After losing four straight MAC games, NIU men’s basketball will test its luck Wednesday at home against Ohio.

The Huskies (2-17, 1-6 MAC) most recent loss was at home against Buffalo, 74-59, while the Bobcats (17-4, 5-2 MAC) are coming off four straight wins.

A big reason for Ohio’s success has been the play of its point guard, D.J. Cooper, who leads the team in scoring by averaging 14 points per game.

“They have one of the best point guards in the league with Cooper,” said NIU coach Mark Montgomery. “We have to keep Cooper out of the paint. He’s very good when he gets to the paint area, and he hits the open man. So, we’re going to have to keep him in front of us, which is a tall order.”

The last couple of games, the Huskies have become a more one-dimensional team, taking a lot of outside jump shots, but they are looking to get the ball inside.

“Through our motion offense, we’re going to try to get the ball inside more,” said NIU forward Aksel Bolin. “Hopefully, we can mix it up a little more, get looks inside the post, attack the rim more and not settle for jump shots.”

The Huskies have not shot the ball well of late. In their last game, they shot 28 percent from the field.

“We have to be more efficient on offense,” Montgomery said. “We can’t turn the ball over, and we have to share the basketball more.”

NIU freshman Abdel Nader has been the offense for NIU as he has averaged 10.4 points per game so far this season, but it is in need of more scoring options and someone to step up.

“We need to have multiple guys in double figures,” Montgomery said. “It can’t just be Abdel Nader. So if that’s Aksel Bolin, or the Gray’s or Ford, or whoever it is, we have to get more guys scoring the basketball.”