KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men's basketball team returns to University Arena at 7 pm on Tuesday night for its lone regular season contest against Northern Illinois. Fans can purchase tickets here. The game will also be streamed live on ESPN3 and the Bronco Media Network.

GAME INFO

Matchup: Western Michigan (4-16, 0-9 MAC) vs Northern Illinois (5-13, 2-6 MAC)

Date/Time: Tuesday, Feb. 1 – 7 pm

Site: University Arena (Kalamazoo, Mich.)

Tickets: wmubroncos.com/tickets

Radio: Bronco Media Network

Video: ESPN3

Live Stats: StatBroadcast

OPENING TIP

• Western Michigan takes a break from its stretch of five-of-six on the road to host Northern Illinois on Tuesday evening.
• The Broncos are coming off of an 83-72 setback at Ball State on Saturday. 
• Lamar Norman Jr. led WMU with 22 points, while B. Artis White poured in 21.
• Markeese Hastings and Mileek McMillan chipped in 10 points apiece, giving the Broncos four players in double-figures for the second time this season. 
• Hastings nearly had another double-double, as he secured nine rebounds.
• In conference games, Hastings is atop the MAC at 10.6 rebounds per game. 
• Tuesday's game marks the 98th all-time meeting between WMU and NIU.
• The Broncos own a 62-35 advantage in the series, and won last season's lone meeting, 73-63, in DeKalb, Ill. 
• WMU has dominated the Huskies at home, having won 14 straight and owning a 39-8 mark against NIU in Kalamazoo.

A BRIEF STOP AT HOME
Western Michigan takes a break from its stretch of five-of-six on the road on Tuesday evening as it welcomes Northern Illinois to Kalamazoo for the lone regular season meeting between the Broncos and Huskies. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos are coming off of an 83-72 loss at Ball State on Saturday. BSU raced out to a 17-2 edge in the early going, but a 15-0 run which spanned the end of the first half and continued into the second half gave Western Michigan a brief 49-46 lead. The Cardinals responded with a 12-2 run and staved off a WMU charge to seal the victory. Lamar Norman Jr. and B. Artis White paced the Broncos with 22 and 21 points, respectively. 

BALANCED ATTACK
Western Michigan had four players score in double-figures on Saturday, as Lamar Norman Jr. scored 22, B. Artis White had 21 and Markeese Hastings and Mileek McMillan chipped in 10 points apiece. It was the second time this season two Broncos scored in double-figures, as Norman (24), Mack Smith (16), Hastings (10) and Titus Wright (10) all scored 10+ on Nov. 26 at Florida Gulf Coast.

WMU VS NIU
Tuesday's game is set to be the 98th all-time meeting between Western Michigan and Northern Illinois. The Broncos own a 62-35 advantage in the series, and won last season's lone meeting, 73-63, in DeKalb, Ill. WMU has been especially dominant at home against NIU, boasting a 39-8 mark against the Huskies in Kalamazoo. The Broncos have emerged victorious the last 14 times they have faced the Huskies at University Arena.

WHEN LAST WE MET
In the lone meeting between the two teams last season, Western Michigan knocked off Northern Illinois, 73-63, on March 2, 2021, in DeKalb. All five starters scored in double-figures for the Broncos, led by B. Artis White, who netted 15 points on five-of-six from beyond the arc. As a team, Western Michigan connected on 53.2 percent (25-of-47) from the field, and hit a season-high 52.4 percent (11-of-21) of its three-point attempts.  

SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
Northern Illinois arrives in Kalamazoo on a five-game slide, with its most recent defeat a 69-63 setback on Saturday against Central Michigan. Keshawn Williams leads the Huskies in scoring at 15.8 points per game, which ranks ninth in the MAC. In league play, Williams has upped his scoring average to 18.4, seventh-highest in the conference. Kaleb Thornton is second in league play in assists, handing out 4.9 per conference contest. 

SCORIN' NORMAN
Western Michigan newcomer Lamar Norman Jr. ranks third in the MAC at 19.6 points per game, and sits second in the conference in league play at 21.8 points per contest. With his 22 points at Ball State, the junior extended his streak of double-digit scoring games to 17 in a row. Norman has scored 20+ points in six of the eight conference games he's played in, and he has 10 total games of 20 or more points, second-most in the conference. He currently leads the league and is 12th in the country with 3.3 made three-pointers per game. 

MAKING HIS MARK
Fellow newcomer Markeese Hastings ranks in the top-10 of the conference in several categories as well, including rebounding (2nd, 8.6), offensive rebounding (3rd, 3.2), defensive rebounding (4th, 5.4) and field goal percentage (T-6th, .500). In MAC play, Hastings is leading the conference at 10.6 rebounds per game and his 18 rebounds at Toledo on Dec. 29 remains the highest single-game total by a MAC player this season.

CHASING 1500
Coming into Tuesday's game against NIU, WMU senior guard Mack Smith sits on 1490 career points, 10 shy of 1500. The Eastern Illinois transfer is currently tied for 93rd on the NCAA DI active scoring leaders list.

349 AND COUNTING
WMU has made at least one three-pointer in 349 straight games dating back to 2011. 

ON THE HORIZON
WMU begins a three-game road trip on Thursday night at Central Michigan.