NIU men’s basketball preview: Huskies at Ball State

Northern Illinois Huskies at Ball State Cardinals

Time: Noon Saturday, Worthen Arena, Muncie, Indiana

Media: ESPN+/WLBK 1360-AM

Records: Huskies (2-9 overall, 1-5 MAC); Cardinals (5-5, 3-2)

Last game: Darius Beane shook off a 2 for 11 night to make the winning shot for the Huskies in a 67-65 home win against Akron. ... The Cardinals were 88-64 winners against Bowling Green.

Last meeting: Ball State won earlier this season in DeKalb, 77-70, in overtime. It’s still the second-most points the Huskies have scored in a game this year.

Keep an eye on: Justin Lee had his first career double-double for the Huskies against the ZIps, going for 15 points and 11 rebounds after scoring four points combined all year. ... K.J. Walton scored 18 in the last matchup with the Huskies, just ahead of his team-leading 17.5 points per game average.

Also: Trendon Hankerson played all 40 minutes against the Zips, becoming the first Huskie to do so since Mike Brown at Central Michigan on March 3, 2001. ... The win Tuesday was the first for interim head coach Lamar Chapman, who took over on January 3.

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