NIU (14-11, 6-6 MAC) vs. Ball State (15-10, 6-6 MAC)
Date / Time: Tuesday, February 14, 2017 • 8 p.m. CT 
Site: NIU Convocation Center • DeKalb, Ill. 
TV: American Sports Network (available locally on CSN Chicago Plus -- full TV clearance list)
Radio: WLBK 1360-AM, 98.9-FM (DeKalb) • TuneIn
Live Stats: NIUHuskies.com 
All-time Series: Ball State leads 50-37
Last Meeting: March 4, 2016 • NIU 80-69

Huskie Quick Hits
• Aaric Armstead ranks 18th in NIU history in scoring (1,153 points), third in steals (144) and 10th in blocked shots (55). Armstead is also one of just nine active players in the country with 1,000 career points, 500 career rebounds and 140 career steals. 
• One of the elite big men in the MAC, Maric is one of just four players to rank in the top-20 in the league in scoring as well as the top-10 in rebounding and field goal percentage. Maric is currently averaging 13.4 points per game, 18th in the MAC. He is shooting 52.9 percent (126-of-238) from the field, ninth-best in the conference. 
• Levi Bradley scored a season-high 16 points last time out at Western Michigan; Bradley is averaging 10.2 points per game over the last nine games, shooting 49.3 percent (37-of-75) from the field and 35 percent (7-of-20) from three. 
• Maric has seven double-doubles this season, fourth-most in the MAC in that category. He has 21 career double-doubles, tied for 31st among active players in the country.
• Over the last five games, Armstead is averaging 12.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per contest, shooting 52.2 percent (24-of-46) from the field, including 47.4 percent (9-of-19) from three. 
• NIU has 64 wins over the last four seasons going back to the beginning of the 2013-14 campaign, tied for the second-best four-year stretch in program history. 
• NIU is 42-11 at home since Feb. 12, 2014 with a 9-5 home mark this season.
• The Huskies are the third-least experienced team in the MAC according to KenPom (1.39 years of experience per minute played). That mark is 280th in the country. Western Michigan is 290th at 1.31 and Miami is 324th at 1.12. 

About Ball State
• The Cardinals come to DeKalb with a 15-10 overall record, 6-6 in Mid-American Conference play. Ball State has dropped three-straight games but those losses have come against the teams with the three best records in the MAC (Buffalo, Akron and Ohio). 
• Two players are scoring in double figures for the Cardinals, led by 15.4 points per game from Tayler Persons; Franko House is averaging 13.2 points per contest. 
• Ball State ranks second in the MAC with 15.9 assists per game; Persons ranks third individually with 5.0 per contest. 
• In conference play, the Cardinals rank second in the MAC in both scoring (81.0 ppg) and free throw percentage (76.4 percent). 

All-time Series with the Cardinals
• Ball State leads the all-time series against NIU, 50-37, but the Huskies hold a 25-17 advantage all-time in DeKalb, including wins in each of the last three home meetings with the Cardinals.
• NIU has won five of the last six overall against Ball State, dating back to the 2013-14 season. Ball State's only win during that time was a 63-59 victory in Muncie last season (Feb. 19, 2016). 
• The Huskies claimed the most recent meeting in the series, 80-69, on March 4, 2016 in DeKalb. NIU tied a school-record with 14 triples in that contest. Five players scored in double figures, led by 14 points from Aaric Armstead and 13 from Levi Bradley. Marin Maric missed the contest due to injury.