DEKALB, Ill. -- The Northern Illinois University men's basketball team will close non-conference play on Saturday, December 29, as the Huskies travel to East Lansing, Mich., to meet No. 8/7 Michigan State. Game time against the Spartans is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT and will be televised on Big Ten Network.

Saturday's contest will be a homecoming for NIU head coach Mark Montgomery who played for Jud Heathcote at Michigan State from 1988-92 and was a member of Tom Izzo's staff with the Spartans for 10 seasons from 2001-11. As a player, Montgomery ranks fourth in Michigan State history in career steals (168) and sixth in career assists (561) while, as a coach, he helped the Spartans to three Final Fours (2005, '09, '10).

Montgomery's Huskies will head to East Lansing with a 7-5 overall record a week after routing Chicago State, 100-59, in their final game before the Christmas break (Dec. 22). NIU tied a school record with 14 three-point field goals against the Cougars as seven different players made a triple in the contest.

NIU continues to rank among the nation's best in field goal percentage as it is currently third, shooting 52.3 percent, trailing only Gonzaga (53.3 percent) and Indiana (52.9 percent). The Huskies also rank third in the Mid-American Conference, and 36th nationally, in three-point shooting percentage at 38.7 percent.

Junior Eugene German (Gary, Ind./21st Century Charter) is averaging 21.0 points per game, which ranks first in the MAC and 27th nationally; German has scored in double figures in 44 consecutive games and also ranks 15th in the MAC with 3.0 assists per game.

Senior Levi Bradley (Milwaukee, Wis./Pius XI) ranks ninth in the MAC in scoring at 16.4 points per game and 11th in rebounding at 7.0 boards per contest. Bradley is also tied for second in the league in three-point percentage (50 percent) and ranks sixth in field goal percentage (58.6 percent).

Seniors Dante Thorpe (Washington, D.C./Triton College) and Jaylen Key (Milwaukee, Wis./Homestead) have also been important contributors in recent games for NIU. Thorpe is averaging 15.0 points per game over the last three contests, shooting 58.1 percent, while Key is shooting 72.2 percent (13-of-18) from the field in the last four games.

The Spartans return from their Holiday break with a 10-2 overall record, including a 2-0 mark in Big Ten Conference play. Michigan State is ranked eighth in this week's Associated Press poll and seventh in the USA Today Coaches poll. The Spartans have three players scoring in double figures, led by Cassius Winston at 16.9 points per game. Nick Ward adds 16.5 points per contest and Joshua Langford chips in 16.0 points per game.

Michigan State leads the nation averaging 21.0 assists per game, led by 7.5 per contest from Cassius Winston. The Spartans are also sixth in rebounds per game (43.8), seventh in field goal defense (37.4 percent) and assist/turnover ratio (1.65), eighth in rebounding margin (+11.4) and ninth in points per game (87.6).

Following Saturday's contest, the Huskies will begin MAC play with a pair of road games, starting at Ohio on Saturday, January 5. Tipoff against the Bobcats is scheduled for 1 p.m., and will be available on ESPN3.