THE NEED TO KNOWS
No. 4 NIU (19-11) vs No. 5 Ohio (22-8)
Tipoff: Wednesday, March 8, 1:30 p.m. (approx.)
Video: ESPN3
Radio: WLBK 98.9 FM/1360 AM
Live Stats: MAC-Sports.com

MATCHUP DETAILS
NIU and Ohio are tied in the series, 17-17

FREE THROWS
• The Bobcats defeated Eastern Michigan in the First Round of the tournament Monday night in Athens, 63-49.
• The Huskies won the three-way tiebreaker over Ohio and Toledo by posting a combined 2-1 record  versus the two foes to earn a bye to Cleveland as the No. 4 seed.
• With the exception of Monday's first round games, the Mid-American Conference Tournament will take place at Quicken Loans Arena in Downtown Cleveland. • NIU is No. 5 in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 86.1 points per game, and have scored at least 90 points 10 times.
• The Huskies were a combined 3-0 versus Ohio and Eastern Michigan this season.
• NIU's fourth-place finish tied the program record for highest MAC finish and punched the team's first ticket to Cleveland since 2014. The Huskies last won a tournament game in Cleveland in 2012.
• In its previous eight trips to Cleveland since 2000, Northern Illinois University has made three appearances in the semifinals, last advancing in 2007.
• The Huskies are the only team in the country with five players averaging 10-or-more points per game.
• NIU's victory against the Eagles on Feb. 25 set the program record for MAC wins in a season.
• NIU has overcome deficits of 10-points or larger four times this season and nine times in the last four years, the highest total by a four-year class at NIU in the last 12 years. • The Huskies scoring average is currently the fourth-best in Mid-American Conference history and highest clip since Toledo averaged 83.6 in 1996-97.

PURCHASE TICKETS TODAY
• Tickets will be available online through www.niuhuskies.com on Monday, March 6th. Fans can also call 815-753-PACK (7225) or stop by the NIU Convocation Center ticket office during normal business hours (M-F, 9 am - 5 pm) to purchase tickets starting on Monday as well.
• Tickets in NIU's reserved seating block will be $10 per session. All other General Admission seating at Quicken Loans Arena is $10 per session as well, and can be purchased at the Quicken Loans Arena box office. • Students of Mid-American Conference institutions receive free admission with a valid student ID card.

TOP-FOUR HISTORY
• The Huskies top-four finish in the Mid-American Conference was its fourth all-time and its first since 2009 under former Head Coach Carol Owens.
• NIU's finish punches its ticket to Cleveland where it will play its first game at Quicken Loans Arena since 2014.
• It is tied for the highest finish by Northern Illinois University as a MAC member while its 12 #MACtion wins are its most ever.
• In their other conference affiliations - the Mid-Continent, Midwestern and the North Star Conferences - the Huskies finished in the top-four eight times.
• In six of those seasons, NIU advanced to the tournament championship and went 4-2 in the final.
• In NIU's other fourth-place finishes, Jane Albright's 11-7 team in 1984-85 paved the way for a No. 4 seed in the MAC Tournament. The Huskies first accomplished the feat in 1983-84 under Cherri Block.

THE LONE RANGER
• Of Northern Illinois University's 11 players that will be suited up in Cleveland, only one of them - Ally Lehman - has ever played at Quicken Loans Arena.
• As a freshman, Lehman played 35 minutes and recorded just the seventh 10-point game in the season finale against Ball State on March 12, 2014. NIU fell to the Cardinals, 61-47.
• Foreshadowing what would become a staple in her style of play, the Nineveh, Ind., native also recorded five rebounds and four assists with zero turnovers in the game.
• NIU reached "The Q" after defeating Eastern Michigan in Ypsilanti in the first round of play on March 10 as sophomore Alexis Lindstrom set a single-game MAC Tournament record with nine three-pointers in 11 attempts to score 31 points. 
• The Huskies defeated the Eagles, 81-76, and drove straight to Cleveland through the night.

BELIEVELAND
• All-time, NIU has made eight appearances in Cleveland since the MAC began hosting in the home of the Cavaliers in 2000.
• The Huskies boast a 5-8 record in the arena, last winning in 2012 versus Akron as Kim Davis registered a putback with 15 seconds left in regulation to help NIU past Akron, 61-60.
• Of their eight previous trips to "The Land," three of those have resulted in semifinal appearances (2001, 2002, 2007), falling to Ball State in their last two appearances. The Huskies lost to Toledo in their first appearance in 2001.
• Five of Northern Illinois' losses have been to teams that appeared in the MAC Tournament Championship with two of those teams winning it all.
• All of NIU's MAC Tournament box scores can be found, starting on page 41.

SHOOTING BACK ON TRACK
• Saturday at Western Michigan, NIU closed the afternoon with a .431 shooting percentage as it went 25-for-58.
• In its previous three losses, the Huskies failed to shoot 40 percent from the field as it shot at volume to make up their deficit.
• Though it trailed the entire the second half, NIU went 8-of-14 from the field in the third quarter which also included a 4-for-7 tally behind the three-point arc.
• The Huskies last shot over 40 percent in a loss on Feb. 8 at the NIU Convocation Center to Central Michigan when they were 34-for-78 for a .436 clip.

WHAT A WEEK
• Ally Lehman finished the regular season with an impressive stat line, finishing just one assist shy of averaging a triple-double on the week. 
• The Nineveh, Ind., native recorded 22.5 points, 11 rebounds and 9.5 assists versus Toledo and Western Michigan, recording a double-double in each outing.
• On Senior Night against the Rockets, Lehman was one assist shy of her third triple-double as she registered 31 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists.
• She followed up with a 14-point and 10-assist effort at WMU, crashing six boards as well. It was her 17th double-double of the season, setting a new NIU record.
• Lehman was named Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week for the sixth time for her efforts.

THIS WEEK'S RECORD WATCH
• Ally Lehman is 11 helpers short of tying the program's all-time assist mark at 526 and just 10 shy of matching the single-season record.
• On the glass, Lehman is 36 rebounds short of 1,000 in her career and could become just the fourth player in NCAA Division I history 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists in a career.
• She is the only player in MAC history with 1,000 points, 900 rebounds and 500 helpers.
• Courtney Woods is six three-pointers away from reaching the century mark and becoming the sixth player in conference history to reach the mark in that category.
• The Brisbane, Australia native is eight points away from 500 and 57 away from passing NIU's single-season scoring record by a sophomore.
• As a team, NIU is 10 three-pointers shy of setting a new mark in three-point field goals in a season. 

UNPARALLELED EFFICIENCY AT THE LINE
• All season, Northern Illinois has posted marksman like efficiency at the free throw line, shooting over 80 percent 16 times.
• Ranked seventh nationally, NIU has made 478 shots from the free throw line, 88 makes behind the national leader and MAC foe Kent State.
• However, amongst opponents ranked in the top-10, the Huskies have attempted at least 50 fewer shots at the charity stripe and are the only team with fewer than 650 attempts.
• NIU's 78.6 clip at the line puts them at seventh nationally in free throw percentage while its 608 attempts are 37th most in the NCAA this season.

AND THAT'S WHY THEY ATTACK
• There's a reason why the Huskies attack the basket so often and the free-throw line is a large part of that system as they average 16.5 points per game at the charity stripe.
• NIU proved that on Saturday afternoon as it found itself trailing by 18 in the third quarter.
• After drawing 11 fouls, the Huskies went to the line 12 times and made 10 attempts. After the Broncos loosened its defensive grip, NIU shot 8-of-14 from the field and closed the gap to seven points at the end of the frame.
• Northern Illinois University is 13-3 when attempting 20-or-more free throw attempts.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
• OU is one of five times in the MAC with 20+ wins this season with a 22-8 record, including a 12-6 record. • Ohio defeated Eastern Michigan Monday in the first round of the tournament, 63-49. • Quiera Lampkins is the lone Bobcat scoring in double figures with 19.9 points per game. The senior scored 31 points in the Bobcat win versus Eastern Michigan. • She earned Second Team All-MAC honors on Tuesday while forward Jasmine Weatherspoon was named to the All-Defense Team and Amani Burke was selected to the MAC All-Freshman Team. • Ohio split this season with the Eagles and Huskies with a 1-1 record. • NIU went a flawless 3-0 versus Eastern Michigan and OU this season, two of which came on the Huskies home floor.

WHEN LAST THEY MET
• In just the third conference game of the season, NIU defeated Ohio at home, 88-80, leading by as much as 17 in the game and by 11 at halftime. • Five different Huskies and six different Bobcats scored in double figures. Cassidy Glenn led all scorers with 24 points. • In just her eighth collegiate appearance, Abby Woollacott pulled down 10 rebounds, while Ally Lehman recorded 13 points and 10 rebounds for her 10th double-double of the season.

LOOKING AHEAD
• If the Huskies win on Wednesday, they would play in Friday's semifinal, potentially meeting regular season champion Central Michigan. Tipoff is scheduled for 10 a.m. Central.
• The Mid-American Conference Championship is slated for Saturday, March 11 with a 10 a.m. Central tipoff. The game will air live on CBS Sports Network.
• The NCAA Selection Show will air live on ESPN at 6 p.m. Central on Monday, March 13.
• If NIU does not advance to The Big Dance, the Huskies could earn a berth to the WNIT, which also be announced next Monday.