DeKALB | Nearby farmers at the West end of DeKalb should beware.

Intra-state rival Illinois-Chicago will battle the NIU men’s basketball team tonight at 7 and if previous match ups are any indicator, tonight’s game at the Convocation Center should be quite a barn burner.

Last year UIC edged NIU at the buzzer 55-54 on a last-second tip-in by Elliott Poole. Three years ago, then freshman center James Hughes slammed home the game winner with 56 seconds to play as NIU nipped UIC 54-53.

A ten-point loss on Saturday to Winthrop was the first blemish on the 2006 campaign for the Huskies (3-1). Leading scorer Hughes was held to nine points, nearly 11 points below his average.

The speed of WU forced 19 NIU turnovers, in a defensive game where both teams hovered around 40 percent shooting.

NIU posted at least 80 points during their three-game season-opening win streak. But WU limited NIU to a season low 62 points.

Both teams are on two days of rest, as UIC knocked off Youngstown State 80-64 on Saturday.

The Flames are led by junior forward Othyus Jeffers, the reigning Horizon League Player of the Week. The 6-foot-5 swing man averages 15.3 points and pulls down nine rebounds per game, both team highs.

Against WU, point guard Cody Yelder came off the bench for NIU to tally 11 points.

“It was a tough game, but we are going to get better,” Yelder said. “We’ll bounce back. We’ll focus on our defense and our offense to get better all around.”

Junior forward Shaun Logan started for the first time this season and picked up seven points and eight rebounds.

NIU coach Rob Judson said he wanted some additional size to start the game, and that one of the Huskies strengths is a versatile lineup with players that can be interchanged.

Junior forward Zach Pancratz scored a career high 22 points off the bench, and shot a precise 6-for-8 from three-point range.

James Nokes is a the Men’s Basketball beat reporter for the Northern Star.