MAC Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2023-24 season
By Jay George
7. Northern Illinois Huskies
Last Season: 13-19 (9-9 in MAC play)
Although towards the bottom of the MAC preseason rankings, NIU is a team that can flip the script and easily be in the mid to upper half of the conference by this spring. In recent history, the Huskies have found themselves in a frustrating in-between spot. Inconsistency was the name of the game last year where they showed great flashes blotted out by flat performances and losses. For example, NIU went on a run overcoming some great MAC teams including last year’s champion, Kent State, before losing four out of the next five.
Looking at that schedule, it would be safe to say this season could be much the same as last. Not to draw parallels, but the keys for NIU are much the same as they are with Miami. Northern Illinois has an exciting non-conference schedule against some bigger, but winnable, teams as well as some great opportunities to fine tune and prepare for conference play. If executing properly, NIU could enter MAC play with eight or nine wins under their belt.
Like any team in this age, the Huskies have hit the transfer portal bringing in some potential hidden talent. it is a very attainable goal to take a step forward in building success down the road for this program. The key for them is to be able to take on some of the tougher opponents in non-conference and conference play and show that they are serious in continuing to progress forward.