Last Place Huskies Come to the Stroh MBB

So, next up for the BG MBB team is the NIU Huskies...the only team in the MAC with a worse record than BG has.

On their way out of the MAC, the Huskies are having a tough year.  Picked for 9th by Blue Ribbon, they have also struggled with injuries.  They are 2-16 in D1 games and 1-8 in the MAC.  Their current kempom is 348 (out of 364)...they have beaten Ball State in the MAC.  However, they pushed UT to the very end in DeKalb Saturday.  They are 0-11 on the road this year.  BG has beaten NIU in 8 of the last 10 games.

BG is a 6.5 point favorite.

They play at 71 possessions, which is average. 

NIU is actually not terrible on defense.  They are #7 in the MAC and ahead of BG, slightly.  They really struggle on offense, although their marginals are not as bad as their overall numbers area. 

They take 47% of their FGAs from 3FG, which is a large number.  They are efficient, too, making 47%.  They are dead last on 2FGS...making 44%, about 3% below the 11th team, which is BG. They take really good care of the ball, as well. However, they are completely terrible on the offensive boards, getting only 18%, which is 7% behind the next lowest team. They get to the line OK, but they are last in FT% as well.  FWIW, BG is last defending the 2FG, so that should be an interesting matchup.  BG is #7 defending the 3FG.

BG is #11 in shooting.  NIU is last defending the 3FG but #5 against the 2FG.  They do force some turnovers, but they are terrible on the defensive boards as well.  Results would suggest that BG will get to the line a lot, especially if they are battling on the boards.

The leading scorer is James Dent, who is 6'5" and scoring 16 PPG on 51% and 32% shooting.  He's played 91% of their minutes, #3 in the MAC.  He gets to the line a lot and makes 70%.  He also averages 5.4 RPG.  He's a transfer from Western Illinois.  

Quentin Jones is scoring 15.4 PPG on 49% and 39% shooting. He's 6'5" and averages 4.8 RPG.  He 4.5 APR and 11 steals.  He has played 95% of their minutes, #1 in the MAC.  He transferred from Cal-Poly.

Quaran McPherson is scoring 13.6 PPG. He's shooting 47% and 37%.  He leads the MAC in drawing fouls at 7 per game. He transferred from Nebraska.

So here we go.  BG has two winnable games this week and certainly could use a W to lift the morale after 5 straight losses.