SATURDAY'S GAME: Miami returns to the court for a 1 p.m. game on Saturday, Jan. 9 when the RedHawks host Northern Illinois University. This is just the second Mid-American Conference game for the RedHawks. 

TELEVISION: Saturday's game against Northern Illinois will be carried live on ESPN+. Steve Baker and Randy Hollowell will call the action. 

RADIO: In its second year of its partnership with Van Wagner, the Miami Sports Network, powered by Pepsi, continues its coverage of Miami Basketball with a group of affiliates blanketing most of Southwest Ohio and Southeast Indiana. The radio broadcast also will be carried via the TuneIn App. Terry Bridge will call the action. Tune-in to one of Miami's gameday affiliates:

WFMG-FM 101.3 (Richmond, Ind.)
WMOH-AM 1450 (Hamilton, Ohio)
WONE-AM 980 (Dayton, Ohio)
TuneIn App

ABOUT NORTHERN ILLINOIS: The Huskies enter Saturday's game with a 1-8 overall record and an 0-4 Mid-American Conference mark. NIU's win came against Chicago State on Dec. 18, 64-54. The Huskies have dropped their last three games, including a 76-73 loss at Ohio on Tuesday. Three Huskies are averaging double figures in scoring, led by Tyler Cochran's 13.8 ppg. Darius Beane and Trendon Hankerson follow, averaging 12.3 and 11.7 ppg, respectively. Cochran also leads the team in rebounding, averaging 7.4 rpg.

THE SERIES WITH THE HUSKIES: Saturday marks the 52nd meeting between Miami and Northern Illinois with the RedHawks owning a 33-18 lead in the all-time series. When playing in Oxford, the RedHawks are 23-4 against the Huskies. Miami captured the last meeting between the teams, 65-60, which was in Oxford on Feb. 15, 2020. Miami's last loss in the series was in DeKalb, Ill., on Feb. 1, 2020, 70-55. The RedHawks' last home loss to NIU was on Jan. 8, 2019, 83-70.

REDHAWKS LEAD MAC IN FEWEST TURNOVERS: Averaging 9.5 turnovers per game, Miami leads the MAC in fewest turnovers and ranks sixth nationally. Miami has committed fewer turnovers than its opponent in four games and the same number in one game this season. The RedHawks turned the ball over just four times against Mount St. Joseph on December 11, their second-straight game with fewer than 10 turnovers. The most turnovers the RedHawks have committed so far this season is 14 at Wright State on Dec. 5.

CLOSING IN ON 1,000: Entering the RedHawks' next game with 979 career points, senior forward Dalonte Brown is just 21 away from becoming 37th member of Miami's 1,000 Point Club. 

LAIRY REMAINS PERFECT FROM FREE-THROW LINE: After sinking 10-of-10 free throws in the season opener against North Dakota, junior guard Mekhi Lairy has continued his perfect free-throw shooting through six games (21-of-21). Nationally, Lairy has the second-most made free throws while posting a 1.000 free-throw percentage and leads the MAC. Lairy's season-opening performance against UND tied several others at Miami for the single-game free-throw percentage record (minimum of 10 attempts). The last time a Miami player was perfect from the charity stripe while hitting double figures in free throws was when Willie Moore went 12-for-12 from the line at Bowling Green on Jan. 25, 2014.

DOUBLE TROUBLE: Senior forward Dalonte Brown has recorded two double-doubles this season with 19 points and 16 rebounds against Western Illinois on Dec. 9 and 17 points and 11 rebounds at Bradley on Dec. 19. Redshirt junior forward James Beck notched a 14-point, 10-rebound effort in the season opener against North Dakota. 

20/20 VISION: Junior guard Mekhi Lairy became the most-recent RedHawk to log a 20-point scoring effort with a career-high-tying 21 points against Mount St. Joseph on Dec. 11. Lairy was 8-of-13 (.615) from the floor against the Lions. Sophomore Dae Dae Grant posted the first 20-point scoring effort for the RedHawks with 21 points against North Dakota in the season opener on Nov. 25.

COLEMAN-LANDS HOLDING STRONG IN ASSIST/TURNOVER RATIO: Redshirt junior guard Isaiah Coleman-Lands has been stingy with turnovers and currently boasts a 4.25 assist/turnover ratio with 17 assists to a mere four turnovers through six games.  

ODDS 'N ENDS

• Senior forward Dalonte Brown played in his 100th career game on Tuesday, Dec. 15 against Buffalo.
• Junior guard Mekhi Lairy handed out seven assists at Bradley on Dec. 19, accounting for 64 percent of the RedHawks' assists.
• In their last outing, the RedHawks shot 50 percent from the floor for the game against Bradley. Miami also shot a solid 54.2 percent from three-point range against the Braves, going 13-of-24 from beyond the arc. It was a season-best three-point shooting percentage for the Red and White.
• The RedHawks' 13 triples against Bradley were a season high. Sophomore guard Dae Dae Grant led the way with four three-pointers, while senior forward Dalonte Brown and redshirt junior guard Isaiah Coleman-Lands each knocked down three. Junior guard Mekhi Lairy chipped in two treys, and junior forward Josh Brewer added one.

UP NEXT: Miami hits the road for a pair of games next week, beginning with a Battle of the Bricks match-up at Ohio on Tuesday, Jan. 12. It will be the 208th meeting between Miami and Ohio. The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m. Miami continues its road stretch at Western Michigan on Saturday, Jan. 16. It will be the 133rd meeting between the RedHawks and the Broncos.