Dec. 2, 2010

NIU (2-3) vs. DePaul (1-4)
Thursday, Dec. 2, 2010 | 7:30 p.m. (CT)
Rosemont, Illinois | Allstate Arena | 18,500

Complete Release in PDF Format

HUSKIES FACTS
Location: DeKalb, Illinois
Founded: 1895
Enrollment: 24,397
Affiliation: NCAA Division I
Conference: Mid-American (West Division)
Colors: Cardinal and Black
Arena: NIU Convocation Center
President: Dr. John Peters
Assoc. VP/Athletic Director: Jeff Compher
Ticket Information: 815-752-6800
2010-11 Record/MAC Record: 2-3/0-0
2009 Record: 10-20
MAC Record/Finish: 6-10,5th
Head Coach: Ricardo Patton
Alma Mater/Year: Belmont/1980
Record at NIU/Years: 28-65/4th
Career Record/Years: 212-225/16th
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 7/8
Starters Returning/Lost: 2/3

NORTHERN ILLINOIS PROBABLE STARTERS
1 Bryan Hall (6-1, 168, G, Jr.)
24 Jeremy Landers (6-2, 185, G, Sr.)
5 Tim Toler (6-7, 270, F, Jr.-TR)
12 Nate Rucker (6-6, 245, F, Fr.)
13 Xavier Silas (6-5, 198, G, Sr.)

KEY RESERVES
4 Michael Patton (5-10, 189, G, Sr.)
25 Tony Nixon (6-4, 200, G, So.)
30 Lee Fisher (6-5, 212, F, Jr.)
32 Aksel Bolin (6-7, 200, G, Fr.)
23 Cameron Madlock (6-9, 215, F, Jr.-TR)

FOLLOW THE HUSKIES
Viewing NIU-DePaul
The Northern Illinois game versus DePaul can be seen on TV through Chicago's LPTV.

NIU-DePaul on Radio
On radio, fans can listen to the Northern Illinois-DePaul game on the Huskies' flagship station, WLBK AM 1360 in DeKalb. The Northern Illinois Radio Network presented by IMG College broadcast kicks off with the pregame show at 7:15 p.m. (CT). Hall of Fame broadcaster Bill Baker is in his 31st season as the play-by-play voice of the Huskies and is joined by Casey Kahler, in his fifth year as NIU's color analyst. The DePaul broadcast will be available on Chicago's WSCR 670 AM.

"NIU Live" Radio Show
Each week, join NIU Associate Vice-President and Director of Athletics Jeff Compher, host Andy Garcia and Northern Illinois coaches, including men's basketball coach Ricardo Patton, for "NIU Live" on WSCR 670 AM The Score in Chicago. The 30-minute show features a weekly update with Huskie basketball coaches, as well as interviews with other NIU coaches and all the latest news from Northern Illinois athletics.

Huskie All-Access
Fans across the country can hear all NIU live radio broadcasts, including basketball games and can watch every home men's and women's Northern Illinois basketball game live on Huskie All-Access at www.NIUHuskies.com. All-Access subscribers pay just $6.95/month or $49.95/year to receive all NIU radio game and show broadcasts, as well as all home men's and women's basketball, wrestling and other live action. Subscribers also have access to post-game press conferences and special video features.

NIUHuskies.com
Get all of the latest NIU Athletics news and information, statistics, press releases and more online every day at www.NIUHuskies.com, the official athletics website for Northern Illinois University.

Key Links
http://www.mac-sports.com
http://www.depaulbluedemons.c
om http://www.ncaa.org

NIU HEAD COACH Ricardo Patton
Ricardo Patton is in his fourth season at Northern Illinois and his 16th season as a collegiate head coach. Patton owns a 212-225 career record with a 28-65 mark in his fourth year at Northern Illinois.

Prior to his arrival at NIU, the Tennessee native spent 12 seasons as the head coach at the University of Colorado where he led the Buffaloes to six postseason appearances, including a pair of NCAA Tournament bids. Patton won 184 games at CU and ranks second all-time at the school in victories. Six of the school's nine postseason appearances occurred under Patton's leadership. He won 18 or more games six times and had four 20-plus win seasons.

Patton coached a pair of future NBA players at Colorado, including CU All-American and NBA All-Star Chauncey Billups.

The Belmont College ('80) graduate was a successful assistant coach at Colorado (1993-96), Tennessee State (1991-93), Arkansas-Little Rock (1990-91) and Middle Tennessee State (1989-90) before being elevated to interim and then permanent head coach at Colorado.

During his time at Tennessee State and Middle Tennessee State, both teams won an Ohio Valley Conference title.

Patton played two seasons of college basketball at Belmont where he earned All-America honors as a senior. He was inducted into the Belmont Sports Hall of Fame.

Prior to beginning his coaching careeer, Patton worked for five years as a studio cameraman at CBS affiliate WTVF-TV in Nashville. He is an avid golfer and holds a fifth-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. Patton's diverse interests include motorcycle riding and horseback riding. He and his wife, Jennifer, have two sons, Ricardo Jr. (21), an NIU graduate, and Michael (20), a senior on the Huskie basketball team.

Patton's emphasis on developing young people extends from the basketball court to the classroom and community. The basketball team's most recent Graduation Success Rate of 79 percent is 13 points higher than the national average for men's basketball.

NIU NEWS & NOTES

The Match-Up
Northern Illinois hits the road to face Chicago-area rival DePaul for its last game before next week's final exams and a 12-day break from competition, the longest of the season. The Huskies enter the contest with a 2-3 record after falling at home to undefeated Boise State, 80-51, Monday night at the NIU Convocation Center. The Blue Demons return home after an 0-3 showing at the 76 Classic in Anaheim Calif., losing to Stanford, 81-74, in overtime on last Sunday. Listen to the Northern Illinois Sports Network presented by IMG College broadcast of the game on WLBK AM 1360 in DeKalb. The DePaul broadcast can be heard on WSCR 670 AM in Chicago. A TV broadcast of the game will also be available on Chicago's LPTV.

About DePaul
The Blue Demons are off to a 1-4 start under first-year head coach Oliver Purnell. Of the four losses thus far, only one has come by more than seven points, which was an 88-66 decision to Cal State Northridge Nov. 26 at the 76 Classic. The Blue Demons also fell to Oklahoma State (60-56) Nov. 25 and Stanford (81-74) on Nov. 28 at the 76 Classic. DePaul's first loss of the year came to Western Carolina (69-64) Nov. 16, two days before Purnell earned a win in his first game, a 114-81 home victory over Chicago State. The Blue Demons are averaging 74.8 points per game and give up 75.8 and have been outrebounded by an average of 41-29. The DePaul defense has forced 20.8 turnovers per game along with eight steals, while turning the ball over on average 13.6 times per game. Brandon Young (13.2 PPG) and Mike Stovall (12 PPG) lead the Blue Demons in scoring.

In Memory of Jay Goedert
This year's NIU-DePaul matchup marks the third since 2004, when former NIU and DePaul assistant coach Jay Goedert (1960-2004) passed away due to a heart attack at age 44. To memorialize Goederts contributions at DePaul (1987-97) and NIU (1985-87), the top individual performer of the each meeting between the two teams is given the Jay Goedert Most Outstanding Player Award. Goedert is remembered for his love for the game of basketball, taking great pride in teaching and coaching, and his fierce loyalty to the young men he coached and institutions he represented. NIU won the first two contests in 2004 and 2005 with Todd Peterson and James Hughes capturing the commemorative honor.

Huskies Fall to Undefeated Boise State
As NIU Athletics Hall of Famer and former Athletics Director Cary Groth's Nevada Wolfpack haulted Boise State football's perfect season last weekend, the Huskies were unable to do the same to the Bronco basketball team Monday night. NIU fell to 1-2 at home and Boise State moved to 6-0 in the 80-51 loss as junior guard Bryan Hall scored a career-high 10 points.

Series Shift
DePaul leads the all-time tilt between the two teams, 22-6, but the Huskies have claimed each of the last two meetings, marking the first back-to-back wins for NIU in the series that began in 1925. In Chicago on Nov. 27, 2004, NIU took an 84-69 decision. Most recently, the Huskies topped the Blue Demons 77-68 at the NIU Convocation Center on Nov. 28, 2005.

Against the BIG EAST
The Huskies are 9-37 all-time against teams that are currently members of the BIG EAST Conference. NIU picked up its first against a current BIG EAST team on Feb. 2, 1926, in a 32-21 triumph in DeKalb against DePaul. Tonight's game will be the first time NIU has faced a BIG EAST foe since losing to Notre Dame, 108-62, on Dec. 8, 2007, in South Bend, Ind.

Huskies at Home
Northern Illinois is 1-2 at home in 2010-11. After falling in the season opener to Northwestern Nov. 12, NIU came back to defeat Cardinal Stritch 81-57 on Nov. 21 before losing to Boise State Nov. 29. The Huskies posted a 7-7 record at the Convocation Center a year ago as all but three of Northern Illinois' wins on the season came at home. In three-plus seasons under Ricardo Patton, NIU is 18-22 in games played in DeKalb with a 7-5 record in 2008-09 and a 5-8 mark in Patton's first season in 2007-08.

A Better November
For the second straight season, Northern Illinois earned its second win of the year over Maryland Eastern Shore (Nov. 24). A year ago, the win versus the Fighting Hawks did not come until December 22. This year, the Huskies reach their second win nearly a month earlier than they did in 2009. In addition, NIU did not pick up its first road win of 2009-10 until January 6 with a win over Chicago State. The UMES win gives the Huskies their first road win of the season more than a month earlier than last year.

Silas Starts Strong
After finishing the 2009-10 campaign as the MAC's No. 2 scorer with 19.7 points per game, Northern Illinois senior Xavier Silas is scoring at an even faster pace this season. The Texas native is averaging 24.8 points per game to lead the Mid-American Conference and rank seventh among the national leaders in scoring. He has scored 25, 22, 34, 34 and nine points in NIU's five games this year. Silas scored 25 or more points in six games a year ago, and already has three of those 25-point games in NIU's first five outings in 2010-11. In his Huskie career, Silas has scored in double figures 26 times in 29 games played. He scored 493 points in 2009-10 despite missing five games due to a hand injury suffered in the season opener and has 124 points already this season.

On Target
Silas' scoring increase has not come with more shots, but through hitting a higher percentage of his shots. So far in the early-going, Silas has made 55.9 percent of his field goals overall, while his three-point shooting is not far off that at a 51.9 percent clip. Those percentages are far ahead of his 38.3 and 32.1 percent marks for field goals and three-pointers made, respectively, a year ago. The Huskie records for single season percentages are 58.9 (overall) and 48.9 (threes).

MAC Honors
NIU senior Xavier Silas has gathered the first two Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week honors of the season. Silas scored 56 points in the Huskies' games against Bradley and Cardinal Stritch Nov. 16 and 21 to earn the initial award. Silas scored a career-high 34 points in just 24 minutes of action versus Cardinal Stritch as he made 11-of-17 field goals overall and six-of-nine shots from three-point range. The Austin, Texas native scored 22 points in just 25 minutes in the Huskies' 66-63 loss at Bradley while hitting seven of his 11 field goal attempts and all six of his free throws. He added six rebounds in that game and totaled 10 for the week. In the two games, Silas shot 64.3 percent from the field (18-of-28) and 57.1 percent from three-point range (57.1 percent). In NIU's lone game during the week of Nov. 22-28, Silas tied his career-high for the second straight game to garner the honor again in an 86-80 win at Maryland Eastern Shore Nov. 24. While scoring 34 points, he added a season-high three assists and tied a season-best with six rebounds. Silas' points came on 12-of-16 shooting as he established a new career high for field goals made in a game and went 4-for-5 on three-pointers.

Streak Stopped
NIU senior Xavier Silas started the season a perfect 28-of-28 from the free throw line before recording his first miss at Maryland Eastern Shore. Silas made 42 straight free throws dating back to last year's penultimate game versus Toledo (March 4, 2010) before missing three of his last five free throws versus UMES. Silas' made his last nine free throws versus Toledo last year, beginning with 31 seconds left in the first half. He then hit all five of his tries in the MAC Tournament first-round game at Eastern Michigan. This year, he went 12-of-12 from the line versus Northwestern and hit all six of his tries at Bradley and versus Stritch, then made his first four free throws in Maryland. Since missing his last attempt, Silas went 4-for-4 against Boise State. The Northern Illinois record for consecutive free throws made in a season is 33 (by Todd Peterson in 2005-06); there is no record for consecutive free throws made in a career.

Hall Lends a Hand
Junior Bryan Hall has cemented his spot as the Huskies' starting point guard with steady ball-handling, especially over the last three games. In NIU's last three contests, Hall has distributed 15 assists and racked up five steals while committing just two turnovers in 64 minutes. He currently ranks second in the MAC in assist to turnover ratio with a 2.33 mark. After finishing the 2009-10 season with 33 turnovers and 40 assists, Hall has 21 assists already this season to rank sixth in the league in assists per game (4.20). He had five assists without a turnover versus Cardinal Stritch and recorded a career-high seven assists versus just one turnover at Maryland Eastern Shore. He then added three assists with one turnover versus Boise State and scored a career-best 10 points.

Here's Aksel
While his fellow freshmen Nate Rucker and Kyree Jones have made their marks in different ways already this year, the Huskies' Aksel Bolin had a quiet debut (12 total minutes in first two games) until breaking out for 10 points in 17 minutes of action at Maryland Eastern Shore. Bolin hit double-digits in the scoring column for the first time in his career and added his first two assists and blocks. He went six-of-six from the free throw line. In 17 minutes against Boise State, he remained perfect at the free-throw line, going 2-for-2.

Silas a Senior CLASS Candidate
Xavier Silas has been named one of just 30 candidates for the 2011 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award for men's basketball. The award honors seniors playing Division I basketball who have demonstrated high achievement in the areas of community, classroom, character and competition throughout their collegiate careers.

Charity Stripe Turnaround
A year ago, Northern Illinois shot just 64.6 percent from the free throw line as eight of NIU's 12 players with more than two attempts on the season hit less than 60 percent from the line. The Huskies ranked 290th in the country and 11th in the MAC in free throw percentage, despite Xavier Silas' 81.1 percent mark. So far in 2010-11, the Huskies have turned that performance around. Four Huskies have hit all of their free throws (Toler, Nixon, Bolin, Storm), while Silas' 34-of-37 made is good for 91.9 percent. Bolin (8-of-8) and Silas rank first and second in the league in free throw percentage as Northern Illinois leads the MAC's team rankings at 73.2 percent (90-of-123).

Newest Huskies
Northern Illinois signed a pair of players for 2011-12 on Nov. 10. Zach Miller, a 5-9 guard from Glenbard East High School in Chicago, and DeAndre Barnette, a 6-4 wing from Liberty Tech in Jackson, Tenn., inked with the Huskies following successful junior seasons at their respective schools and equally as impressive summers. Miller helped lead the Rams to the Class 4A sectional final as a junior as he averaged 14.1 points, 3.1 steals and 7.2 assists per game. He was the DuPage Valley Conference Player of the Year. Barnette led Liberty Tech to the Tennessee Class 2A title game and was named to the all-tournament team at the state tourney.

Challenging Slate
Northern Illinois will face six opponents that played in the 2010 postseason with games against NCAA Tournament participants Temple (Dec. 18), Missouri (Dec. 27) and Ohio (Feb. 5) along with National Invitation Tournament (NIT) teams Kent State (Feb. 12) and Northwestern. Akron earned a trip to the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) last year.

Starting Fives
NIU Head Coach Ricardo Patton has used three different starting line-ups in the Huskies' five games with Xavier Silas, Nate Rucker and Tim Toler the constants in all four contests. The trio has been joined by Bryan Hall in four of the five games, by Kyree Jones on one occasion while Jeremy Landers and Michael Patton each garnered one start so far in 2010-11. Silas, Toler and Rucker are Northern Illinois' top three scorers and rebounders so far this season while Hall leads in assists and ranks second in steals.

Looking Ahead
Northern Illinois will not play a game for the next 12 days due to the fall semester finals week. On Tuesday, Dec. 14, Northern Illinois will take on another in-state opponent as UIC will visit the Convocation Center for a 7 p.m. game. Following that contest, NIU embarks on a three-game road trip for the only time this season.