Looking on the bright side of things, the NIU women’s basketball team will walk into the Michigan game Sunday never having lost to them.

But then again, the Huskies have never played the Big Ten Wolverines.

The 2 p.m. match at Chick Evans Field House will pose a first for Northern, being the first time the Wolverines and the Huskies have ever confronted one another.

Huskie boss Jane Albright said she does not expect a one-sided blowout match and feels both teams have an equal chance.

“Whoever plays well will win,” Albright said. “They’re a Big Ten team, and they’re good, but I don’t think they’ll kill us or we’ll kill them—we should be pretty evenly matched.”

NIU will try to heat up the cool hands they had two nights ago, when their below-average shooting percentage resulted in a 65-50 loss to Toledo. Albright said she feels the home crowd can make a difference.

“We’re going to try and get our shot selection back,” Albright said. “I’m glad we’ll have home court advantage because we always shoot better at home.”

Although shot selection is a temporary dilemma—depending on the game—the Huskies are struggling with a hindrance that Albright had hoped to clear up by now. Lack of a set lineup, namely not having a permanent point guard, is not Albright’s idea of a plus to the team.

The last three opponents NIU played have used a box-and-one defensive method to try and put a damper on Huskie leading scorer Lisa Foss. In case Michigan has the same game plan, Albright has three words of warning.

“We’ll be prepared,” Albright said.

Although Tuesday night’s loss eliminated the chance for the team to accomplish their original goal of winning 20 games, Albright is not giving up.

“I am still optimistic about my team,” Albright said. “They’re capable of playing real good basketball. We’re looking to get back on the winning track again.”