ATHENS, Ohio -- The Ohio men's basketball team (10-9, 4-3 MAC) is back in Athens this Tuesday, Jan. 20 when the Bobcats host Northern Illinois (6-11, 2-5 MAC). Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET inside the Convocation Center and can be seen on ESPN+ where Marty Bannister, Rob Cornelius and Gabe Genovesi will have the call.

The Bobcats' matchup can also be heard on the Ohio Sports Network from Learfield, presented by Holzer Health System. Jason Toy begins his second season on the mic for the Bobcats and will be joined by veteran college basketball analyst Dave Cecutti. WXTQ (Power 105) in Athens returns as the 11-station net- work's flagship and can be heard on the Varsity Network App. 

TIP-OFF
This is the 66th all-time meeting between Ohio and NIU.
Ohio leads the all-time series, 42-23.
Ohio is 16-7 against NIU since 2009-10, while the Bobcats are 10-2 against the Huskies under Jeff Boals.
Ohio and NIU met once last season on Jan. 11 in Athens, with Ohio winning, 108-70 inside the Convo. 
Senior guard Jackson Paveletzke was named the MAC Player of the Week on Jan. 12 for his performance the week of Jan. 5.
Ohio is coming off a 76-71 loss at Ball State on Jan. 16.
Senior forward Aidan Hadaway finished the game with 22 points and seven rebounds, while senior guard Jackson Paveletzke finished with 22 points and four assists.
Redshirt junior forward Javan Simmons recorded a season-high 21 points against Toledo on Jan. 13.
Against Buffalo on Jan. 10, senior forward Aidan Hadaway had 27 points and 10 rebounds, while senior guard Jackson Paveletzke finished with 23 points, six rebounds and eight assists.
Redshirt junior forward Javan Simmons is recorded his 1,000 career point on Jan. 6 against UMass.
Against UMass, redshirt junior forward Javan Simmons led the Bobcats with 20 points and five rebounds in the win.
Redshirt freshman guard Jesse Burris recorded a career-high 13 points and hit three 3-pointers against UMass on Tuesday, playing 17 minutes off the bench for the Bobcats.
Senior guard Ajay Sheldon scored a season-high 13 points and hit three 3-pointers, while recording four steals on Tuesday against UMass.
Senior guard Jackson Paveletzke scored 14 points, including the game-winning three, at EMU on Jan. 3, while redshirt junior forward Javan Simmons led Ohio with 15 points and six rebounds.
The Bobcats are currently ranked 215 in the latest NET rankings, with opponent NIU in at 316.

SCOUTING NORTHERN ILLINOIS
NIU is currently 6-11 overall and 2-4 in MAC play and are coming off a 70-68 win over UMass at home on Saturday. 

Overall, NIU averages 73.9 points per game, while shooting 42.3 percent from the field, 31.5 percent from three and 67.0 percent from the line. Meanwhile, opponents are averaging 77.5 points per game, while shooting 47.6 percent from the field, 32.2 percent from three and 71.2 percent from the line. 

NIU is averaging 37.0 rebounds, 13.4 assists, 6.9 steals and 1.7 blocks a game, while forcing opponents to turn the ball over an average of 13.1 times a game. NIU opponents are averaging 33.1 rebounds, 14.2 assists, 8.5 steals and 4.5 blocks a game, while forcing 15.7 turnovers a contest.

Makhai Valentine leads NIU with 14.3 points and 5.6 rebounds, while shooting 42.4 percent from the field and 85.5 percent from the line, while Dylan Ducommun adds 12.1 points, while shooting 36.4 percent from the field, with Gustav Winther averages 9.1 points and 5.3 rebounds. 

SCOUTING OHIO
Ohio is 10-9 overall and 4-3 in MAC play after falling to Toledo on the road on Tuesday night. 

Ohio is averaging 78.1 points a game, while shooting 47.6 percent from the field, 30.5 percent from three and 68.3 percent from the line. The Bobcats also add 34.4 rebounds a game, while dishing out 13.7 assists and recording 6.7 steals a contest. Ohio is also forcing opponents to turn the ball over 12.7 times a game, scoring on average 15.2 points off them. 

Meanwhile, Ohio opponents are averaging 77.2 points a game, while shooting 45.3 percent from the field, 34.7 percent from three and 73.2 percent from the line. Opponents are averaging 35.7 rebounds, 13.9 assists and 7.1 steals a game, while forcing Ohio to turn the ball over an average of 12.3 times a game, while scoring on average 1321 points off them. 

Individually, Ohio is led by senior guard Jackson Paveletzke with 17.4 points and 4.8 assists a game, while shooting 52.2 percent from the field and 37.3 percent from three. Senior forward Aidan Hadaway averages 14.1 points and a team-leading 7.6 rebounds a game, while shooting 48.2 percent from the field, while redshirt junior froward Javan Simmons adds 13.5 points and 5.0 rebounds, while shooting 51.8 percent from the field. 

ALL-TIME AGAINST NORTHERN ILLINOIS
This is the 66th all-time meeting between Ohio and NIU.

Ohio leads the all-time series, 42-23.

Ohio is 16-7 against NIU since 2009-10, while the Bobcats are 10-2 against the Huskies under Jeff Boals.

LAST AGAINST NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Ohio and NIU met once last season on Jan. 11 in Athens, with Ohio winning, 108-70 inside the Convo. 

Jackson Paveletzke scored 19 points and had five assists, while Aidan Hadaway scored 10 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Elijah Elliott also finished the game with 10 points.

MARCH TO 1,000
On Jan, 6, 2026 against UMass, redshirt junior forward Javan Simmons scored his 1,000th career point, becoming the 49th member of the 1,000-point club for the Bobcats. 

Simmons is also the ninth Bobcat to do so under Jeff Boals.  

OHIO IN THE MAC
Senior guard Jackson Paveletzke is currently sixth in the conference in scoring (17.4), fourth in assists (4.8) and first in minutes (35.9). 

Senior forward Aidan Hadaway is fourth in the league in rebounding (7.6).

Freshman guard JJ Kelly is 10th in the MAC in field goal percentage (.577). 

Senior guard Ajay Sheldon is seventh in the MAC in steals (1.7). 

OHIO IN NET
The Bobcats are currently ranked 215 in the latest NET rankings, with NIU ranked at 316

Miami leads the conference in NET this week at 52. 

BOBCATS IN THE NCAA
Ohio is currently ranked 67th in the nation in field goal percentage. 

Senior guard Jackson Paveletzke is currently 17th in the nation in minutes per game, 84th in assists and 82nd in assists per game. 

Senior forward Aidan Hadaway is 80th in rebounds, 66th in defensive rebounds per game, and 101st in rebounds per game. He is also 95th in double doubles. 

Redshirt junior forward Javan Simmons is 63rd in the nation in free throw attempts. 

CONVO MAGIC
Ohio has registered an impressive 585-188 (.756) all-time record at the Convocation Center, which opened in 1968.

Ohio is 80-20 in the Convo under Boals in the last seven seasons.

UP NEXT
The Bobcats are back in Athens on Friday, Jan. 23 when the Bobcats host Akron inside the Convo. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET and can be seen nationally on ESPNU.