Every game is important for the NIU men’s basketball teams, but the final score against Western Michigan could decide a lot more than a win or a loss.

That’s because the NIU men’s basketball team only holds a half-game lead over Western Michigan in the MAC West standings.

“It’s another tough MAC game,” NIU coach Rob Judson said. “They’re all tough and all present their own challenges.”

The Huskies (12-7 overall, 7-4 MAC) will have a chance to extend their lead over the Broncos to one and a half games at 2:05 p.m. Saturday in the Convocation Center.

WMU (9-11, 6-4) comes into DeKalb winning its last five games.

“Western Michigan is extremely hot,” Judson said. “They have a strong inside presence with Joe Reitz… and a strong outside presence with Brian Snider.”

NIU has its own streak to protect, though, after winning its last three.

Both Reitz and Snider will present obstacles to the Huskies, but Judson knows his team will have to focus on the aspects they can control.

“Ball State out-rebounded us by a big margin,” the fifth-year coach said. “We overcame that with our shooting, but night in, night out our rebounding has to be solid.”

It will be a challenge for the Huskies to overcome their rebounding troubles, as WMU leads the MAC in both defensive and offensive rebounding.

The balanced attack for NIU will prove to be a difficult match up for the Broncos to guard against, Judson said.

Lately, the Huskies have been using more of an inside presence as junior James Hughes has averaged 14.8 points per game in the last five contests.

The Huskies will try to take advantage of home court in their first meeting with WMU of the season. The Huskies and Broncos won’t see each other again till the last game before the MAC tournament starts.