Following its two-game home stand, men’s basketball is set to travel to Ohio for one of its toughest matchups in the MAC this season when it takes on Toledo at 7 p.m. today.

The matchup will be a battle between one of the best defensive teams in the MAC and the most explosive offense in the MAC this season.

The Rockets (15-2, 3-1 MAC) come into the contest averaging 83.6 points per game, which is 9.2 points more than Central Michigan, the second-highest scoring team in the MAC. Toledo also shoots lights out from the field, leading the MAC in field goal percentage, shooting 48 percent.

Toledo has players who can score the ball at will as its five starters average 10 or more points per game.

They are led by senior guard Rian Pearson, who averages 14.9 points per game while junior guard Julius Brown scores 14.1 points per game.

Brown has been the Rockets’ top scorer in MAC play, averaging 18 points per game since conference play started. Brown is coming off a season-high 25 points against Akron and was named the MAC West Division Player of the Week for the third time this season.

Junior forwards Justin Drummond and J.D. Weatherspoon average 13.8 and 11.8 points per game, respectively, and sophomore center Nathan Boothe adds 10.3 points per game.

The Huskies’ (7-9, 1-3 MAC) defense will need to be at the top of their games to slow down this high-scoring offense. NIU’s defense is fourth in the MAC, allowing only 64.6 points per game, which is almost 20 points less than the Rockets’ season average of 83.6 points per game.

For the Huskies’ offense, sophomore guard Travon Baker has been their top scorer in conference play, scoring double figures in three out of four games while averaging 10.3 points per game.

Baker has received help from the Armstead brothers, Aaron and Aaric, as Aaron is averaging 9.5 points per game in conference play and Aaric has scored 8.2 points per game over the last four games.