If you light a fire underneath the beast, it will just anger him more.

The NIU basketball team realizes this and knows that Ohio’s Brandon Hunter, the nation’s leading rebounder, will come into DeKalb today on a mission.

With a 7:05 p.m. start time at the Convocation Center, NIU (12-9, 8-3) will face Ohio (7-11, 4-6) in a MAC crossover.

“We definitely frustrated him last time at home,” NIU freshman guard Anthony Maestranzi said. “It was real frustrating for him, so I’m sure he’s going to try to have a real good game against us.”

A 6-foot-7, 260-pound behemoth, Hunter is not an opponent to be taken lightly as evidenced by his 22.2 points and 13.6 rebounds per game average.

In NIU’s first matchup of the season with Ohio on Jan. 15, the Huskies came away with the win, 68-61. In that contest, NIU kept Hunter scoreless in the first half because of foul trouble. In the second half, he went off for 16 points on a bevy of backboard-shattering dunks, unleashing his anger on the rim.

Hunter will have to deal with an NIU team that is tied with Central Michigan for first place in the MAC West after the Chippewas won Monday night against Western Michigan.

The Huskies are led in scoring by junior guard Perry Smith, who ranks 18th in the MAC with a 13.9 point per game average.

Trailing shortly behind is fellow junior Marcus Smallwood with a 13 ppg average. Smallwood, a 6-foot-6 power forward, also ranks 13th in rebounding with 10.2 a game.

Due in large part to Hunter, Ohio was voted the top team in the MAC East in the preseason polls. However, the season has not gone according to plans for the Bobcats.

In second to last place in the East, Ohio has struggled. Its conference wins have not come easy, either – at least not outside of last place Buffalo. Outside of two wins over Buffalo, Ohio had a double overtime win over Marshall and a quadruple overtime victory against Akron.

The key to Ohio’s wins is not a secret. In the Bobcats’ four MAC wins, Hunter has averaged 28 points and 20 rebounds.

“I don’t think you can really defend Brandon with one player; it has to be a team concept,” NIU assistant coach Carl Armato said. “If we are playing man-to-man defense, whoever is guarding him will certainly need a lot of help.

“Even if you do foul him, he can still finish. Then it causes you problems with foul troubles and putting them in the bonus. He’s an excellent player, and he’s earned a lot of the respect he’s got.”

NIU plans to guard Hunter with a variety of defenses today.

In the past, the Huskies have relied mostly on a 3-2 or 1-2-2 zone. Against Ohio, 6-foot-6 Jamel Staten or 6-foot-6 Todd Peterson may play the top of the zone for the Huskies, Armato said. They will, as they did against Ohio in the two team’s first meeting, drop down in the zone and double-team Hunter.

Coming off a two-game road trip, NIU, winners of eight of its last nine, is happy to be back home.

“It’s nice to come back,” Maestranzi said. “We just had a real long road trip, so it’s real nice to come back and play at home. We’ve been so focused on the road, but it doesn’t really matter to us anymore where we play.”