College basketball preview: 3-4

3/4/2010

•Time: 8 p.m.

•Records: UT is 4-26, 1-14 MAC; NIU is 9-19, 5-10

•Radio: 1370

•Series: UT leads 38-19

•Notes: UT is still searching for its first road win under second-year coach Gene Cross. The last time the Rockets won as the visiting team was March 9, 2008, in a 90-83 overtime victory at Central Michigan under former coach Stan Joplin — a span of 29 straight games. … UT is coming off a 45-42 win Saturday over Ball State, snapping a school-record 19-game losing streak. … Northern Illinois has lost 11 of its last 12 contests, but did defeat the Rockets 58-54 on Jan. 20 at Savage Arena. … Freshman guard Jake Barnett is UT's top scorer with 12.9 points per game. … Junior G Xavier Silas leads the Huskies with 19.5 points per game.

•Time: 7 p.m.

•Records: BG is 14-14, 6-9 MAC, Ohio is 16-14, 6-9

•Radio: 99.1 FM

•Series: BG leads 70-57.

•Notes: BG attempts to close out the regular season on a high note. The Falcons, losers of two straight, have not lost three MAC games in a row this season. … Senior post Otis Polk has averaged 19 points in the Falcons' last two games. … With a win, BG will earn the No. 9 seed for the MAC tournament. … With a loss, BG will fill the No. 10 seed. … The Falcons lead the MAC in shooting percentage (44.1 percent) and have shot 49.6 percent over their last seven contests.