DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University men’s basketball team will visit Buffalo on Saturday, Jan. 7, at 11 a.m. CT at Alumni Arena. The matchup with the Bulls, which will close a stretch of 11-of-12 games away from home, will be available on ESPN+ as well as 94-9 WDKB and The Varsity Network app.
Saturday’s contest is the second-straight road game to begin conference play for the Huskies. Zarique Nutter (Newark, N.J.) led the way with 11 points and nine rebounds in the league opener at Akron.
Keshawn Williams (Chicago Heights, Ill.) also scored in double figures against the Zips, netting 10 points, his 12th game in double figures this season. Williams leads NIU, and is tied for fourth in the MAC, in scoring at 18.8 points per game. He is also one of just two players in the conference, along with Bowling Green’s Leon Ayers III, to rank in the top-25 in scoring, rebounding, assists, field goal percentage, three-point percentage and free throw percentage.
David Coit (Columbus, N.J.) is averaging 16.3 points per game over the last three contests, shooting 51.6 percent (16-of-31) from the floor. The trio of Williams, Coit and Nutter have combined to score 61.4 percent of NIU’s points this season.
Buffalo brings a 7-7 overall record into the matchup with the Huskies, including a 1-0 mark in league play after topping Ohio, 75-72, in the league opener. Three players score in double figures for the Bulls, led by Curtis Jones at 14.9 points per contest. Yazid Powell adds 12.7 points per game and Isaiah Adams is averaging 10.6 points per contest.
The Bulls, who are 6-1 at home this season, top the MAC, and rank sixth nationally, in fastbreak points with 17.8 per game. Buffalo is also second in the MAC, and 35th in the country, with 9.0 steals per contest.
The Huskies and Bulls have split their last six meetings overall, with Buffalo sweeping a pair of contests last season.
