DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University men's basketball team will tip-off the 2017-18 season on Tuesday, Nov. 14, as the Huskies host Green Bay. Game time against the Phoenix is scheduled for 7 p.m., at the NIU Convocation Center and the game will be available on ESPN3.
The matchup with the Phoenix will be the first of two games in three days for the Huskies. As previously announced on Monday, NIU's rescheduled contest from last Friday (Nov. 10) against St. Francis (Ill.) will now take place on Thursday night, Nov. 16.
NIU will be looking for its fourth consecutive win in season openers, last season the Huskies outlasted Indiana State, 80-78, in overtime (Nov. 11, 2016).
Levi Bradley (Milwaukee, Wis./Pius XI) scored 14 points in the opener last season while
Jaylen Key (Milwaukee, Wis./Homestead) added a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. All-time in season openers against intercollegiate foes, the Huskies are 63-49.
The Phoenix will be playing their season opener when they travel to DeKalb. Green Bay has played a pair of exhibitions, defeating Ripon, 100-70, on Oct. 30, while also falling to Minnesota in a charity exhibition, 115-86, on Nov. 5. Green Bay posted an 18-14 record a season ago, including a 12-6 mark in Horizon League play, finishing third in the conference. Khalil Small is the leading returning scorer for the Phoenix after averaging 10.1 points per game a season ago. Small was named to the Horizon League All-Defensive Team and led the Phoenix in minutes played, averaging 28.0 per contest.
Tuesday's contest will be the 30th all-time meeting between the Huskies and Phoenix. The once familiar foes were members of the Mid-Continent Conference together from 1990-94 and the Midwestern Collegiate Conference from 1994-97, but have not met on the basketball court since 2007.
Following its two home games this week, NIU will travel south to the Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Fla. The Huskies will open the tournament on Monday, Nov. 20, against the University of Pennsylvania. Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT.
