No. 9 NIU (15-16, 7-11 MAC) at No. 8 Eastern Michigan (15-16, 7-11 MAC)
Date / Time: Monday, March 6, 2017 • 6 p.m. CT (7 p.m. ET) 
Site: EMU Convocation Center • Ypsilanti, Mich. 
TV: ESPN3
Radio: WLBK 1360-AM, 98.9-FM (DeKalb) • TuneIn
Live Stats: EMUEagles.com 
All-time Series: NIU leads 53-40
Last Meeting: Feb. 25, 2017 • EMU 84-68

Huskie Quick Hits
• NIU and Eastern Michigan will be meeting for the fifth time in the MAC Tournament, and the first time since 2014, when the Eagles defeated the Huskies, 53-48, in Cleveland.
• NIU is seeded ninth in the MAC Tournament for the second time, and the first since 2002. That season, the Huskies fell at Marshall, 97-93, in the first round. 
• Maric has recorded a double-double in each of the last five games and is averaging 18.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per contest during that stretch, shooting 76.1 percent (35-of-46) from the field and 72.7 percent (24-of-33) from the free-throw line. 
• NIU is 11-21 all-time in the MAC Tournament. The Huskies have won the tournament once (1982), appeared in the championship game twice (1981 and '82) and reached the semifinals four times (1980. '81, '82 and 2003).
• Aaric Armstead is one of just five active players in the country with 1,000 career points, 600 career rebounds and 150 career steals. The rest of the list includes: Tim Coleman (NJIT), Josh Hart (Villanova), QJ Peterson (VMI) and Sindarius Thornwell (South Carolina). Armstead ranks 16th in NIU history with 1,181 points and third with 150 steals. 
• Over the last seven games, Eugene German is averaging 18.0 points per game, shooting 52.7 percent (49-of-93) from the field.
• In conference play, Austin Pauga is seventh in the MAC, shooting 42.9 percent (18-of-42) from three-point range. 
• NIU has 65 wins over the last four seasons going back to the beginning of the 2013-14 campaign, the second-best four-year stretch in program history. 

About Eastern Michigan
• Eighth-seeded Eastern Michigan enters the postseason with a 15-16 overall record, including a 7-11 mark in Mid-American Conference play. The Eagles are 9-6 at home this season.  
• Willie Mangum IV leads four players scoring in double figures for Eastern Michigan at 16.0 points per game. Ray Lee averages 15.5 points per contest while James Thompson IV averages 14.5 points and Ty Toney scores 10.1 points per game. 
• Eastern Michigan leads the MAC with 4.5 blocks per game. The Eagles also lead the conference with 9.8 steals per contest and with a +4.3 turnover margin. 

All-time Series with the Eagles
• NIU leads the all-time series with Eastern Michigan, 53-40, but the Eagles hold a 26-21 edge all-time in Ypsilanti. 
• The Huskies and Eagles split their first two meetings of the season, with each team winning at home. NIU claimed an 81-69 victory on Feb. 4, 2017 in DeKalb while Eastern Michigan downed NIU, 84-68, on Feb. 25, 2017 in Ypsilanti. 
• The home team has won four-straight overall in the series, dating back to the 2014-15 season when Eastern Michigan swept the home-and-home.
• NIU and Eastern Michigan will be meeting for the fifth time in the MAC Tournament, and the first time since 2014, when the Eagles defeated the Huskies, 53-48, in Cleveland.
• The Huskies and Eagles have met in the MAC Tournament three times in Ypsilanti. Eastern Michigan earned first round victories in the meetings in 2010 and 2013, while the Huskies claimed a road upset victory in 2012. 

Huskies in the MAC Tournament
• NIU is seeded ninth in the Mid-American Conference Tournament and will open at eighth-seeded Eastern Michigan. The Huskies and Eagles are meeting for the fifth time in the MAC Tournament, and the fourth time in six seasons. 
• NIU is 11-21 all-time in the MAC Tournament. The Huskies have won the tournament once (1982), appeared in the championship game twice (1981 and '82) and reached the semifinals four times (1980. '81, '82 and 2003).
• Since returning to the MAC for the 1997-98 season, NIU is 5-17 in the conference tournament. Under Mark Montgomery, the Huskies are 3-5 in conference tournament play. 
• Prior to Montgomery's arrival for the 2011-12 season, NIU had lost nine consecutive MAC Tournament games.