After two five-win seasons, men’s basketball appears to have found its rhythm.

The Huskies (7-7, 1-1 MAC) may be looking at a turnaround as for the first time in the Mark Montgomery era they have won more than five games in a season.

“What a difference a year makes,” Montgomery said. “We have a team committed to a team that has no stars; we’re playing more team basketball.

“We don’t care who’s the leading scorer, we just want to make excuses to find ways to win, and these guys practice hard every day, and hopefully we can get even more wins. But it’s good to be in January and we’re .500.”

The Huskies have a number of players who can put the ball in the basket this season, and on any night someone different can step up and lead the team in scoring.

Sophomore wing Darrell Bowie, sophomore guard Travon Baker and redshirt junior center Jordan Threloff have been the Huskies’ leading scorers.

Bowie leads the Huskies in scoring, averaging 9.6 points per game, while Baker scores 7.7 points per game and Threloff adds 7.1 points per game.

“I think the difference has been a lot more teamwork,” said freshman guard Aaric Armstead. “There is not a lot of self-centeredness when it comes to our team this year. Self-centered play has been one of the main causes for limited success in the past, so with us being more of a brotherhood, more of a family this year, I think that has helped us tremendously.”

In Montgomery’s eyes, the biggest difference in the Huskies’ performance is the experience they bring to the court with an older group of players.

“You start off with our guard play: Travon Baker and Daveon Balls are sophomores now,” Montgomery said. “So you don’t have true freshmen playing probably your most important position on the floor.

“Then you take Pete Rakocevic and Jordan Threloff that add size and experience. And then you take Darrell Bowie, who played in every game last year, so he’s a seasoned sophomore.”

A big improvement the Huskies made this season has been their play on the defensive side of the ball. They are the No. 2 defensive team in the MAC, allowing just 64 points per game. A lot of that has to do with their size inside and limiting opposing teams to one shot per possession.

NIU has played especially well of late, winning four of its last six contests. In the process it earned its first MAC victory of the season, defeating Bowling Green 45-36 in a Sunday match.