NIU (12-6, 4-1 MAC) vs. Ohio (11-5, 3-2 MAC)
Date / Time: Saturday, January 21, 2017 • 3:30 p.m. 
Site: NIU Convocation Center • DeKalb, Ill.
TV: ESPN3
Radio: WLBK 1360-AM, 98.9-FM (DeKalb) • TuneIn
Live Stats: NIUHuskies.com 
All-time Series: Ohio leads 33-18
Last Meeting: March 10, 2016 • Ohio 79-62

Huskie Quick Hits
• With his three steals against Miami, Aaric Armstead currently has 133 career steals, tied for fourth all-time in school history with P.J. Smith (2001-04). Armstead also made his 100th career start against the RedHawks. In MAC play, Armstead is tied for the conference lead averaging 2.6 steals per game.
• Marin Maric is one of just four players to rank in the top-20 in the league in scoring, the top-10 in rebounding and field goal percentage as well as the top-15 in blocked shots. 
• Over the last 10 games, Dontel Highsmith is averaging 10.5 points per game while shooting 48 percent (36-of-75) from the field, 37.5 percent (12-of-32) from three and 84 percent (21-of-25) from the free-throw line. In league play, Highsmith ranks second in the MAC shooting 90.9 percent (10-of-11) from the free-throw line. 
• NIU has had at least four players score in double figures in four of its first five conference games, with seven different players reaching double figures in league play. 
• In conference play, NIU's four-man duo of Jaylen Key and Levi Bradley is averaging a combined 17.0 points and 11.8 rebounds per contest. 
• NIU has 62 wins over the last four seasons going back to the beginning of the 2013-14 campaign, the best four-year stretch for the Huskies since winning 64 between 1992-93 and 1995-96. 
• Since a Dec. 11 setback at Minnesota, NIU has won eight of nine, with its lone blemish coming in the conference opener by two point at Miami (Jan. 3). 
• NIU is 41-8 at home since Feb. 12, 2014 with an 8-2 home mark this season. 

About Ohio
• The Bobcats bring an 11-5 overall record, 3-2 in Mid-American Conference play, to DeKalb following an 83-68 setback at Akron on Tuesday night (Jan. 17). Ohio is 2-4 on the road this season, which includes a Nov. 18 victory at Georgia Tech.
• Four players are averaging in double figures for Ohio, led by Antonio Campbell's team-best 16.4 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Ohio announced on Thursday however that Campbell will miss the remainder of the season with a broken foot. The three other Bobcats scoring in double figures are Kenny Kaminski (13.3 ppg), Jordan Dartis (12.5 ppg) and Jaaron Simmons (11.8 ppg).
• Ohio is the top defensive team in the MAC, allowing a league-low 66.4 points per game; the Bobcats also have the best defensive field goal percentage in the league, holding opponents to just 40.2 percent shooting. 

All-time Series with the Bobcats
• Ohio holds a 33-18 advantage in the all-time series with NIU, the Bobcats also have a 13-10 edge all-time in DeKalb. 
• The Huskies and Bobcats met three times last season, with each team winning at home and Ohio taking the rubber match in Cleveland in the quarterfinals of the MAC Tournament. 
• NIU claimed an 80-69 victory over Ohio last season in DeKalb (Jan. 6, 2016) behind 25 points from Travon Baker and 22 points, with 14 rebounds, from Marin Maric. Jaaron Simmons led Ohio with 19 points. 
• Aaric Armstead has had three double-figure scoring games in his career against the Bobcats, including a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds last season in Athens (Feb. 6, 2016). 

Trending Upward
• Since a Dec. 11 setback at Minnesota, NIU has won eight of nine, with its lone blemish coming in the conference opener by two point at Miami (Jan. 3). 
• During that nine-game period, Marin Maric is leading the Huskies offensively, averaging nearly a double-double with 12.6 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. Dontel Highsmith is also scoring in double figures at 10.6 points per contest. 
• Nine different players are averaging at least 5.7 points per game: Maric (12.6), Highsmith (10.6), Aaric Armstead (8.1), Levi Bradley (7.8), Jaylen Key (7.7), Laytwan Porter (7.5), Eugene German (7.2), Justin Thomas (5.8) and Marshawn Wilson (5.7). 
• The Huskie defense is holding opponents to just 39.4 percent shooting from the field and NIU is outrebounding its opponents by 6.1 rebounds per contest (40.6-34.4). 
• NIU has made nearly as many free throws, 149, as its opponent have shot, 170, during the stretch; NIU's opponents are shooting just 60 percent from the line during the nine games.