DEKALB, Ill. – A busy week of competition is on tap for Northern Illinois University athletics, with ten programs set to take the court, field, or ice this week. Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams will look to build on recent momentum, while baseball and softball kick off their 2026 seasons.
Men’s Basketball Looks to Continue Momentum
The NIU men’s basketball team returns to Mid-American Conference play after a successful showing in the MAC/Sun Belt Challenge, where they secured a road win at Georgia State . The Huskies host Bowling Green at 7 p.m., with the game broadcast on ESPN+, and then travel to Central Michigan for a afternoon matchup at 4 p.m., also available on ESPN+.
Makhai Valentine led NIU in the win at Georgia State, scoring 23 points with five three-pointers. The Huskies will face a Bowling Green team currently holding a 14-10 overall record and a 5-6 mark in league play. Central Michigan enters the week with a 7-17 overall record and a 3-8 conference record.
Women’s Basketball Wraps Homestand
The NIU women’s basketball team concludes its three-game homestand with a pair of contests this week. They face UMass on at 6 p.m. And Akron on at 1 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+.
The Huskies recently secured a thrilling 71-69 victory over Texas State , sealed by a layup from Nevaeh Wingate with just 0.6 seconds remaining. Wingate finished with 21 points, while freshman Emilie Sorensen also contributed 21 points, including a season-high six three-pointers. The game against UMass marks the first-ever meeting between the two programs. NIU holds a 26-13 all-time series advantage over Akron, but has lost the last three contests against the Zips.
Baseball Season Opens on the Road
The NIU baseball team begins its 2026 season with a three-game series at North Carolina A&T, starting at 2 p.m. The series continues at 1 p.m. And concludes at 11 a.m. Games will be streamed on FloBaseball (subscription required), with live stats available on the North Carolina A&T athletics website.
Head coach Ryan Copeland is entering his second season with the Huskies, who were 21-33 in 2025 and set program records for runs scored, walks, home runs, runs batted in, and pitching strikeouts. The team returns a core group of hitters, led by fifth-year first baseman Gavin Baldwin, who was recently named to D1 Baseball’s Preseason Top 50 First Basemen. Baldwin was an All-MAC Second Team selection in 2025, batting .322 with 18 doubles, 15 home runs, and 57 RBI.
Softball Heads to Texas for Bevo Classic
The NIU softball team will compete in the Bevo Classic, hosted by the University of Texas, this weekend. The Huskies will face Abilene Christian and Ohio State on , followed by another game against Abilene Christian and a matchup with Syracuse on . They will conclude the tournament with a game against Texas, the 2025 NCAA Champions, on at 12 p.m., which will be broadcast on SEC Network Plus.
The Huskies return all-MAC honorees Danielle Stewart, Jenna Turner, and Lily Cassell. Turner led the team with 68 hits and 35 runs scored last season, while both Turner and Stewart batted over .322. Cassell and Stewart combined for 15 wins in the circle during the 2025 season. The Huskies reached the MAC tournament for the first time since 2019 last year.
Additional Huskie Action
Beyond basketball, baseball, and softball, several other NIU programs will be in action this week. The gymnastics team travels to Bowling Green for a conference meet on . The wrestling team will finish its non-conference schedule with a match at Northwestern on evening. The women’s golf team is competing at the BGSU Women’s Intercollegiate in Litchfield Park, Arizona, and . The men’s and women’s tennis teams will both host matches this weekend, with the men facing Southern and Omaha/Wisconsin-Whitewater and the women hosting Saint Louis.
The women’s track and field team will split its squad between the Blue Demon Alumni Classic in Chicago and the Chicagoland Indoor Championship in Naperville on .
