Under the Radar Game of the Day: Northern Illinois at Toledo, 7:00 PM Eastern, espn3
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The UTR Game of the Day heads to Ohio tonight for a MAC West Division regular season matchup between the Northern Illinois Huskies and the Toledo Rockets. 10 of the MAC’s 12 members currently sit at .500 or better overall, making for what appears to be an exciting conference race all season long. Even further proof is that two games into conference play, only Akron and Northern Illinois remain undefeated in league play. Northern Illinois enters the game tonight with an overall record of 13-2, 2-0 in the MAC. The Huskies’ record is truly amazing when you realize that this team failed to win more than 10 games in a season from 2007-2013, a seven year stretch where the program was among the worst in all of D1. They improved each of the last two years, winning 15 and 14 games, but both seasons ended with losing records again. Four more wins this season will guarantee a winning record, something that should happen absent a complete meltdown. Perhaps one of the biggest reasons for the team’s success this season has been the play of redshirt sophomore Marin Maric. Maric has scored in double figures in 11 straight games and has posted a double-double four of the last six times out.
The Toledo Rockets enter play today with an overall record of 10-5, 1-1 in early MAC play. They have their own deadly force to contend with, as senior Nathan Boothe is one of the top players in the MAC. He has already topped to 20-point mark five times this season and has recorded 5 double-doubles and one triple-double (12 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists against San Jose State). Toledo has struggled away from home so far this year, picking up 4 of their 5 losses on the road. However, they have only been beaten at home once (by Oakland). The MAC is a conference known, at least by the UTR guys, as a very difficult place too pick up road wins. Therefore, if NIU can come to Toledo and score the victory tonight, despite the overall records, we would consider it an upset that would message sent to the rest of the conference that the Huskies intend to compete for more than just a winning record.