DeKALB | You can hear it in his voice and see it in his demeanor. It’s written all over his face.

NIU coach Rob Judson wants to see his team get a win.

The Huskies continue their march through the Eastern Division of the MAC Saturday with a 1 p.m. match-up at Buffalo.

As coach of last year’s MAC West championship team, Judson was active but reserved on the sidelines. Perhaps less was more with a lineup filled with experienced senior scorers.

This year, the sixth-year coach patrols the court, calling out defensive switches and sending in hand signals for which plays to run on offense.

Despite the hard work from its skipper, NIU has hit rock bottom record-wise.

The Huskies (4-16, 1-7) do share some common ground with the Bulls (9-12, 1-7), as both teams have registered identical conference records.

NIU almost ended its seven-game losing streak on Wednesday night at Miami University. The Huskies managed to win most of the statistical categories, but in the end came up on the wrong side of a 62-59 decision in Oxford.

Judson said he was disappointed his team wasn’t rewarded with a good result for the effort they exuded, and looks forward to competing at Buffalo.

“Our practices have been energetic and enthusiastic,” Judson said. “We don’t have guys dragging and not wanting to practice. This stretch is difficult because these guys are competitors.”

NIU has used 10 different starting lineup combinations this season as it tries to snap out of a season-long 1-16 losing skid and compensate for injuries and illnesses. Junior forward Ben Rand and freshman point guard Cody Yelder are still out of action, as they continue to recuperate from knee surgery.