James Hughes likes to think of NIU’s home court as the “friendly confines of the Convo.”

The sophomore center and the Huskies have enjoyed a 5-1 record at the Convocation Center against MAC opponents this season, but away from their friendly home, it’s been another story.

Only Miami-Ohio has a better home record in the MAC than the Huskies. Away from home, NIU is the only team without a MAC road win.

At 3:30 p.m. Saturday NIU will hope to break its seven-game road skid against a team that also has a 5-1 home record: Toledo (11-10, 7-5 MAC).

“It’s tough because you’re not staying in your own room,” NIU forward Todd Peterson said of playing on the road. “But the best thing you can do is keep a routine; eat at the same time, sleep at the same time – things like that.

“Other than that, we just need to pretend the other team’s rooting for us.”

Toledo knocked Bowling Green off the top of the MAC West by beating them 58-50 Wednesday.

NIU (9-12, 5-8) comes off a win against Central Michigan in which it held CMU to 46 points, the lowest point total in Convocation Center history.

The Rockets are led by senior Keith Triplett, one of two returning first team All-MAC players from last season. Triplett leads the league in steals and is ninth in scoring at 16.1 points per game.

NIU coach Rob Judson hopes his team’s success at home will carry over to the road.

“We’ve got to get a couple of possessions and get some confidence,” he said. “It’s a hard road conference wherever you go, but this is college basketball; the rim is 10 feet high and 18 inches across anywhere you go. We can’t make excuses.”

Hughes had an idea he hopes will help NIU to its first MAC road win.

“I think we just need to pretend it’s the Convocation Center and that we’re just out there playing,” he said.