Northern Illinois Huskies

3-2 overall, 0-0 Horizon, margin +6.2

TV schedule Travel map News Ratings

-6.2

net rating per 100 · #232 in D-I · model

105.8

adjusted offense · #173

112.0

adjusted defense · #289

67.5

pace, possessions / 40 · #329

-13.6

strength of schedule so far · #269

Rotation

#	Player	Pos	Cl	Ht	GP/GS	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	eFG%	TS%	Rating
6	Max Weisbrod	G	SR	6' 4"	5/5	30.6	15.6	3.2	6.8	60.4	63.6	-1.5
15	David Douglas Jr.	G	SR	6' 5"	5/5	29.0	14.8	6.4	0.8	51.8	56.2	-2.4
10	Trevor Polite	G	SO	6' 6"	5/5	25.8	6.4	4.2	0.8	96.4	98.8	+1.7
32	Brayden Gross	F	SO	6' 7"	5/2	22.2	8.4	7.0	1.8	53.6	60.7	+2.6
8	Bennett Basich	G	JR	6' 4"	5/0	18.0	5.0	2.6	1.2	32.3	37.7	-3.5
2	Colin Hardrick	G	SR	6' 3"	4/2	18.0	3.2	2.5	0.5	22.5	28.2	-5.2
5	Mykolas Ivanauskas	F	JR	6' 8"	4/3	16.5	7.0	3.2	0.2	64.7	68.2	+1.2
0	Nino Carter-Smith	G	SR	6' 1"	5/3	16.0	6.8	1.2	1.6	76.2	77.7	-1.4
9	Jack Daugherty	F	JR	6' 8"	5/0	11.0	3.2	2.0	0.0	36.4	36.4	-4.6
1	Uzziah Buntyn	G	SO	6' 1"	4/0	10.5	5.8	0.5	1.0	78.6	77.3	-4.5
11	Keller Hanson	G	SO	6' 6"	5/0	10.2	3.4	3.2	0.4	37.5	46.7	-1.3
3	Tolu Samuels	F	SR	6' 8"	2/0	7.0	1.5	2.5	0.5	50.0	39.9	+2.8
70	Akiva McBirney-Griffin	F	SR	6' 9"	3/0	4.3	2.7	1.0	0.3	33.3	70.9	+0.1
7	Izaya Larthridge FR	G	FR	6' 6"	2/0	1.5	1.0	0.0	0.0	33.3	33.3	-3.0
14	Nathan Ramus FR	G	FR	6' 2"	2/0	1.5	1.0	1.0	0.0	100.0	100.0	-1.1
4	Cal Klesmit	G	SR	6' 2"	0/0	–	–	–	–	–	–	–

Box scores from ESPN. eFG% weights threes; TS% includes free throws.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Watch	Result	Line	Rest	Miles
Mon 11/2	vs Grambling Tigers N	YouTube	L 87-89	-8.5 miss	–	639 +1h
Thu 11/5	at Tulsa Golden Hurricane	ESPN+	L 75-94	+14.5 miss	2	845
Sat 11/7	at Dayton Flyers	ESPN+	W 81-76	+19.5 cover	1	838 +1h
Wed 11/11	vs Clarke Pride	ESPN+	W 82-43	–	3	281
Sat 11/14	at Bellarmine Knights	ESPN+	W 72-64	-8.5 miss	2	299 +1h
Wed 11/18	at Marquette Golden Eagles	ESPN+	7:30 PM ET	–model +22.0 · 3% win	3	387
Sat 11/21	at Bowling Green Falcons	ESPN+	2 PM ET	–model +8.0 · 25% win	2	246 +1h
Wed 11/25	at SIU Edwardsville Cougars	ESPN+	7 PM ET	–	3	377
Sat 11/28	at Eastern Illinois Panthers	ESPN+	3 PM ET	–	2	106
Thu 12/3	at Green Bay Phoenix Horizon	ESPN+	7:30 PM ET	–	4	350
Sat 12/5	vs Milwaukee Panthers Horizon	ESPN+	3 PM ET	–	1	180
Sat 12/12	at Lindenwood Lions	ESPN+	2 PM ET	–	6	236
Sat 12/19	vs Eastern Illinois Panthers	ESPN+	3 PM ET	–	6	236
Mon 12/21	at Arizona Wildcats	CBSSN	9 PM ET	–	1	1,388 -1h
Wed 12/30	at Youngstown State Penguins Horizon	ESPN+	4 PM ET	–	8	1,811 +1h
Sun 1/3	at Robert Morris Colonials Horizon	–	2 PM ET	–	3	46 +1h
Thu 1/7	vs Cleveland State Vikings Horizon	–	9 PM ET	–	3	454
Sat 1/9	vs Wright State Raiders Horizon	–	3 PM ET	–	1	–
Thu 1/14	at Detroit Mercy Titans Horizon	–	7 PM ET	–	4	294 +1h
Sun 1/17	vs Green Bay Phoenix Horizon	–	3 PM ET	–	2	294
Thu 1/21	at Northern Kentucky Norse Horizon	–	7 PM ET	–	3	302 +1h
Sat 1/23	at Wright State Raiders Horizon	–	2 PM ET	–	1	52 +1h
Wed 1/27	vs Oakland Golden Grizzlies Horizon	–	7 PM ET	–	3	281
Sat 1/30	at Milwaukee Panthers Horizon	–	4 PM ET	–	2	88
Thu 2/4	at IU Indianapolis Jaguars Horizon	–	6:30 PM ET	–	4	289 +1h
Sun 2/7	vs Northern Kentucky Norse Horizon	–	3 PM ET	–	2	202
Wed 2/10	vs Youngstown State Penguins Horizon	–	7 PM ET	–	2	–
Sat 2/13	at Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons Horizon	–	2 PM ET	–	2	195 +1h
Wed 2/17	vs Detroit Mercy Titans Horizon	–	7 PM ET	–	3	195
Sun 2/21	vs Robert Morris Colonials Horizon	–	3 PM ET	–	3	–
Wed 2/24	at Cleveland State Vikings Horizon	–	7 PM ET	–	2	365 +1h
Sat 2/27	vs IU Indianapolis Jaguars Horizon	–	5:30 PM ET	–	2	365

Line is this team's spread (DraftKings via ESPN for finished games, our snapshots for upcoming). "cover" / "miss" is against that number. Click a result for the box score. Rest is full days off; miles are estimated travel into the game, with any time-zone change. Season total: 11,641 miles. See the route on the travel map · TV schedule.

Around DeKalb

Home floor: the Convo

The town
DeKalb, where Northern Illinois plays, was platted in 1853 as Huntley's Grove and incorporated in 1856 under the name of Revolutionary War general Johann de Kalb. en.wikipedia.org
The program
Northern Illinois first fielded a men's basketball team in the 1900-01 season and has made three NCAA Division I tournament appearances, in 1982, 1991 and 1996. en.wikipedia.org
The program
Northern Illinois earned its first NCAA tournament trip in 1982 by winning three MAC tournament games in three days, the last a 79-75 decision over Ball State at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor. en.wikipedia.org
In the news
Northern Illinois went 9-21 overall and 4-14 in the Mid-American Conference in 2025-26 before moving to the Horizon League for this season. niuhuskies.com
The program
The 1982 Northern Illinois team that reached the NCAA tournament finished 16-14 and won its first two MAC tournament games by a combined three points. en.wikipedia.org
Alumni
Off the court, Northern Illinois claims Robin Kelly: Robin Kelly, the Democratic congresswoman from Illinois's 2nd district, earned her Ph.D. at NIU. en.wikipedia.org

From the Hardwood Bricks research desk: 45 checked notes on Northern Illinois, its town and its history. A different set shows each day, and the same notes color our game stories.

Fieldhouse Notes

Latest headlines

All Horizon news →

8d 2026 Northern Illinois Huskies Defensive Rating Stats & Leaders - NCAA College Basketball Advanced Stats FOX Sports
13d Grambling starts hoops season with clutch 3 AM victory over Northern Illinois Yahoo Sports

On Reddit: r/CollegeBasketball search. Reddit is closing its free feeds, so these are links, not part of the ticker.

Players

Max Weisbrod #6 · G

Player rating-1.5#84 of 158 in the Horizon

Offense+1.3#32

Defense-2.8#133

244 possessions · still mostly last season's prior · usage 28%

15.6 pts3.2 reb6.8 ast30.6 min 24-53 FG16-39 3PT14-19 FT 63.6 TS%18.7 shots+TO/40

Bio: Senior · 6' 4" · 190 lbs · DeForest, WI · ESPN

Game log

Date	Opp	Result	MIN	PTS	FG	3PT	FT	REB	AST	TO	STL
11-02	at GRAM	L 87-89	31	11	3-9	2-6	3-5	2	8	1	1
11-06	at TLSA	L 75-94	31	20	7-11	6-9	0-0	3	8	0	2
11-08	at DAY	W 81-76	36	19	4-9	4-7	7-9	6	8	3	1
11-12	vs CKE	W 82-43	25	14	6-15	2-11	0-0	4	5	2	0
11-14	at BELL	W 72-64	30	14	4-9	2-6	4-5	1	5	4	3

David Douglas Jr. #15 · G

Player rating-2.4#106 of 158 in the Horizon

Offense-0.8#99

Defense-1.6#98

231 possessions · still mostly last season's prior · usage 31%

14.8 pts6.4 reb0.8 ast29.0 min 24-57 FG11-31 3PT15-20 FT 56.2 TS%20.9 shots+TO/40

Bio: Senior · 6' 5" · 215 lbs · Park Forest, IL · ESPN

Game log

Date	Opp	Result	MIN	PTS	FG	3PT	FT	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK
11-02	at GRAM	L 87-89	30	12	4-10	2-4	2-2	4	0	1	0	0
11-06	at TLSA	L 75-94	27	21	7-13	4-7	3-3	4	2	0	0	1
11-08	at DAY	W 81-76	34	27	7-14	3-8	10-13	6	0	4	1	0
11-12	vs CKE	W 82-43	24	9	4-12	1-7	0-2	11	0	3	1	2
11-14	at BELL	W 72-64	30	5	2-8	1-5	0-0	7	2	2	0	1

Trevor Polite #10 · G

Player rating+1.7#28 of 158 in the Horizon

Offense+3.2#8

Defense-1.5#96

205 possessions · still mostly last season's prior · usage 8%

6.4 pts4.2 reb0.8 ast25.8 min 11-14 FG5-7 3PT5-5 FT 98.8 TS%5.6 shots+TO/40

Bio: Sophomore · 6' 6" · 210 lbs · Mequon, WI · ESPN

Game log

Date	Opp	Result	MIN	PTS	FG	3PT	FT	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK
11-02	at GRAM	L 87-89	31	15	5-6	2-3	3-3	5	1	0	1	0
11-06	at TLSA	L 75-94	25	5	2-3	1-1	0-0	1	1	0	0	0
11-08	at DAY	W 81-76	24	0	0-1	0-1	0-0	4	0	1	1	0
11-12	vs CKE	W 82-43	26	8	3-3	2-2	0-0	5	1	0	0	0
11-14	at BELL	W 72-64	23	4	1-1	0-0	2-2	6	1	1	0	1

Brayden Gross #32 · F

Player rating+2.6#19 of 158 in the Horizon

Offense+2.3#20

Defense+0.3#39

177 possessions · still mostly last season's prior · usage 22%

8.4 pts7.0 reb1.8 ast22.2 min 15-28 FG0-3 3PT12-15 FT 60.7 TS%14.3 shots+TO/40

Bio: Sophomore · 6' 7" · 225 lbs · Louisville, OH · ESPN

Game log

Date	Opp	Result	MIN	PTS	FG	3PT	FT	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK
11-02	at GRAM	L 87-89	18	11	3-4	0-0	5-5	2	3	2	1	0
11-06	at TLSA	L 75-94	20	0	0-5	0-3	0-1	4	0	0	0	0
11-08	at DAY	W 81-76	27	5	2-4	0-0	1-1	6	2	1	0	0
11-12	vs CKE	W 82-43	22	12	6-8	0-0	0-2	10	2	0	1	1
11-14	at BELL	W 72-64	24	14	4-7	0-0	6-6	13	2	2	0	2

Bennett Basich #8 · G

Player rating-3.5#126 of 158 in the Horizon

Offense-3.5#149

Defense+0.1#51

144 possessions · still mostly last season's prior · usage 25%

5.0 pts2.6 reb1.2 ast18.0 min 8-31 FG4-18 3PT5-5 FT 37.7 TS%17.0 shots+TO/40

Bio: Junior · 6' 4" · 205 lbs · Hartland, WI · ESPN

Game log

Date	Opp	Result	MIN	PTS	FG	3PT	FT	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK
11-02	at GRAM	L 87-89	20	6	2-6	1-3	1-1	1	1	3	1	0
11-06	at TLSA	L 75-94	11	0	0-1	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	0	0
11-08	at DAY	W 81-76	22	9	2-7	1-3	4-4	3	1	2	0	0
11-12	vs CKE	W 82-43	19	7	3-12	1-7	0-0	6	4	0	5	1
11-14	at BELL	W 72-64	18	3	1-5	1-5	0-0	2	0	0	1	1

Colin Hardrick #2 · G

Player rating-5.2#147 of 158 in the Horizon

Offense-3.3#147

Defense-1.9#114

117 possessions · still mostly last season's prior · usage 22%

3.2 pts2.5 reb0.5 ast18.0 min 4-20 FG1-10 3PT4-7 FT 28.2 TS%15.0 shots+TO/40

Bio: Senior · 6' 3" · 180 lbs · Milwaukee, WI · ESPN

Game log

Date	Opp	Result	MIN	PTS	FG	3PT	FT	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK
11-02	at GRAM	L 87-89	22	8	3-11	1-5	1-2	4	0	0	1	0
11-06	at TLSA	L 75-94	20	5	1-5	0-2	3-5	3	1	0	1	0
11-08	at DAY	W 81-76	19	0	0-2	0-1	0-0	2	0	3	0	1
11-12	vs CKE	W 82-43	11	0	0-2	0-2	0-0	1	1	1	0	0
11-14	at BELL	W 72-64	DNP

Mykolas Ivanauskas #5 · F

Player rating+1.2#34 of 158 in the Horizon

Offense+0.7#44

Defense+0.5#31

107 possessions · still mostly last season's prior · usage 23%

7.0 pts3.2 reb0.2 ast16.5 min 11-17 FG0-0 3PT6-8 FT 68.2 TS%15.5 shots+TO/40

Bio: Junior · 6' 8" · 225 lbs · Chicago, IL · ESPN

Game log

Date	Opp	Result	MIN	PTS	FG	3PT	FT	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK
11-02	at GRAM	L 87-89	DNP
11-06	at TLSA	L 75-94	16	12	5-7	0-0	2-2	3	0	3	0	2
11-08	at DAY	W 81-76	19	4	2-3	0-0	0-0	2	1	1	1	1
11-12	vs CKE	W 82-43	15	6	2-4	0-0	2-4	6	0	1	1	0
11-14	at BELL	W 72-64	16	6	2-3	0-0	2-2	2	0	0	0	0

Nino Carter-Smith #0 · G

Player rating-1.4#78 of 158 in the Horizon

Offense+1.3#31

Defense-2.7#132

128 possessions · still mostly last season's prior · usage 19%

6.8 pts1.2 reb1.6 ast16.0 min 12-21 FG8-15 3PT2-2 FT 77.7 TS%12.4 shots+TO/40

Bio: Senior · 6' 1" · 170 lbs · Detroit, MI · ESPN

Game log

Date	Opp	Result	MIN	PTS	FG	3PT	FT	REB	AST	TO	STL
11-02	at GRAM	L 87-89	18	13	4-4	3-3	2-2	2	2	0	1
11-06	at TLSA	L 75-94	6	2	1-1	0-0	0-0	0	2	1	0
11-08	at DAY	W 81-76	22	9	3-7	3-5	0-0	1	1	1	1
11-12	vs CKE	W 82-43	14	5	2-3	1-2	0-0	1	0	1	0
11-14	at BELL	W 72-64	20	5	2-6	1-5	0-0	2	3	0	2

Jack Daugherty #9 · F

Player rating-4.6#143 of 158 in the Horizon

Offense-4.3#151

Defense-0.3#58

87 possessions · still mostly last season's prior · usage 25%

3.2 pts2.0 reb0.0 ast11.0 min 6-22 FG4-16 3PT0-0 FT 36.4 TS%16.7 shots+TO/40

Bio: Junior · 6' 8" · 210 lbs · Brookfield, WI · ESPN

Game log

Date	Opp	Result	MIN	PTS	FG	3PT	FT	REB	TO
11-02	at GRAM	L 87-89	9	6	2-5	2-4	0-0	1	0
11-06	at TLSA	L 75-94	16	0	0-5	0-4	0-0	2	0
11-08	at DAY	W 81-76	9	0	0-4	0-3	0-0	1	0
11-12	vs CKE	W 82-43	12	8	3-6	2-4	0-0	4	1
11-14	at BELL	W 72-64	9	2	1-2	0-1	0-0	2	0

Uzziah Buntyn #1 · G

Player rating-4.5#140 of 158 in the Horizon

Offense-0.3#82

Defense-4.3#147

64 possessions · still mostly last season's prior · usage 27%

5.8 pts0.5 reb1.0 ast10.5 min 9-14 FG4-7 3PT1-2 FT 77.3 TS%17.0 shots+TO/40

Bio: Sophomore · 6' 1" · 180 lbs · Round Rock, TX · ESPN

Game log

Date	Opp	Result	MIN	PTS	FG	3PT	FT	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK
11-02	at GRAM	L 87-89	DNP
11-06	at TLSA	L 75-94	10	2	1-2	0-1	0-0	0	1	1	0	0
11-08	at DAY	W 81-76	3	0	0-1	0-0	0-1	1	0	0	0	0
11-12	vs CKE	W 82-43	9	2	1-3	0-1	0-0	1	2	1	2	0
11-14	at BELL	W 72-64	20	19	7-8	4-5	1-1	0	1	1	0	0

Keller Hanson #11 · G

Player rating-1.3#74 of 158 in the Horizon

Offense-1.8#126

Defense+0.5#32

81 possessions · still mostly last season's prior · usage 26%

3.4 pts3.2 reb0.4 ast10.2 min 5-16 FG2-12 3PT5-5 FT 46.7 TS%17.4 shots+TO/40

Bio: Sophomore · 6' 6" · 180 lbs · Sauk Rapids, MN · ESPN

Game log

Date	Opp	Result	MIN	PTS	FG	3PT	FT	REB	AST	TO	STL
11-02	at GRAM	L 87-89	11	5	2-4	1-3	0-0	3	1	0	1
11-06	at TLSA	L 75-94	8	2	0-2	0-2	2-2	3	0	0	0
11-08	at DAY	W 81-76	9	8	2-3	1-2	3-3	4	0	2	0
11-12	vs CKE	W 82-43	13	2	1-4	0-2	0-0	6	0	1	0
11-14	at BELL	W 72-64	10	0	0-3	0-3	0-0	0	1	1	0

Tolu Samuels #3 · F

Player rating+2.8#15 of 158 in the Horizon

Offense-0.1#68

Defense+2.8#6

20 possessions · still mostly last season's prior · usage 23%

1.5 pts2.5 reb0.5 ast7.0 min 1-2 FG0-0 3PT1-4 FT 39.9 TS%13.6 shots+TO/40

Bio: Senior · 6' 8" · 205 lbs · Chicago, IL · ESPN

Game log

Date	Opp	Result	MIN	PTS	FG	3PT	FT	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK
11-02	at GRAM	L 87-89	10	0	0-1	0-0	0-2	2	0	1	0	2
11-06	at TLSA	L 75-94	DNP
11-08	at DAY	W 81-76	DNP
11-12	vs CKE	W 82-43	4	3	1-1	0-0	1-2	3	1	0	0	0
11-14	at BELL	W 72-64	DNP

Akiva McBirney-Griffin #70 · F

Player rating+0.1#49 of 158 in the Horizon

Offense-1.5#118

Defense+1.7#15

19 possessions · still mostly last season's prior · usage 34%

2.7 pts1.0 reb0.3 ast4.3 min 1-3 FG0-1 3PT6-6 FT 70.9 TS%20.4 shots+TO/40

Bio: Senior · 6' 9" · 225 lbs · Hamilton, New Zealand · ESPN

Game log

Date	Opp	Result	MIN	PTS	FG	3PT	FT	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK
11-02	at GRAM	L 87-89	DNP
11-06	at TLSA	L 75-94	8	6	0-1	0-0	6-6	2	0	1	1	0
11-08	at DAY	W 81-76	1	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0
11-12	vs CKE	W 82-43	4	2	1-2	0-1	0-0	1	1	0	0	0
11-14	at BELL	W 72-64	DNP

Izaya Larthridge #7 · G

Player rating-3.0#118 of 158 in the Horizon

Offense-1.5#117

Defense-1.5#94

5 possessions · still mostly last season's prior · usage 61%

1.0 pts0.0 reb0.0 ast1.5 min 1-3 FG0-2 3PT0-0 FT 33.3 TS%40.0 shots+TO/40

Bio: Freshman · 6' 6" · 210 lbs · Grand Rapids, MI · ESPN

Game log

Date	Opp	Result	MIN	PTS	FG	3PT	FT	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK
11-02	at GRAM	L 87-89	DNP
11-06	at TLSA	L 75-94	1	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0
11-08	at DAY	W 81-76	DNP
11-12	vs CKE	W 82-43	2	2	1-3	0-2	0-0	0	0	0	0	0
11-14	at BELL	W 72-64	DNP

Nathan Ramus #14 · G

Player rating-1.1#68 of 158 in the Horizon

Offense-0.6#93

Defense-0.5#63

5 possessions · still mostly last season's prior · usage 20%

1.0 pts1.0 reb0.0 ast1.5 min 1-1 FG0-0 3PT0-0 FT 100.0 TS%13.3 shots+TO/40

Bio: Freshman · 6' 2" · 185 lbs · Appleton, WI · ESPN

Game log

Date	Opp	Result	MIN	PTS	FG	3PT	FT	REB	AST	TO	STL	BLK
11-02	at GRAM	L 87-89	DNP
11-06	at TLSA	L 75-94	1	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0
11-08	at DAY	W 81-76	DNP
11-12	vs CKE	W 82-43	2	2	1-1	0-0	0-0	2	0	0	1	0
11-14	at BELL	W 72-64	DNP

Cal Klesmit #4 · G

Has not appeared yet.

Bio: Senior · 6' 2" · 190 lbs · Neenah, WI · ESPN

Game log

Date	Opp	Result	MIN
11-02	at GRAM	L 87-89	DNP
11-06	at TLSA	L 75-94	DNP
11-08	at DAY	W 81-76	DNP
11-12	vs CKE	W 82-43	DNP
11-14	at BELL	W 72-64	DNP