One team dons orange and blue, the other red and black.

However, you don’t have to dig deep to realize that the University of Illinois and NIU hoops share common ground.

NIU forward Marcus Smallwood and Illinois guard Sean Harrington, one year Smallwood’s elder, went to school together at Elgin High School.

“We talk on the phone every once in awhile,” Harrington said. “In the summers and the offseason it’s a lot easier to find time though.”

NIU tried to get U of I to open the Convocation Center, but U of I declined. Thus, barring a matchup in the NCAA Tournament, Smallwood and Harrington will have never crossed paths on the court since their prep days.

“It would be fun to play against all my friends, because I have a lot that play D-1 basketball,” Smallwood said. “It would’ve been good to play against U of I, to play a Big Ten team like them.”

Another way the schools are connected is that NIU coach Rob Judson was an assistant coach for the Fighting Illini from 1996-2001 before arriving at NIU.

Judson helped lead the Illini to four NCAA tournament appearances in his five seasons there. Not only did Judson coach there, but he also played for U of I in the late ’70s.

In his less than two seasons at NIU, Judson has taken a program that won five games two seasons ago, to being tied for first in the MAC.

“Coach Judson has done a great job at NIU,” said Harrington, who was recruited to Illinois by Judson. “He brings a lot of intensity and he knows the game very well.”

Even with all the similarities the programs share, there are several differences, such as TV exposure and fan turnout.

Illinois’ home court, Assembly Hall, finds itself packed to the brim with orange shirts game in and game out. U of I has sold out every conference game this season. On the year, they are averaging 14,942 fans in its 16,500 seat facility.

NIU’s Convocation Center hasn’t seen that much exposure as the Huskies have yet to experience a sellout since it opened Nov. 23. NIU averages 3,325 fans a game in its 10 home games.

Fans that have attended U of I games say that it is definitely unique.

“There are a lot of people and a lot of orange,” U of I junior advertising major Jason Frukacz said. “It’s more of a home court advantage here at U of I.”

However, while Judson was at Illinois, he helped revive the Orange Krush, and he is trying to get the same thing started with the Huskies’ dog pound.

“The Krush was already there when I got there, but we helped reorganize it and bring it to what it is now,” Judson said. “The students really took it over and ran with it. There were a limited amount of seats available and they were at a premium, and that made the demand real high.”

While the Dogpound started the year off slow, it saw it’s peak in NIU’s last home game against Ohio. While the overall crowd was diminished by the snow storm prior to game time, the Dogpound wasn’t effected. And Judson hopes similar results will continue to be shown.