A Season Lost, A Season Remembered

Empty. 

That was the prevailing feeling as a bus made its way across interstate 90 through Ohio and Indiana carrying the Northern Illinois University men’s basketball team last Thursday.  

Just hours before, the Huskies had conducted their 25-minute shootaround at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, full of hope and dreams about the potential of what the next three days held. Even in the early morning slot, the shootaround had been crisp. There was a laser-focus throughout the group as they prepared for a quarterfinal date later that afternoon against Miami. Shot after shot went in, it was as good of a shootaround as the Huskies had all season. After earning the program’s best seed since 2006, this group of Huskies was poised for big things in Cleveland.  

Shortly after noon eastern time, the excitement of what the weekend would hold was gone. The Mid-American Conference Tournament, and ultimately all tournaments, including “March Madness,” were cancelled due to COVID-19. It was the correct decision, the only decision really, but that doesn’t take away the heartbreak of missing out on what the final chapters of the 2019-20 Huskie men’s basketball season had in store. 

“We had an incredible year,” NIU head coach Mark Montgomery said looking back a week later. “We had two six game win streaks, one in the non-conference and one in conference, I thought we left a mark being co-champs of the MAC West (Division), finishing 11-7 and having a first-round bye to Cleveland. I’m happy and proud of the energy and the effort that our guys put in, on and off the court this season, it is going to be remembered for the long time.” 

Flashback one year prior, the seventh-seeded Huskies upset second-seeded Toledo in the MAC Tournament to reach the semifinals for the first time since 2003. In that semifinal, NIU nearly completed a remarkable comeback against Bowling Green before ultimately falling short. In defeat, the seeds for the 2019-20 season were sown.   

A group of returnees, led by a once-in-a-generation talent in Eugene German, had gotten a taste of their potential, and they wanted more.  

The non-conference slate may be remembered more for its near misses: a halftime lead at Iowa State, going toe-to-toe with Saint Mary’s for 35 minutes, a frustrating setback at Pittsburgh, but it prepared the Huskies for the 18-game MAC schedule that was still in front of them.  

As the calendar turned to 2020, NIU faced what was, on paper, the most difficult of conference starts, on the road at Buffalo. Not only were the Bulls the two-time defending conference champions, but Alumni Arena had been a house of horrors for the Huskies, who had not won in Buffalo since 2003. In what would be a prelude to the rest of conference play, this year was different. NIU jumped out to a nine-point halftime lead and pushed its advantage to as much as 14 in the second half. A late Buffalo run threatened to spoil the afternoon when the Bulls took a one-point lead in the final minute, but Trendon Hankerson coolly made two free throws with 20 seconds left to give NIU a 73-72 victory.  

After five conference games, the Huskies were just 2-3. With two of those losses coming by a total of three points, belief within the group remained high as they visited Kent State on a Tuesday night in mid-January. NIU fell behind early, trailing by 10 just seven minutes into the game, before the Huskies rallied to lead by eight at the half. Darius Beane – in just his second game in the starting lineup - German and Lacey James scoring in double figures, NIU claimed a seven-point road win over the Golden Flashes.  

The win was a spark. The Huskies won the next three at home, culminating on February 1 with a victory over Miami on national television. German scored 21 against the RedHawks and in the process became NIU’s all-time leading scorer and the first player in program history to score 2,000 career points. The victory also gave NIU a 6-3 mark at the midway point of league play, its best start to a conference season since 2002-03. 

Going back on the road, the Huskies earned a gritty win at Toledo before coming home to host Kent State in another nationally televised contest. Tied in the final minute, German made a free throw and freshman Tyler Cochran beat the press to convert a layup with 11 seconds left as the Huskies won, 57-54. It was NIU’s sixth consecutive victory, the longest MAC winning streak in program history.  

Following a couple of stumbles on the road, the Huskies returned home for a thrilling, 82-81 overtime victory over Central Michigan, avenging an earlier loss to the Chippewas. NIU trailed by four with less than a minute to go but the Huskies found a way to pull out the one-point victory. That was nothing compared to the drama three days later in Ypsilanti.  

You simply had to see it to believe it. NIU fell behind by 17 in the first half, only to pull level by halftime as Cochran and Zaire Mateen, who finished with five triples, caught fire from off the bench. Eastern Michigan led by as much as nine in the second half, and again trailed by four in the final minute, when it happened. Hankerson hit a three to cut the Eagles’ lead to one and when Eastern Michigan tried to go the length of the floor to ice it … turnover, pass ahead, German from deep!!! Huskies win, 73-71!!! 

NIU led for less than 10 seconds in the game. German’s triple, the 14th on the night for the Huskies, was number three on SportsCenter’s Top 10. If there was anything to be learned from that performance, it was to never count this team out.  

While a rally from down 18 at Western Michigan came up just short when the Broncos hit a triple in the final seconds, NIU next returned home to host Toledo with a chance to clinch a share of the MAC West title and earn a bye in the first round of the MAC Tournament. The Huskies left no doubt.  

The NIU defense suffocated Toledo in the first half, holding the Rockets to just 17 points. In the second half, the Huskies continued the onslaught, building a lead as large as 28 in a 71-50 victory.  

Although Senior Night for German, James and Noah McCarty didn’t go as planned, the Huskies began preparing for the new season … three days in Cleveland. 

Of course, the opportunity of those three days never came. We will never know what kind of shining moments were left for the 2019-20 NIU men’s basketball team, but we will always have the memories of what they did accomplish: the first win in Buffalo in 17 years, the six-game win streaks, that shot in Ypsilanti, winning a piece of the MAC West for the first time since 2006.  

“For the seniors, there will probably be a bad taste in their mouths because they were so excited and ready to play for the MAC Championship in Cleveland,” said Montgomery. “They should be proud of what they accomplished: an 18-win season, co-champs of the (MAC) West, and unbelievable dedication and togetherness. Their work for four years left a footprint that people will remember for a long time. Eugene German, first team all-conference, leading scorer in NIU history, top-five in MAC history. Lacey James, the double-doubles, the relentless defense. Noah McCarty, his headiness, his toughness. They all started as seniors, they have all had big moments, made big plays and big shots that will be remembered for a long time.”