The last time Central Michigan tasted victory, it was at the hands of the NIU men’s basketball team.

CMU got 27 points from Kevin Nelson and hit 58.8 percent of its three- pointers to pull out the victory on Jan. 15.

But at 7:05 p.m. today at the NIU Convocation Center, Nelson will watch from the bench as the two teams face off again. The junior guard, who was the fourth leading scorer in the MAC, was suspended indefinitely for violating NCAA rules.

In his place, freshman Giordan Watson has led CMU in scoring the past two games.

But if CMU (7-13 overall, 2-10 MAC) wants to end its six-game losing streak, it will have to end a streak of NIU’s. The Huskies (8-12, 4-8) have won three in a row in DeKalb and four of their last five. And after dropping seven straight on the road, the NIU men’s basketball team can’t wait to get back to the Convo.

“We have played really well at home lately,” NIU coach Rob Judson said. “Too bad we really haven’t played many games at home so far this season.”

Over the last four home games, two Huskies have taken advantage more than the rest. NIU guard Mike McKinney is averaging 16.8 points per game while also grabbing 8.5 rebounds.

Then there is Todd Peterson. The 6-foot-8 forward is putting up 16.8 points during the four-game home span which included 31 points on Jan. 22 against Eastern Michigan. Peterson is also hitting 68.1 percent of his three- point attempts.

But Judson knows that in order to beat CMU, it’s going to take a team effort. And that is where he is most proud of the team.

Despite not having the success they envisioned at the beginning of the season, Judson doesn’t see his Huskies giving up anytime soon.

“If you came out to our practices you would see a team still diving on the floor,” Judson said. “This team looks forward to practice and that’s only going to make them better.”