DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University men's basketball team opens the 2024-25 regular season on Monday night, Nov. 4, as the Huskies travel to Statesboro, Ga., to face Georgia Southern in the MAC/Sun Belt Challenge. Tipoff against the Eagles is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT and will be available on ESPN+, as well as 94-9 WDKB.
Monday's contest will mark the third consecutive year that NIU has played in the State of Georgia. In 2022-23, the Huskies played at Georgia Tech while last season the Huskies defeated Little Rock and Georgia State in Atlanta at the Capitol Challenge.
Ethan Butler (Toronto, Ontario/Southwest Academy) is the leading returning scorer for the Huskies, Bulter averaged 7.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game over the final seven games of last season, starting six of those contests.
NIU welcomes eight scholarship newcomers in 2024-25. The incoming class combined to score 58 points per game at the college level last season (all levels), including 180 made three-point field goals. Group includes 172 games of Division I experience with 92 starts and five NCAA Tournament games played.
Joe Munden Jr. (Harlem, N.Y./ Monsignor Scanlan) joins from Fairleigh Dickinson, where he played 102 games, including 58 starts. Last year he averaged 10.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
James Dent Jr. (Springfield, Ill./Southeast) averaged 10.7 points per game last season at Western Illinois while
Quentin Jones (Chicago, Ill./Marian Catholic) made 31 starts last season at Cal Poly, averaging 9.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 40.2 percent from three-point range.
This season marks the second year of the MAC/Sun Belt Challenge. Last year, NIU defeated App State in DeKalb in November before falling at South Alabama in February. NIU will host a Sun Belt opponent on Feb. 8, this season, with matchups to be determined in January.
The Eagles recorded a 9-24 mark a season ago, including an 8-10 record in conference play. Georgia Southern tied for seventh in the Sun Belt standings and was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament by App State, 85-80, in overtime.
Georgia Southern was picked in a tie for eighth with Old Dominion in the 2024-25 Sun Belt Preseason Coaches Poll, Eren Banks is the leading returning scorer for the Eagles, Banks averaged 10.2 points per game a season ago.
Monday's contest is the third all-time meeting between NIU and Georgia Southern, but the first played on either campus. The Huskies and Eagles met in Miami, Fla. In 1998, a NIU victory, and in Des Moines, Iowa in 2006, a Georgia Southern win.
NIU will return home on Thursday, Nov. 7, when the Huskies host Holy Cross (Ind.). Tipoff against the Saint is scheduled for 6 p.m. Please note the new, earlier start time for Huskie men's basketball weeknight home games.
Season tickets for Huskie basketball are on sale now at NIUHuskies.com and by calling the NIU Athletics Tickets Office at (815) 753-PACK (7225). Men's basketball season tickets start at just $105 for general admission tickets in sections 106-109 (lower bowl baseline) with reserved seats available for just $120.
Premium experience tickets are also available for Huskie Basketball, including courtside season tickets. Huskie men's basketball courtside tickets are $870, which includes the cost of a season ticket plus a $750 per seat license, Nelson Suite season tickets for NIU men's basketball are also available for $620. Season passes for the Huskie Athletic Fund Victory Pub are also available. Membership in the Victory Pub provides access to a premium buffet and one complimentary drink per game, as well as access to a premium cash bar. Season passes for the Victory Pub are $100 for men's or women's basketball, with a combo season pass for both men's and women's basketball available for just $150.
For information on suites and all premium experience areas, contact the Huskie Athletic Fund at 815-753-1923 or HuskieAthleticFund@niu.edu.
