Coaches and students agree that school spirit will help lead NIU’s basketball teams to conference wins this season.

“We need school spirit and we need it now,” said Laura Fischer, coordinator of the Huskie Spirit Council. “We have two teams to be proud of; it’s time we show it.”

According to the women’s basketball coach Jane Albright and the men’s basketball coach Jim Molinari, both teams have a shot at winning their conferences. The women’s season record is 20-5 and the men’s is 20-4.

“People don’t realize that we have two of the best teams NIU has had in a long time,” Fischer said. “We owe it to our school and the teams to come out and support them,” she said.

The community, staff and students are important to inspire the team, Albright said.

“The support definitely helped us win against Valparaiso on Tuesday night,” she said.

Molinari noticed similar effects at the DePaul game.

“We beat DePaul because of the atmosphere students and faculty made,” he said. “The emotions of the crowd carried the team through the last six minutes,” he said.

The remaining games will receive a lot of publicity, said Molinari. “It will be a great opportunity for NIU to be looked upon with good school spirit,” he said.

“People are always saying how great other schools are for their team spirit,” Fischer said. “Now we have a chance to turn NIU into one of those schools.”

The Huskie Spirit Council is doing everything it can to pack the stands for the last three games, Fischer said. The council is sending faculty memos, hanging posters and making game tickets easier to obtain, she said.

Tickets for Saturday night’s men’s game will be available on Friday at the Chick Evans Field House, Wirtz Hall and outside of the Pow Wow.

Tickets for Monday night’s men’s game and Thursday night’s women’s game will be available on game day at the fieldhouse, DuSable and outside of the Pow Wow.