defensive attention. He is a terrific rebounder and finisher around the basket, drawing double and sometimes triple teams that open up opportunities for his teammates to make open 3-pointers. To beat Northern Illinois, teams will have to deal with Smallwood (14.3 ppg, 10.9 rpg), but they cannot allow his teammates to piggy-back off of him to have big nights from beyond the arc.”

Huskie Posts Heating Up On Offense
59 percent ... That’s what Marcus Smallwood, James Hughes and Rome Sanders, NIU’s primary post performers, have shot from the field in the last 11 games ... The leader of that group is Sanders, who has hit 17-of-27 shots (.630) during that span to raise his season field-goal percentage to .537 ... Right behind Sanders is the 6-foot-11 Hughes ... While he hasn’t missed much all season (.630), Hughes has connected on 20-of-33 shots (.606) in his last nine including 15-of-21 (.714) shooting during a five-game stretch at the end of December ... Based on attempts, the efficiency of Smallwood has been nothing short of amazing over the last 11 games ... In hoisting up 125 shots, Smallwood has connected on 72 of those attempts (.581), while maintaining a scoring average of 15.2 points per game ... In his last four games, Smallwood has hit on 35-of-58 shots (.603) and is averaging 18.0 ppg.

Smallwood Named To Surf N’ Slam All-Tourney Team
After averaging 14.0 points and 10.7 rebounds, Marcus Smallwood was named to the BYU-Hawaii Surf N’ Slam All-Tournament Team in Laie, HI ... The tournament’s top rebounder, Smallwood tied the tournament record with 32 total boards, 12 of which came on the offensive end ... With the award, Smallwood becomes the first Huskie to earn a pair of regular season all-tournament team honors since Rodney Davis did it during the 1987-88 season ... Davis was named to the UTEP MetroMobile and UIC McLendon Classic All-Tourney teams.

Huskie Named Hawkeye-Gazette Challenge MVP
For the first time since the 1990 season, the Iowa Hawkeye-Gazette Challenge (Dec. 5-6) MVP didn’t hail from Iowa City ... Despite falling a game short of the tourney title, Marcus Smallwood was named MVP of the tournament after averaging 16 points and 9.5 rebounds during the two-game gathering ... The last time a non-Iowa player won MVP honors of the Hawkeye-Gazette Challenge, was in 1990, when Bob Harstad of Creighton won the award.

Huskies Hit 1,000 Wins
With its 73-63 win over Ohio on Jan. 3, the Northern Illinois men’s basketball program made history, recording its 1,000th win ... The Huskies currently have a 1,000-939 overall record ... Other milestone wins for NIU include its 500th on Feb. 29, 1964, vs. Wheaton College (83-67) and its 900th win vs. Illinois-Chicago (95-60) in the semifinals of the Horizon League Tournament on March 3, 1996.

Smallwood Joins NIU 1,000-Point Club
With a jumper at the 7:42 mark of the first half vs. San Jose State (Dec. 19) , Marcus Smallwood became just the 23rd player in Northern Illinois history to score 1,000 points in an NIU uniform ... Now 16th in career scoring with 1,151 points, “Smalls” is just four points behind Donald Whiteside (1987-91) for 15th on NIU’s career scoring list ... Smallwood became the first Huskie to top 1,000 career points since Leon Rodgers (1998-2002) did it during the 2000-01 season.

Can You Spare A Dime?
Anthony Maestranzi is averaging 4.24 assists per game this season, tops on the team and fourth in the MAC ... While the Huskies struggled to take care of the ball at times this season, Maestranzi has done his job well, dishing out 72 dimes, compared to just 31 turnovers ... In NIU’s 17 games, Maestranzi has had one or fewer turnovers in eight of those contests and has had a 2:1 assist to turnover ratio nine times ... Maestranzi’s 72 assists this season already top the 51 he had all of last year, when he ranked third on the team ... At his current pace of 4.24 assists per game, Maestranzi would dish out 128 helpers on the year, the second highest single-season assist total in school history ... Jay Bryant had 163 assists during the 1979-80 season ... Maestranzi would also shatter the sophomore assist record of 106 held by current assistant coach Donald Whiteside during the 1988-89 season ... Another impressive statistic for Maestranzi is his lack of turnovers ... Despite being the team’s primary ball-handler and second on the squad in minutes played (28.3 mpg.), Maestranzi is committing less than two miscues a contest, giving him a 2.3:1 assist : turnover ratio.

Hughes Playing Huge
A sweet jumper that stretches to 15 feet, the team’s most consistent free throw shooter and a devastating shot blocker ... Yes, the future is bright for freshman James Hughes ... One of the more efficient Huskies from the field in his last nine games, 16-of-26 (.615), the 6-foot-11 freshman has seen offensive numbers begin to take off, despite being put on the floor initially because of his defensive ability ... After sitting out the 2002-03 campaign to work on his strength, Hughes leads the Huskies and is second in the MAC in blocked shots with 30 ... Averaging 1.8 blocks per game, Hughes ranks among the top 50 nationally and sixth nationally among freshmen ... Already with nine starts under his belt, Hughes made his collegiate debut in emphatic fashion, blocking an NIU freshman record six shots in the season-opener against Eastern Illinois ... Against Illinois State (Nov. 26), Hughes made his first career start and flourished with career highs in points (11), field goals (4), free throws made (3) and rebounds (6) ... Hughes also played a career high 22 minutes ... In a 54-53 win over rival Illinois-Chicago, Hughes was a perfect 4-of-4 from the floor, scoring nine points, grabbing six boards and blocking two shots ... Also a great free throw shooter, Hughes is fourth on the team at the line at .750 percent (18-of-24).

Chairman of the Boards
Is there a better 6-foot-6 rebounder in the country? ... In a word, No! ... Senior forward Marcus Smallwood has been a machine on the glass this season, averaging 10.2 rebounds a game including 17 in the season-opener vs. Eastern Illinois, 18 more at then-No. 20 Notre Dame and 14 in the MAC home-opener vs. Ohio on Jan. 3 ... In the most recent NCAA statistical rankings, Smallwood was 10th nationally in rebounding and is one of only two players, 6-foot-6 and under, to average double figures on the glass ... Smallwood is also just one of 14 players to average a double-double in points and rebounds ... Against a Fighting Irish frontline that boasted heights of 6-foot-11, 6-foot-11 and 6-foot-9, Smallwood grabbed 18 rebounds including six on the offensive end of the floor ... Smallwood lost the rebounding war by one to Notre Dame’s Torin Francis, but he was the catalyst for NIU outrebounding the Irish by 10 (53-43).

MAC’s Big Poppa
Marcus “Smalls” Smallwood earned Mid-American Conference Player of the Week honors for the week of Dec. 1 after averaging 17.5 points, 13.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks against No. 20 Notre Dame (Nov. 24) and Illinois State (Nov. 26) ... The 6-foot-6, 215 pound forward opened the week with a 21-point, 18-rebound performance at No. 20 Notre Dame in a 74-65 Fighting Irish win ... Despite facing a frontline that averaged 6-foot-10, 252 pounds, Smallwood was the one standing tall, as he registered season highs in both categories to lead the Huskies ... The senior also added two blocks and a steal against the Irish ... The preseason MAC Player of the Year returned to the court two days later (Nov. 26), to stifle Illinois State’s offensive attack, as he rejected five shots and grabbed a game high nine rebounds ... Although he did score 16 points, it was Smallwood’s effort on the defensive end that paced the Huskies to a 66-55 victory ... During a first half in which the senior got four of his five blocks, the Huskies allowed the Redbirds just 12 points on 4-of-26 shooting (.154 percent) from the floor.

The Frosh, Rookies, Newbies ....
Call them what you will, but don’t call them bashful as NIU’s quartet of freshmen have made an instant impact for the Huskies this season ... Redshirt freshman James Hughes has been the most productive of the newcomers, starting nine games, while averaging 5.1 points and 3.5 rebounds ... While he leads the team in field goal percentage (.630), Hughes has been the most productive on the defensive end of the floor ... The 6-foot-11 rookie is averaging 1.8 blocks per game, second in the MAC and sixth nationally among freshmen ... Mike McKinney has been Mr. Versatility so far this season ... The high-flying shooting guard turned in back-to-back career outings, following up an eight-point performance at Marshall with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting against Cornell College (Dec. 15) ... Currently, McKinney is averaging 3.6 ppg, while his 21 offensive rebounds are fifth on the team and tops among guards ... Prior to being sidelined by a reoccurring wrist injury, Ryan Paradise had come on since Christmas break, averaging 19.3 minutes in his last three games ... Second on the team in free throw percentage (.783), Paradise hit 9-of-11 charity shots to score a career high 11 points in 19 minutes of playing time vs. Ohio (Jan. 3) ... In his more recent outing, Paradise played a career high 22 minutes against Bowling Green ... After seeing limited action in the season’s first 11 games, Paige Paulsen has blossomed during the MAC slate ... After scoring a career high 12 points in a career high 23 minutes of playing time at Ball State (Jan. 20), Paulsen has is averaging 15.3 minutes of playing time and is scoring 7.0 points in the last three games.