When NIU athletic directors Robert Brigham and Susie Pembroke-Jones brought their teams’ athletic schedules for next year to the Athletic Board Wednesday, board members did more than just look at the Huskies’ opponents.

Part of the discussion revolved around games scheduled near or during finals week in both December and May. Board chairman Curt Norton said board policy states no team should play games from two days prior to the start of final exams until the end of exams. He said if the athletic directors schedule a game during that period, they have to show that the overall good of the athletic department is more important than the conflict with exams.

Norton said the presented schedules, which later were approved, had five conflicts with final exams. Two of those conflicts, men’s golf matches May 6 and May 13, were removed when NIU Associate Athletic Director Jerry Ippoliti said they were canceled.

The men’s basketball team’s first conflict is Dec. 13, which is a home game at the Rockford MetroCentre against Bradley. The team also will stay in Rockford the night before the game. Brigham said the opponent and playing at the MetroCentre are the main reasons why the game was scheduled.

“We have a commitment to finish off the MetroCentre, and it has to be around the time when students are not here,” he said. “This is the best we could do. Plus, we have to fit Bradley in. Our commitment is with a Division I team.”

Semester break will not be underway when the game is played.

The other conflict with finals week is Dec. 19, when NIU takes on Southern Illinois.

The women’s basketball team will play Western Illinois Dec. 12 in Macomb, Ill., two days before finals week begins. Pembroke-Jones said the team would return after the game.

Norton said this scheduling is better than in recent years. This past year, the men’s basketball team played twice during finals week and was beat 95-63 by Wisconsin and 86-63 by Bradley.