The 2009–10 Northern Illinois Huskies

Northern Illinois Huskies

The Northern Illinois Huskies are the athletic teams that represent Northern Illinois University. The Huskies are a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and the Mid-American Conference...

 basketball team

Northern Illinois Huskies men's basketball

The Northern Illinois Huskies Basketball team is the basketball team that represent Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois. The school's team currently competes in the Mid-American Conference. The team last played in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament in 1996. The Huskies are...

represented Northern Illinois University

Northern Illinois University

Northern Illinois University is a state university and research institution located in DeKalb, Illinois, with satellite centers in Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Rockford, and Oregon. It was originally founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895 by Illinois Governor John P...

 in the college basketball season of 2009–10

2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

The 2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 9, 2009, and ended with the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament's championship game on April 5, 2010 on the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The opening round occurred on Tuesday, March 16, 2010, followed by first...

. The team, led by head coached by Ricardo Patton

Ricardo Patton

-External links:*...

, are members of the Mid-American Conference

Mid-American Conference

The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...

 and played their homes game at the Convocation Center

Convocation Center (Northern Illinois University)

Northern Illinois University's Convocation Center is a 10,000-seat multi-purpose arena, at 1525 W Lincoln Hwy, in DeKalb, Illinois, 60115-2854, USA. The arena opened in 2002. The Convocation Center is home to both the Northern Illinois Huskies men's basketball and women's basketball teams,...

. They finished the season 10–20, 6–10 in MAC play and lost in the first round of the 2010 MAC Men's Basketball Tournament

2010 MAC Men's Basketball Tournament

The 2010 Mid-American Conference men's basketball tournament is the post-season basketball tournament for the Mid-American Conference 2009–2010 season...

.

Roster changes

The Huskies only lost one senior from last year's team. That player, Sean Smith, started in 29 of Northern Illinois' 30 games for that season (only one player had started all 30). He contributed an average 8.4 points per game. However, Northern Illinois has recruited two newcomers for their team. Xavier Silas, a transfer from Colorado

Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball

The Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball team represents the University of Colorado at Boulder in the Pacific-12 Conference.The Buffaloes have competed in ten NCAA Tournaments, making it to the Final Four twice , and...

 , who made his Northern Illinois day-view after sitting out one year because of NCAA transfer rules. Another newcomer will be Keith Smith, who redshirted his first season.

The Huskies were predicted to finish 2nd in the MAC West.

During the season

Northern Illinois had a rough start to its 2009-10 campaign. In the opening loss to Northwestern, Xavier Silas went down with a fracture on his shooting hand, an injury that would sideline him for one month. The loss was a tough blow for NIU, because Silas was expected to be a key contributor to the team after averaging double figures in scoring during his two years at Colorado.

Without Silas, the Huskies struggled through the non-conference schedule. They were 1-5 when Silas made his come back against Minnesota. In his first two games back, Silas shot the ball poorly, showing clear signs of being rusty after sitting out for a whole month. The Huskies lost both games and dropped to 1-7.

Tough loss to #18 Temple

With Silas back in form after his injury, Northern beat Maryland Eastern Shore behind his 19 points. After winning only their second game of the season, NIU prepared to face their first ranked opponent at home in a long time. The game was expected to be a blowout, but the Huskies hung tough for most of the game, but in the end Temple was just too much, winning 70-60.

6 game winning streak

After losing to ranked Temple, Northern would go on to win their next 6 games, including their first 4 conference games. The 4-0 start in conference play marked the best start in school history.

During the 6 game winning streak, Silas averaged 22 points per contest.

6 game losing streak

Northern Illinois traveled to Central Michigan to play a veteran Chippewa squad. After battling for most of the game, the Huskies fell short, losing 81-75 and snapping their winning streak.

Crossover play began against the East Division, widely considered the best of the MAC divisions. The Huskies struggled mightily against the East, losing their next 5 games, giving up 90 points or more in three of those games.

Recruiting

Roster

Roster current as of September 9, when their summer prospectus was published.

Name	Number	Position	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown
Darion "Jake" Anderson Darion Anderson Darion "Jake" Anderson , is an college basketball point guard who is currently in his junior season at Northern Illinois in DeKalb, Illinois, USA. He decided to enter his name in the 2009 NBA Draft but did not hire an agent, so he retained his right to return to school the next season.-External...	32	G	6–2	202	Junior	Chicago, Illinois
Antone Christian	3	G	6–1	189	Freshman	Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
Mike DiNunno	11	G	5–11	188	Sophomore	Chicago, Illinois
Ante Dzepina	15	C	6–8	230	Senior	Kraljevica Kraljevica Kraljevica is a town in the Kvarner region of the country of Croatia, located between Rijeka and Crikvenica, approximately thirty kilometers from Opatija and near the entrance to the bridge to the island of Krk... , Croatia Croatia Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
Najul Ervin	2	F	6–5	219	Senior	Memphis, Tennessee Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
Michael Fakuade	55	C	6–7	227	Sophomore	Chicago, Illinois
Lee Fisher	30	F	6–5	210	Sophomore	Dolton, Illinois Dolton, Illinois Dolton is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 25,614 at the 2000 census. Dolton is located just west of the expressway Interstate 94 and immediately south of the city limits of Chicago. Its most common ZIP code is 60419....
Bryan Hall	1	G	6–1	162	Sophomore	Chicago, Illinois
Sean Kowal	41	C	6–11	248	Junior	St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
Jeremy Landers	24	G	6–2	185	Junior	Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
Tony Nixon	25	G	6–4	198	Freshman	South Holland, Illinois South Holland, Illinois South Holland is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States and serves as the seat of Thornton Township. The population was 22,147 at the 2000 census.-History:...
Michael Patton	4	G	5–10	181	Junior	Boulder, Colorado Boulder, Colorado Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...
Justin Peaster	22	G	5–11	171	Sophomore	Aurora, Illinois Aurora, Illinois Aurora is the second most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the 112th largest city in the United States. A suburb of Chicago, located west of the Loop, its population in 2010 was 197,899. Originally founded within Kane County, Aurora's city limits have expanded greatly over the past...
Xavier Silas	13	G	6–5	201	Junior	Austin, Texas Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
Keith Smith	10	G	5–5	135	Freshman	Chicago, Illinois

Coaching staff

Name	Position	College	Graduating year
Ricardo Patton Ricardo Patton -External links:*...	Head Coach	Belmont University Belmont University Belmont University is a private, coeducational, liberal arts university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. It is the largest Christian university in Tennessee and the second largest private university in the state, behind nearby Vanderbilt University.-Belmont Mansion:Belmont Mansion...	1980
Sundance Wicks	Assistant Coach	Northern State University Northern State University Northern State University is a four-year public university located in Aberdeen, South Dakota, United States. NSU is governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents and offers 38 majors and 42 minors, as well as six associate, eight pre-professional and nine graduate degrees.-History:Founded on the...	2003
Will Smith	Assistant Coach	University of Colorado at Boulder University of Colorado at Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...	2000
Todd Townsend	Assistant Coach	Marquette University Marquette University Marquette University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1881, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...	2005
Kent Dernbach	Director of Basketball Operations
Kyle Schwan	Video Coordinator	Northern State University Northern State University Northern State University is a four-year public university located in Aberdeen, South Dakota, United States. NSU is governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents and offers 38 majors and 42 minors, as well as six associate, eight pre-professional and nine graduate degrees.-History:Founded on the...	2009

Schedule

|-
!colspan=9| Exhibition
|-
!colspan=9| Regular Season
|-
!colspan=9| Mid-American Conference Tournament

2010 MAC Men's Basketball Tournament

The 2010 Mid-American Conference men's basketball tournament is the post-season basketball tournament for the Mid-American Conference 2009–2010 season...

|- style="background:#f9f9f9;"
| colspan=10 | *Non-Conference Game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll

AP Poll

The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...

. All times are in Eastern Time Zone

Eastern Time Zone

The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...

.
|}

Statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal Field goal (basketball) In basketball, the term field goal refers to a basket scored on any shot or tap other than a free throw, worth two or three points depending on the distance of the attempt from the basket. "Field Goal" is the official terminology used by the National Basketball Association in their rule book,...  percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal Three-point field goal A three-point field goal is a field goal in a basketball game, made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc radiating from the basket...  percentage	FT%	Free-throw Free throw In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points from a restricted area on the court , and are generally awarded after a foul on the shooter by the opposing team...  percentage
RPG	Rebounds Rebound (basketball) A rebound in basketball is the act of successfully gaining possession of the basketball after a missed field goal or free throw. Rebounds in basketball are a routine part in the game, as all possessions change after a shot is successfully made...  per game	Ast	Assists Assist (basketball) In basketball, an assist is attributed to a player who passes the ball to a teammate in a way that leads to a score by field goal, meaning that he or she was "assisting" in the basket. There is some judgment involved in deciding whether a passer should be credited with an assist...	Blk	Blocks Block (basketball) In basketball, a block , not to be confused with blocking, occurs when a defensive player legally deflects a field goal attempt from an offensive player. The defender must not touch the offensive player's hands or otherwise a foul is called. In order to be legal, the block must occur while the shot...
Stl	Steals Steal (basketball) In basketball, a steal occurs when a defensive player legally causes a turnover by his positive, aggressive action. This can be done by deflecting and controlling, catching, or batting to a teammate a pass or dribble of an offensive player...	PPG	Points per game

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	Ast	Blk	Stl	PPG
	25	25	31.6	.383	.321	.811	5.3	41	12	20	19.7
	30	28	27.9	.399	.208	.745	6.0	104	6	37	10.6
	30	12	25.5	.542	1.000	.542	6.4	19	25	22	10.5
	30	21	23.7	.312	.290	.629	1.6	91	0	29	7.0
	30	5	14.9	.362	.333	.440	1.6	15	2	6	4.3
	28	21	18.8	.481	.000	.550	3.9	20	4	18	4.0
	27	2	13.1	.365	.333	.818	0.7	15	0	11	3.8
	30	15	11.6	.385	.273	.516	3.0	9	30	9	3.5
	20	3	14.9	.538	1.000	.550	1.0	40	1	12	2.8
	26	1	7.6	.322	.265	.692	1.2	9	0	8	2.2
	28	10	13.0	.543	.000	.286	2.5	16	17	11	1.9
	26	6	8.7	.314	.222	.571	1.0	10	1	12	1.4
	24	1	7.2	.297	.000	.421	2.0	7	7	3	1.3
	2	0	1.0	.000	.000	.500	0.0	0	0	0	0.5
	7	0	2.9	.000	.000	.000	0.6	3	0	0	0.0

• Source: Northern Illinois Combined Team Statistics - March 10, 2010