Preview: Northern Illinois Huskies at Ohio Bobcats ATHENS, Ohio (Interstat) — The Ohio Bobcats look to get back to .500 in Mid-American Conference play when they host the struggling Northern Illinois Huskies on Tuesday night at the Convocation Center. Ohio (9-9 overall) sits at 3-3 in the MAC following a 76-71 road loss at Ball State last Friday. The Bobcats have shown resilience, with three of their conference wins coming by three points or fewer, including a 68-67 victory at Eastern Michigan on Jan. 3. Northern Illinois (6-11) enters with a 1-5 MAC record but is coming off its first conference win, a 70-68 home victory over Massachusetts on Saturday. Prior to that, the Huskies had dropped five straight games. The matchup features two of the league’s top scorers. Northern Illinois guard Makhai Valentine is averaging 21.3 points over his last four games, including a 27-point performance in the win over UMass. For Ohio, forward Aidan Hadaway has been a consistent force, posting a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds in a Dec. 30 win at Central Michigan and scoring 22 in the recent loss to Ball State. Ohio holds a distinct home-court advantage, having gone 7-2 in Athens this season. Northern Illinois is 1-7 in true road games, with its lone win coming at Elon in non-conference play. The Bobcats won both meetings last season. In their most recent matchup, Ohio secured a 76-69 victory in DeKalb on Feb. 24, 2025. Tuesday’s contest is the first of a regular-season series, with the rematch scheduled for Feb. 21 at Northern Illinois. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. EST.