FACTS & STATS: Site: Assembly Hall (16,618) -- Champaign, Illinois Television: ESPN360.com. Home Record: NIU 0-0, Illinois 1-0. Away Record: NIU 0-1, Illinois 0-0. Neutral Record: NIU 0-0, Illinois 0-0. Conference Record: NIU 0-0, Illinois 0-0. Series Record: First-ever meeting.

GAME NOTES: The 23rd-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini take aim at their second straight win to open the season as they play host to the Huskies of Northern Illinois tonight at Assembly Hall in Champaign.

Northern Illinois is 0-1 after falling by a score of 77-55 to another Big Ten Conference foe in Northwestern in its opener last Friday. The Huskies have lost 36 of their last 41 road games, and are just 1-29 all-time against Big Ten opponents away from home. The Huskies, who are members of the Mid-American Conference, will open their home schedule this Friday against Tennessee State.

Illinois had no trouble getting past SIU-Edwardsville in its lidlifter last Friday, blasting the Cougars in a 96-69 final. It was the Illini's 11th straight season-opening victory, and it also marked the team's highest point total since laying 105 on Longwood in December of 2004. This is the second of four straight home games the Illini will play to kick off the 2009-10 season.

Despite residing in the same state, this game marks the first-ever meeting between the Huskies and Illini on the hardwood.

Xavier Silas scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds, but only one other player reached double figures for the Huskies as they fell at Northwestern last week, 77-55. Silas, who was playing in his first game for the Huskies, suffered a broken bone in his hand and is expected to miss the next couple of weeks. That means a guy like Darion "Jake" Anderson will need to step up and carry the team for a while. Anderson hit 6-of-9 FG attempts to finish with 15 points in the opener, and he also crashed the boards hard to tally a game-high eight rebounds. Others will need to elevate their game as well, notably guard Mike DiNunno, who missed all six of his shots in the opener, and center Sean Kowal, who chipped in eight points in dropping 4-of-5 from the field. Overall, NIU will have to shoot better than the 40.8 percent it shot against the Wildcats, and the Huskies will surely have to do better than the 2-of-18 effort from long range it managed in the opening setback.

Brandon Paul certainly made the most of his first collegiate game, establishing a new Illinois record by netting 22 points in the season-opening win over SIU-Edwardsville. Paul, who nailed four three-pointers in the contest, set the new UI benchmark for points by a freshman in his debut. Fellow rookie D.J. Richardson added 14 points on the strength of his 8-of-10 showing at the foul line, while Demetri McCamey set the table with seven assists. He also added 11 points. Mike Davis logged a double-double, the 10th of his career, with 10 points and 10 rebounds, helping the Illini claim a 41-30 edge on the glass. Illinois shot a rock-solid 55.4 percent from the field, while limiting SIUE to just 34.5 percent.

With one of their better scorers on the shelf for the foreseeable future, the Huskies will be hard-pressed to keep this game close. Expect the Illini to run away with the victory, affording the team the luxury of substituting freely in the second half.

Predicted Outcome

Illinois 84, Northern Illinois 62