NIU (6-5) at South Florida (5-4)
Date / Time: Tuesday, December 20, 2016 • 6 p.m. CT (7 p.m. ET)
Site: Sun Dome • Tampa, Fla.
TV: ESPN3
Radio: WLBK 1360-AM, 98.9-FM (DeKalb) • WYLL 1160-AM (Chicago) • TuneIn
Live Stats: GoUSFBulls.com 
All-time Series: USF leads 2-0
Last Meeting: Dec. 17, 2002 • USF 84-83

Huskie Quick Hits
• NIU is on the second game of its two-game trip to the State of Florida. The Huskies defeated Florida International, 60-53 in the first game of the trip (Dec. 17). This is NIU's first trip to Florida since a Dec. 17, 2002, visit to USF.
• The Huskies have not played a current member of the American Athletic Conference since an 84-74 setback at Temple on Dec. 18, 2010. 
• Aaric Armstead moved into a tie with Rodney Davis (1984-88) for ninth all-time on NIU's steals list with his two steals at FIU. Armstead currently has 117 career takeaways. 
• Armstead also ranked 28th in NIU history in scoring with 1,033 career points. 
• Dontel Highsmith is averaging 12.5 points per game, shooting 62.1 percent from the field, over his last four games after netting 23 points at FIU. In nine career road games, Highsmith is averaging 15.0 points per game. 
• Over the last five games, NIU's freshman point guard duo of Justin Thomas and Eugene German have combined to average 14.8 points per game, shooting 54.9 percent from the field. 
• NIU has a +2.5 turnover margin on the season and is converting that margin into a +6.1 edge in points off turnovers (17.8 to 11.7). 
• This will be NIU's final game before a Christmas break and its final non-conference road contest. The Huskies will host Illinois-Springfield on Dec. 31 before opening league play at Miami (Ohio) on Jan. 3. 

About South Florida
• The Bulls enter Tuesday night's matchup with a 5-4 overall mark following a 77-66 setback on Saturday against 16th-ranked South Carolina. 
• USF has four players scoring in double figures, led by 20.3 points per game from Jahmal McMurray, who has played just three games for the Bulls. Geno Thorpe (13.6 ppg), Troy Holston (10.7 ppg) and Tulio Da Silva (10.7) are also scoring in double figures for USF. Da Silva is also the leading rebounder for the Bulls at 8.0 boards per contest. 
• The Bulls rank third in the American Athletic Conference in three-point percentage (38.3 percent) and fourth in field goal percentage (47.8 percent). 
• USF head coach Orlando Antigua is in his third season as head coach of the Bulls; Antigua came to Tampa following six seasons as an assistant for John Calipari, one at Memphis and five at Kentucky. 

All-time Series with the Bulls
• This will be the third all-time meeting between NIU and South Florida, with the Bulls winning each of the first two contests. 
• NIU and USF played a home-and-home series during the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons, with the Bulls earning a 74-69 victory in DeKalb in the first matchup (Dec. 4, 2001) and an 84-83 victory in the return game at home (Dec. 17, 2002). 
• The Huskies have not played a current member of the American Athletic Conference during head coach Mark Montgomery's tenure. NIU's last game against an opponent from the AAC came on Dec. 18, 2010, when the Huskies fell at Temple, 84-74. 

Guess Who's Back
• Dontel Highsmith saw his first game action in 1,045 days when he started and played 21 minutes in the season opener against Indiana State (Nov. 11). 
• Highsmith averaged 10.5 points per game in 11 games as a freshman in 2013-14 before tearing his left ACL on Dec. 31, 2013 at Iowa State. 
• Highsmith had scored in double figures in five of his last six games that season, including a 27-point effort in a road win at UC Riverside (Dec. 22, 2013) that earned his MAC West Player of the Week honors and 19 points prior to his injury against No. 13 Iowa State.
• Highsmith looked to return in 2014-15 following the first ACL tear, but tore it again just before the season. The second tear required two surgeries and forced Highsmith to miss both the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons. 
• Highsmith recorded his first double figure scoring game since his freshman season when he scored 16 points, with five rebounds and three assists, at Cal State Northridge (Nov. 19). 
• Over his last four games, Highsmith is shooting 62.1 percent (18-of-29) from the field, averaging 12.5 points per game. 
• Highsmith scored a season-high 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, and 4-of-5 at the free-throw line, in NIU's win at Florida International (Dec. 17). Highsmith played a season-high 31 minutes in the contest. 
• Highsmith scored 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting at Minnesota (Dec. 11), he has scored in double figures in both of his career games against Big Ten foes, the other being a 13-point effort against Nebraska (Nov. 30, 2013) during his freshman year. 
• In nine career road games, Highsmith is averaging 15.0 points per game, shooting 55.6 percent (50-of-90) from the field, including 40 percent (12-of-30) from behind the three-point line.