The prevailing theme around the NIU men’s basketball team going into Saturday’s 7 p.m. home match against Wisconsin-Green Bay concerns records.

Records such as 12-1, the Huskies’ season mark which ties the all-time NIU record for best starts. Records like 6,261, the attendance at Tuesday’s DePaul game, the biggest Chick Evans Field House crowd ever to watch a basketball game. Records like 11 straight victories at home and 11 straight overall, both marks that the Huskies have equalled.

The most important record, however, might be 4-0, NIU’s mark in the Mid-Continent Conference and 3-1, UW-GB’s record. The Phoenix were the preseason favorites to capture the M-C crown, with the Huskies close behind. Saturday’s match could go a long way in determining who will emerge with the title.

“They understand that basketball is a team game and everyone plays their role well,” NIU head coach Jim Molinari said.

“(Against UW-GB) you’re playing a system more than individuals and their system is very hard to play against. I think they are the team to beat in our conference,” Molinari added.

The Phoenix hold a 10-4 record but have struggled through a rash of nagging injuries of late.

“We’ve not played very well at all,” said UW-GB head coach Dick Bennett. “We’ve not been able to overcome our injuries. (But) since this is the first head-to-head meeting between the teams it should be exciting.”

Both squads possess two common factors: rugged defense and victories over DePaul. NIU ranked third in the nation in team defense and UW-GB ninth as of Monday. The Phoenix beat DePaul by one at DePaul while the Huskies boast a 70-61 triumph over the Blue Demons. But Bennett feels those comparisons might be misleading.

“(NIU) beat a better DePaul team than we did,” Bennett said, and as for the forecast of a defensive battle Saturday, the Phoenix coach doesn’t necessarily agree.

“I think Northern is capable of scoring on us. We need to play a whole lot better to be in the game,” Bennett said. “I don’t know if it’ll be that low scoring.”

The deciding factor might be NIU’s home-court advantage. “The crowd was the key for the DePaul game,” Molinari said. “But we also need the students to come out Saturday.”