Tournament time is approaching, and the NIU women’s basketball team is still in the mix for a Mid-American Conference Championship.

The Huskies will play in the MAC tournament quarterfinals against Akron, with a tipoff at 3:30 p.m. today

The Huskies enter the game with a .500 record, a first since the beginning of the season, and if they beat the Zips, they will be over .500 for the first time since the 1994-95 season.

With Akron stunning No. 5 Buffalo with a one-point win Saturday, the Huskies could have their hands full with a team they haven’t seen in two years.

“Playing Akron means we’re going to have a lot of scouting because they’re a team we haven’t played in two years,” said NIU coach Carol Hammerle. “That would be a challenge because we don’t know anything about them.”

If the Huskies want to advance in the tournament, they will need a defensive effort similar to their first-round play against Central Michigan, in which CMU was held to a MAC tournament-low 35 points.

The starting lineup is predicted to be the same as Saturday’s game. Jennifer Youngblood and Kim Boeding will play forwards, Mickey Johnson will play center and the back court will consist of Monique Davis and Kristan Knake.

NIU and Akron haven’t played each other this season, but Hammerle believes that can serve as an advantage.

“It’s going to be to our advantage that they haven’t played against our defense,” said Hammerle. “I’ve always felt that’s kind of our ‘ace in the hole.’ If they haven’t competed against our defense, teams have a hard time handling our pressure. I’m going to lean toward the fact that if we play well, we’re going to control them.”