Men’s basketball is preparing to participate in the Vegas 16 Tournament, a feat that marks the first time seniors Travon Baker and Chuks Iroegbu have made it to postseason play.

The quality of the eight teams in the field, the national exposure on CBS Sports Network and the three-day tournament in Las Vegas all contributed to head coach Mark Montgomery’s and Athletics Director Sean Frazier’s decision to accept the invitation, according to an NIU Athletics news release.

The tournament tops a historic season for the Huskies. Previously, the team has only reached 21 wins once and this season ties the 1971-72 record for second-most wins ever. The team went 18-1 at home and finished 21-12.

The Vegas 16 boasts a significantly competitive field and Montgomery was well aware of the competition the team would be up against.

“We start off with Santa Barbara. Coach [Bob] Williams has been there for 18+ years, and they’ve already played 11 teams that are playing in postseason,” Montgomery said. “UC-Santa Barbara won their last nine games before they lost in the conference tournament in the semifinals to Hawaii. They have three guys [who average] in double figures. The most important, and the toughest game, is usually your first game. It’s going to be quick turnaround, just like the conference tournament would be and just like the NCAA tournament would be, but we will scout all eight teams.”

Seniors Travon Baker and Chuks Iroegbu are headed to their first postseason play in their respective tenures at NIU. The Huskies haven’t made it to the postseason in two decades.

“For me and Chuks [Iroegbu], getting to play in the postseason is probably more important because we’ve been here,” Baker said. “I’ve been here four years and I’ve never been to postseason play, so I’m real excited. I’m ready to go. I’m ready to play. For the [young] guys it’s their first year and they’re getting to go to postseason play in their first year. I know they still want to continue to play, so that’s the most important thing.”

Baker is averaging 11 points and 3.3 rebounds in final year with the Huskies, starting all 33 games. He became the all-time steals leader in the history of the program this season. Iroegbu averaged 6.1 points and 2.5 rebounds in a reserve role, helping to anchor a strong bench unit for the Huskies.

“Just looking at the history, we haven’t been [to the postseason] in 20 years,” Iroegbu said. “So it’s time to start a new tradition and get things rolling. We want to make this an every year thing so we have to start somewhere, start with this Vegas 16 inaugural tournament. We’re just hoping this starts us on a new track and that for years to come [NIU] will be in postseason play every year.”