DEKALB, Ill. – Following a nine-day break for finals, the Northern Illinois University men's basketball team returns to the court on Monday night, Dec. 18, as the Huskies host Calumet College at 7:30 p.m. at the NIU Convocation Center. The contest is the second game of a Huskie basketball doubleheader as the NIU women's basketball team faces Eastern Illinois at 5 p.m. 

Last time out, NIU (5-4) fell at the buzzer at Monmouth, 74-71. Xavier Amos (Chicago, Ill./Whitney Young) recorded his first career double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds against the Hawks. Amos, who is averaging 18.4 points and 7.2 rebounds over the last five contests, is ranked 43rd in the nation in field goal percentage, shooting 48.4 percent from the floor.

As a team, NIU currently ranks 14th in the country in free throw attempts per game, going to the line 26.4 times per contest. The Huskies are also 17th in blocked shots, recording 5.6 per contest, and 35th in free throws made, averaging 17.1 per game. 

David Coit (Columbus, N.J./Atlantic Cape CC), who has scored in double figures in all nine games this season, is ranked fourth in the Mid-American Conference, and 71st nationally, with 18.3 points per game. He leads the league in free throw percentage, shooting 92.1 percent, which ranks 23rd in the country, and three-point field goals per game (2.9), where he ranks 49th in the nation. 

Calumet College brings a 3-8 record into Monday's matchup, which includes a 1-4 mark in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC). The Crimson Wave earned an 83-53 win over Holy Cross College (Ind.) last time out (Dec. 16). Reginald Loury leads the Crimson Wave in scoring at 9.6 points per game. Floyd Davis adds 8.7 points, and a team-best 7.1 rebounds per contest. Davis is also averaging a team-high 4.5 assists per game.

This will be the first all-time meeting between NIU and Calumet College and NIU's ninth contest against a current member of the CCAC. 

Following Monday's contest, NIU will host Northern Iowa on Thursday, Dec. 21, at 7 p.m. Thursday's game is the first game in the "Holidays with the Huskies" mini-plan where fans can receive tickets for the NIU men's basketball games on Dec. 21 and Jan. 2, as well as the NIU women's basketball games on Dec. 30, Jan. 3 and Jan. 6, for just $25.