DEKALB, Ill. -- The Northern Illinois University men's basketball team begins a stretch of eight games away from home on Thursday night, Nov. 17, when the Huskies travel to Georgia Tech. Game time against the Yellow Jackets is slated for 7 p.m. CT and will be available on the ACC Network, as well as 94-9 WDKB and The Varsity Network app. 

NIU picked up its first win of the season on Monday (Nov. 14) with a 99-73 victory over Purdue Northwest. Zarique Nutter (Newark, N.J./Clarendon College) scored a game-high 20 points to pace the Huskies, Keshawn Williams (Chicago Heights, Ill./Tulsa) added 14 while David Coit (Columbus, N.J./Atlantic Cape CC) chipped in 11 points. 

The 99 points scored by NIU were its most since a 100-59 victory over Chicago State on Dec. 22, 2018. The Huskies shot 60.6 percent (40-of-66) from the field; it was the first time NIU has shot better than 60 percent in a game since going 34-of-56 (60.7 percent) in a win over Western Illinois on Dec. 17, 2018.

Thursday's game starts a stretch that will see NIU travel approximately 16,000 miles before its next home game. NIU will play games in seven different states and in three different time zones before coming home to host Albany on Dec. 20. 

Georgia Tech comes into Thursday's matchup with a 2-0 record after winning at Georgia State, 59-57, on Saturday (Nov. 12). Three players are scoring in double figures for the Yellow Jackets, led by led by Miles Kelly and Dallan Coleman at 12.5 points per game. Lance Terry adds 10.0 points per contest while Jalon Moore is averaging 9.0 points and a team-best 8.0 rebounds per game.

This will be the first all-time meeting between NIU and Georgia Tech. The Huskies have played just 10 games all-time against current members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, with just three of those games, a Dec. 22, 2014, matchup with Notre Dame and games against Pittsburgh in 2019 and 2020, coming while the school was in the ACC.

NIU is playing its first game in the State of Georgia since opening the 2008-09 season at the 100 Club Classic in Kennesaw, Ga., where the Huskies fell to Maine before topping Western Illinois. 

Following Thursday's contest, the Huskies will travel to Fort Myers, Fla., where they will take on Sam Houston on Tuesday, Nov. 22, at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in the Palms Division of the Rocket Mortgage Fort Myers Tip-Off. Game time against the Bearkats is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT.