This Thanksgiving Break, the NIU men’s basketball team will see more hardwood than turkey and stuffing.

With games against Southwest Missouri State at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday at the Convocation Center and at DePaul (1-0) on Saturday, the Huskies will find little time for an actual break.

“We do get Thursday off so we can go home and get some home cooking,” NIU freshman guard Zach Pancratz said. “But we have to come back for practice that night.”

NIU lost its regular season opener Saturday at Loyola 63-56.

The Huskies will have to make strides if they are going to beat a physical team like SMS (0-1), NIU coach Rob Judson said.

Against Loyola, NIU was out rebounded 42-25 and that is something Judson and Pancratz don’t want to see again.

“They are big, physical guys and they crash the boards,” said Pancratz, who became the first NIU freshman to play 30-plus minutes in a season opener since Kenny Battle in 1983. “Pretty much, they are good at everything we need to work on as a team.”

But despite the size of SMS, which starts three guards and two 6-foot-7 forwards, what worried Judson the most about the game was his team’s inconsistency. He stressed how NIU’s play on both sides of the ball fell off in the second half against Loyola.

After their game Wednesday and a turkey dinner Thursday, the players will go back to work, preparing for their game at 1 p.m. against DePaul.

“Right now we are just focusing on SMS,” Pancratz said. “After we get a little food in our stomachs, then we will worry about DePaul.

“What matters right now is that we all know we didn’t play our best at Loyola,” he said. “But our practices since have really improved and even if we have to practice over Thanksgiving to get better. Then that’s what we will do.”