DeKALB | When the schedule came out for NIU women’s basketball, initial responses from fans may have been, “Have fun with that,” “Aren’t we just a MAC team?” or, “Are we trying to lose all our non-conference games?”

While it’s true the non-conference schedule is not exactly a walk in the park, there is a method to head coach Carol Owens’ madness. She plans to do all she can to get the team ready for some of the tougher opponents in the MAC.

“Our non-conference schedule is very competitive this season,” Owens said. “If you want to be the best, you have to play the best, and it’s good for us to be in some close games.”

NIU has already played the University of Illinois, DePaul and Indiana University Purdue University-Indianapolis. The only Huskie win of those three came against Illinois. If getting her team ready by testing them is what coach Owens is doing, then she has been successful. All three games have been decided by six points or fewer. The loss to DePaul was only by three points and, according to NIU guard Mary Basic, the Huskies didn’t even play close to their potential.

The payoff will come later in the season when those close games help NIU in tough situations.

Still on tap for non-conference games are UIC, Kansas and possibly Northwestern, if NIU can beat Cincinnati.

As if that wasn’t enough work for the Huskies, the MAC West figures to be extremely tight this season.

“It’s really going to be competitive,” Owens said. “Ball State is going to be one of the teams to beat and I think it’s going to go right down to the last week of the season. It‘s up in the air right now.”

NIU will get a good test of how much they have grown this season in mid-February when they face Kent State and Bowling Green in back-to-back games. According to Owens, both teams are going to cause a lot of trouble in the MAC.

NIU will have to rely on its tri-captains Mary Basic, Stephanie Raymond and Kristin Wiener to lead the way.

Raymond will be making a push for MAC Player of the Year, as she is already among the best in the MAC in many statistical categories, including second in scoring, third in assists, first in free throw percentage and sixth in steals.

However, look for Whitney Lowe and Jessie Wilcox to do some damage as well, since they will likely benefit from defenses focusing on the main three.

“Whitney and Jessie may fall under the radar a little,” Owens said. “But when they realize they can make shots too, it makes things tough on other teams ‘cause that’s just more people they can’t leave open.”

The key for the Huskies to have a successful season will likely come down to defense.

In their two losses this season, defense down the stretch is what hurt them, Owens said.

“Defense and rebounding are what we’re working on most,” Basic said. “We can be so good sometimes and when we’re on, we can do whatever we want to do. If we can stay consistent, we can accomplish a lot of things.”