DeKALB | With eight new players, fans will have to keep their programs nearby for tonight’s NIU men’s basketball exhibition game.

The 7 p.m. game against St. Francis (Ill.) at the Convocation Center features a reshuffled lineup that has NIU men’s basketball coach Rob Judson eager to get the season under way.

“This team is as athletic a group as we’ve had since I’ve been at Northern,” Judson said. “Their chemistry on the court thus far has been outstanding.”

Tonight will be the first chance to see how the new members mesh with the returnees for an NIU squad picked in various media polls to finish second in the MAC West.

The newly bulked-up frame of senior center and reigning MAC Defensive Player of the Year James Hughes will also be unveiled for the first time.

This season also will feature a return to the hardwood for Ben Rand. The junior forward missed the final three games last year due to an ACL tear in his right knee.

“Ben has recovered nicely from an unfortunate knee injury,” Judson said. “His leg strength has continued to grow stronger. He is going to be a better player and person because of the adversity he has overcome in the whole process.”

St. Francis is in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and competes in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference. St. Francis head coach Pat Sullivan steps to the helm for his 30th season at the Joliet school. The Saints had a dismal 5-28 2005 season that was marred by injury and the forfeiture of four games because of an ineligible player.

Junior point guard Eric Epps is a returning playmaker who averaged 11.8 points per game, and was a First Team All-CCAC selection.