# 2024–25 Northern Illinois Huskies men's basketball team

The 2024–25 Northern Illinois Huskies men's basketball team represented Northern Illinois University during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Huskies, led by fourth-year head coach Rashon Burno, played their home games at the Convocation Center in DeKalb, Illinois as members of the Mid-American Conference (MAC).

## Previous season

The Huskies finished the 2023–24 season 11–20, 5–13 in MAC play, to finish in 11th place. They failed to qualify for the MAC tournament, as only the top eight teams qualify.

## Offseason
### Departures

Departures :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Keshawn Williams | 0 | G | 6' 4" | 175 | Senior | Chicago Heights, IL | Transferred to Colorado State |
| Will Lovings-Watts | 1 | G | 6' 5" | 200 | Freshman | Jeffersonville, IN | Transferred to James Madison |
| Zarique Nutter | 2 | G | 6' 7" | 200 | Junior | Newark, NJ | Transferred to Georgia State |
| Philmon Gebrewhit | 5 | G | 6' 7" | 190 | Senior | Boston, MA | Graduated |
| Zion Russell | 10 | G | 6' 2" | 185 | RS Sophomore | Upper Marlboro, MD | Transferred to Niagara |
| David Coit | 11 | G | 5' 11" | 175 | Junior | Columbus, NJ | Transferred to Kansas |
| Xavier Amos | 13 | F | 6' 8" | 215 | Sophomore | Chicago, IL | Transferred to Wisconsin |
| Yanic Konan Niederhauser | 14 | F | 6' 11" | 255 | Sophomore | Fräschels, Switzerland | Transferred to Penn State |
| Luka Gogic | 21 | F | 6' 6" | 190 | Freshman | Belgrade, Serbia | |
| Harvin Ibarguen | 23 | F | 6' 9" | 235 | Senior | Cali, Colombia | Graduated |

### Incoming transfers

Incoming transfers :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Dominic Gooden | 0 | G | 6' 1" | 180 | Junior | Cleveland, OH | Hillsborough CC |
| Quentin Jones | 1 | G | 6' 5" | 180 | Sophomore | Chicago, IL | Cal Poly |
| Tsvet Sotirov | 2 | F | 6' 9" | 210 | RS Freshman | Rolling Meadows, IL | Saint Louis |
| Joe Munden Jr. | 3 | G | 6' 4" | 199 | Graduate student | Harlem, NY | Fairleigh Dickinson |
| Kailon Nicholls | 5 | G | 6' 0" | 160 | Sophomore | Toronto, ON | Duquesne |
| Peyton Ackerman | 12 | G | 5' 10" | 150 | RS Sophomore | Oklahoma City, OK | Grayson College |
| James Dent Jr. | 14 | G | 6' 5" | 170 | Senior | Springfield, IL | Western Illinois |
| Mo Sall | 23 | G | 6' 5" | 185 | Junior | Downers Grove, IL | DePaul |

### Recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight |
| Jayden Mott F | Midwest City, OK | Edmond Santa Fe High School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| David Mack G | Los Angeles, CA | St. Pius X - St. Matthias Academy | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Terry Copeland Jr. F | Orange, NJ | Legacy Early College | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

## Preseason

On October 22, 2024 the MAC released the preseason coaches poll. Northern Illinois was picked to finish eleventh in the MAC regular season.

### Preseason rankings

MAC preseason poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Ohio | 121 (11) |
| 2 | Akron | 106 (1) |
| 3 | Kent State | 99 |
| 4 | Toledo | 95 |
| 5 | Bowling Green | 73 |
| 6 | Miami (OH) | 72 |
| 7 | Ball State | 67 |
| 8 | Central Michigan | 55 |
| 9 | Eastern Michigan | 36 |
| 10 | Western Michigan | 33 |
| 11 | Northern Illinois | 24 |
| 12 | Buffalo | 11 |
MAC tournament champions: Ohio (8), Kent State (3), Toledo (1)
Source:

### Preseason All-MAC

No Huskies were named to the first or second Preseason All-MAC teams.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 4, 2024* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | at Georgia Southern MAC–SBC Challenge | L 65–80 | 0–1 | 24 – Dent Jr. | 6 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Hanner Fieldhouse (2,520) Statesboro, GA |
| November 7, 2024* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Holy Cross (IN) | W 105–37 | 1–1 | 14 – Tied | 7 – Dent Jr. | 4 – Tied | Convocation Center (921) DeKalb, IL |
| November 12, 2024* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Monmouth | W 79–66 | 2–1 | 22 – Jones | 8 – Dent Jr. | 3 – Muhammad | Convocation Center (1,033) DeKalb, IL |
| November 16, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | at Bradley | L 60–76 | 2–2 | 19 – Jones | 5 – Tied | 2 – Tied | Carver Arena (6,094) Peoria, IL |
| November 20, 2024* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Elon | L 48–75 | 2–3 | 16 – Dent Jr. | 8 – Munden Jr. | 4 – Dent Jr. | Convocation Center (1,081) DeKalb, IL |
| November 23, 2024* 4:00 p.m., FS2 | at DePaul DePaul Classic Multi-Team Event | L 52–98 | 2–4 | 16 – Jones | 6 – Tied | 4 – Dent Jr. | Wintrust Arena (3,593) Chicago, IL |
| November 27, 2024* 3:00 p.m., ESPN+ | at Valparaiso DePaul Classic Multi-Team Event | L 82–87 | 2–5 | 21 – Muhammad | 11 – McPherson | 4 – Dent Jr. | Athletics–Recreation Center (1,428) Valparaiso, IN |
| November 29, 2024* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | at Eastern Illinois DePaul Classic Multi-Team Event | L 59–72 | 2–6 | 20 – Dent Jr. | 9 – Dent Jr. | 4 – Jones | Groniger Arena (715) Charleston, IL |
| December 3, 2024* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Benedictine (IL) | W 89–70 | 3–6 | 20 – McPherson | 9 – McPherson | 5 – Dent Jr. | Convocation Center (961) DeKalb, IL |
| December 7, 2024* 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | at Northern Iowa | L 57–101 | 3–7 | 14 – Munden Jr. | 6 – Jones | 2 – Tied | McLeod Center (3,742) Cedar Falls, IA |
| December 18, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | at Illinois State | L 60–81 | 3–8 | 27 – Jones | 5 – Dent Jr. | 4 – Dent Jr. | CEFCU Arena (2,927) Normal, IL |
| December 30, 2024* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | East–West | W 117–50 | 4–8 | 25 – Tied | 11 – Tied | 11 – Jones | Convocation Center (1,532) DeKalb, IL |
| Conference regular season |||||||||
| January 4, 2025 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | at Eastern Michigan | L 71–75 | 4–9 (0–1) | 15 – Dent Jr. | 8 – Dent Jr. | 4 – Dent Jr. | George Gervin GameAbove Center (1,535) Ypsilanti, MI |
| January 7, 2025 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Kent State | L 50–68 | 4–10 (0–2) | 23 – Dent Jr. | 8 – McPherson | 6 – Jones | Convocation Center (1,004) DeKalb, IL |
| January 11, 2025 12:00 p.m., ESPN+ | at Ohio | L 70–108 | 4–11 (0–3) | 25 – Jones | 8 – Jones | 5 – Jones | Convocation Center (4,011) Athens, OH |
| January 14, 2025 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Miami (OH) | L 69–84 | 4–12 (0–4) | 21 – Jones | 6 – Sotirov | 4 – Dent Jr. | Convocation Center (1,244) DeKalb, IL |
| January 18, 2025 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Central Michigan | L 66–71 | 4–13 (0–5) | 22 – McPherson | 7 – Tied | 4 – Jones | Convocation Center (1,320) DeKalb, IL |
| January 21, 2025 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | at Western Michigan | L 70–72 | 4–14 (0–6) | 18 – Dent Jr. | 9 – McPherson | 7 – Jones | University Arena (1,232) Kalamazoo, MI |
| January 25, 2025 3:30 p.m., ESPN+ | Ball State | W 76–66 | 5–14 (1–6) | 19 – Muhammad | 10 – Tied | 6 – Jones | Convocation Center (2,565) DeKalb, IL |
| January 28, 2025 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Akron | L 70–80 | 5–15 (1–7) | 25 – Jones | 6 – Tied | 5 – Dent Jr. | Convocation Center (1,059) DeKalb, IL |
| February 1, 2025 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | at Toledo | L 85–89 | 5–16 (1–8) | 21 – Muhammad | 7 – McPherson | 5 – Muhammad | Savage Arena (5,057) Toledo, OH |
| February 4, 2025 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | at Bowling Green | L 77–84 | 5–17 (1–9) | 19 – Jones | 7 – Dent Jr. | 5 – Jones | Stroh Center (1,572) Bowling Green, OH |
| February 8, 2025* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Louisiana MAC–SBC Challenge | L 64–66 | 5–18 | 19 – McPherson | 8 – Jones | 4 – Jones | Convocation Center (1,278) DeKalb, IL |
| February 11, 2025 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Buffalo | L 67–73 | 5–19 (1–10) | 18 – Jones | 7 – Tied | 3 – Jones | Convocation Center (1,014) DeKalb, IL |
| February 15, 2025 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | at Ball State | L 83–89 $^{OT}$ | 5–20 (1–11) | 21 – Jones | 9 – Jones | 6 – Jones | Worthen Arena (3,825) Muncie, IN |
| February 18, 2025 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | at Akron | L 63–73 | 5–21 (1–12) | 28 – Jones | 7 – Jones | 4 – Dent Jr. | James A. Rhodes Arena (3,472) Akron, OH |
| February 22, 2025 3:30 p.m., ESPN+ | Eastern Michigan | L 76–79 | 5–22 (1–13) | 20 – Jones | 8 – Jones | 4 – Tied | Convocation Center (2,983) DeKalb, IL |
| February 25, 2025 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | at Miami (OH) | L 58–87 | 5–23 (1–14) | 17 – Muhammad | 6 – Dent Jr. | 4 – Dent Jr. | Millett Hall (2,197) Oxford, OH |
| March 1, 2025 3:30 p.m., ESPN+ | Western Michigan | L 70–74 | 5–24 (1–15) | 25 – Jones | 8 – Tied | 6 – Dent Jr. | Convocation Center (2,484) DeKalb, IL |
| March 4, 2025 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | Bowling Green | L 58–71 | 5–25 (1–16) | 18 – Jones | 7 – Dent Jr. | 6 – Dent Jr. | Convocation Center (1,223) DeKalb, IL |
| March 7, 2025 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | at Central Michigan | W 83–81 $^{2OT}$ | 6–25 (2–16) | 36 – Dent Jr. | 9 – Tied | 4 – Tipton | McGuirk Arena (1,432) Mount Pleasant, MI |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central. |||||||||
Sources: