DEKALB, Ill. -- The Northern Illinois University men's basketball team will host Buffalo on Tuesday night, Feb. 11, at the NIU Convocation Center. Tipoff against the Bulls is slated for 6 p.m. and will be available on ESPN+ and WDKB 94-9 FM.

Tuesday's contest is NIU's Black History Month celebration and tickets are on sale now at NIUHuskies.com/tickets or by calling the NIU Athletics Ticket Office at (815) 753-PACK (7225).

After stepping out of conference for the MAC/Sun Belt Challenge this past Saturday, the Huskies return to league play on Tuesday as the Bulls are the only conference foe NIU has yet to face this season. 

James Dent Jr. (Springfield, Ill./Springfield Southeast) is the only player in the MAC to rank in the top-20 in the conference in scoring, rebounding and assists. Dent is ranked 16th in the MAC in scoring (13.7 ppg), tied for 15th in rebounding (5.5 rpg) and tied for 15th in assists (2.8 apg).

Quentin Jones (Chicago, Ill./Marian Catholic) leads the Huskies in scoring, and ranks second in the MAC, at 16.3 points per contest. Jones has scored in double figures a team-high 20 times, including seven games of 20-plus points.

The Bulls bring a 7-16 overall record into Tuesday's game, including a 2-8 mark in league play. Buffalo fell to Georgia State, 80-75, on Saturday (Feb. 8) in the MAC/Sun Belt Challenge. Two players score in double figures for the Bulls, led by 15.7 points per game from Ryan Sabol. Tyson Dunn adds 12.5 points per contest.

NIU swept the season series against the Bulls last season, earning a 72-68 victory in DeKalb (Feb. 13, 2024) and a 78-68 win in Buffalo (March 8, 2024). The Bulls leads the all-time series against NIU, 25-18, but the Huskies have a 10-9 edge all-time against the Bulls in DeKalb.

Following tomorrow's game, NIU will head back on the road for its next two as the Huskies travel to Ball State (Feb. 15) and Akron (Feb. 18).