2025–26 Northern Illinois Huskies men's basketball team

2025–26 Northern Illinois Huskies men's basketball
ConferenceMid-American Conference
Record3–7 (0–0 MAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Drew Gladstone
  • Antwon Jackson
  • Jacob Kurtz
  • Eric Rwahwire
  • Eduardo Fernandez
Home arenaConvocation Center
2025–26 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Miami (OH) 0 – 0   – 11 – 0   1.000
Buffalo 0 – 0   – 9 – 2   .818
Kent State 0 – 0   – 9 – 2   .818
Akron 0 – 0   – 8 – 3   .727
Bowling Green 0 – 0   – 8 – 3   .727
UMass 0 – 0   – 8 – 3   .727
Eastern Michigan 0 – 0   – 6 – 5   .545
Ohio 0 – 0   – 5 – 6   .455
Toledo 0 – 0   – 5 – 6   .455
Western Michigan 0 – 0   – 5 – 6   .455
Central Michigan 0 – 0   – 4 – 7   .364
Northern Illinois 0 – 0   – 4 – 7   .364
Ball State 0 – 0   – 3 – 8   .273
† 2026 MAC tournament winner
As of December 17, 2025

The 2025–26 Northern Illinois Huskies men's basketball team represents Northern Illinois University during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Huskies, led by fifth-year head coach Rashon Burno, play their home games at the Convocation Center in DeKalb, Illinois as members of the Mid-American Conference (MAC).

Previous season

The Huskies finished the 2024–25 season 6–25, 2–16 in MAC play, to finish in last place.[1] They failed to qualify for the MAC tournament, as only the top eight teams qualify.[2]

Offseason

Departures

Departures
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Dominic Gooden 0 G 6' 5" 180 Junior Cleveland, OH Transferred to Minnesota State–Moorhead[3]
Quentin Jones 1 G 6' 5" 180 Sophomore Chicago, IL Transferred to Saint Louis[4]
Tsvet Sotirov 2 F 6' 9" 210 RS Freshman Rolling Meadows, IL Transferred to Georgia Southern[5]
Joe Munden Jr. 3 G 6' 4" 199 Graduate Student Harlem, NY Graduated
Oluwasegun Durosinmi 4 F 6' 9" 243 Senior Lagos, Nigeria Graduated
Kailon Nicholls 5 G 6' 0" 160 Sophomore Toronto, ON Transferred to Angelo State[6]
Nasir Muhammad 7 G 6' 2" 186 Sophomore Brooklyn, NY Transferred to Albany[7]
Jayden Mott 11 F 6' 8" 210 Freshman Midwest City, OK Transferred to Central Connecticut[8]
Peyton Ackerman 12 G 5' 10" 150 RS Sophomore Oklahoma City, OK Transferred to Oklahoma City
James Dent Jr. 14 G 6' 5" 170 Senior Springfield, IL Transferred to Middle Tennessee[9]
Ethan Butler 15 F 6' 7" 220 Junior Toronto, ON Transferred to Charlotte[10]
Leo Amari IV 20 G 6' 2" 170 Sophomore Sherman Oaks, CA Transferred to Evansville
David Mack 21 G 5' 10" 160 Freshman Los Angeles, CA Transferred to Cerritos
Steven Tipton 22 G 6' 2" 183 Junior Brookfield, WI Transferred to Western Illinois
Mo Sall 23 G 6' 5" 185 Junior Downers Grove, IL Transferred to Roosevelt
Quaran McPherson 24 G 6' 4" 197 RS Junior South Jamaica, NY Transferred to UAB[4]

Incoming transfers

Incoming transfers
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school
Gianni Cobb 0 G 6' 0" 150 Sophomore Chicago, IL Columbia
Makhai Valentine 1 G 6' 3" 190 Sophomore Munhall, PA Missouri State
Daemar Kelly 3 G 6' 5" 195 Junior Pittsburgh, PA St. Francis (PA)
JJ Taylor 4 F 6' 8" 196 Junior Chicago, IL Central Florida
Hassan 'Tre' Washington 7 F 6' 8" 240 Junior Providence, RI Monroe University
Jao Ituka 10 G 6' 1" 196 Junior Gaithersburg, MD Jacksonville State
Isaiah Washington 11 G 6' 5" 185 RS Freshman Fayetteville, NC UNC Greensboro
Lataevyon Taylor 15 G 6' 0" 160 Sophomore Chicago, IL Western Oklahoma State
Jaylen Wharton 23 F 6' 9" 200 RS Junior Plant City, FL South Florida

Preseason

On October 21, 2025 the MAC released the preseason coaches poll. Northern Illinois was picked to finish last in the MAC regular season.[11]

Preseason rankings

MAC preseason poll
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Akron 143 (11)
2 Miami (OH) 133 (2)
3 Kent State 122
4 Ohio 108
5 UMass 98
6 Toledo 95
7 Bowling Green 73
8 Ball State 62
9 Eastern Michigan 52
10 Western Michigan 46
11 Buffalo 37
12 Central Michigan 31
13 Northern Illinois 14

MAC Tournament Champions: Akron (8), Miami (2), Kent State (1), Ohio (1), UMass (1) [11]

Roster

2025–26 Northern Illinois Huskies men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Gianni Cobb 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 150 lb (68 kg) So Columbia Chicago, IL
G 1 Makhai Valentine 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Missouri State Munhall, PA
G 2 Carlos Coronado 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Fr Supreme Academy Coolidge, AZ
G 3 Daemar Kelly 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Saint Francis (PA) Pittsburgh, PA
F 4 JJ Taylor 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 196 lb (89 kg) Jr Central Florida Chicago, IL
G 6 Taj Walters 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr Moravian Prep Bronx, NY
F 7 Hassan 'Tre' Washington 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Jr Monroe University Providence, RI
F 8 Ladji Kante 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr – Marseille, France
G 10 Jao Ituka 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 196 lb (89 kg) Jr Jacksonville State Gaithersburg, MD
G 11 Isaiah Washington 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS Fr UNC Greensboro Fayetteville, NC
G 15 Lataevyon Taylor 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) So Western Oklahoma Chicago, IL
G/F 16 Isaiah Stewart 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Big Tyme Prep Rockwall, TX
G 21 Max Laskey 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr IMG Academy Birmingham, MI
F 23 Jaylen Wharton 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Jr South Florida Plant City, FL
G 25 Dylan Ducommun 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr – Geneva, Switzerland
F 96 Gustav Winther 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr – Roskilde, Denmark
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: November 29, 2025

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 3, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		ULM
MAC-SBC Challenge 		W 102–82  1–0
  19 – Ituka   10 – Winther   10 – Cobb  Convocation Center (1,071)
Dekalb, IL
November 7, 2025*
7:30 p.m., BTN 		at No. 24 Wisconsin L 72–97  1–1
  17 – Taylor   5 – Ituka   3 – Cobb  Kohl Center (15,222)
Madison, WI
November 10, 2025*
8:00 p.m., Mountain West Network 		at Grand Canyon L 59–88  1–2
  12 – Kelly   4 – Valentine   3 – Kelly  Global Credit Union Arena (7,008)
Phoenix, AZ
November 13, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Benedictine W 117–62  2–2
  18 – Kelly   7 – Valentine   5 – Cobb  Convocation Center (876)
DeKalb, IL
November 18, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Northern Iowa
Acrisure Series on-campus game 		L 57–70  2–3
  12 – Ducommun   5 – Valentine   7 – Ducommun  McLeod Center (3,283)
Cedar Falls, IA
November 21, 2025*
7:00 p.m., Marquee Sports Network 		at Loyola Chicago
Acrisure Series on-campus game 		W 76–59  3–3
  24 – Ducommun   10 – Walters   6 – Ducommun  Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,862)
Chicago, IL
November 25, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Austin Peay
Acrisure Series on-campus game 		L 59–77  3–4
  12 – Cobb   4 – Kelly   2 – Cobb  F&M Bank Arena (1,833)
Clarksville, TN
November 29, 2025*
2 p.m., ESPN+ 		Bellarmine Canceled due to
inclement weather[12] 		Convocation Center 
Dekalb, IL
December 2, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Lindenwood L 64–99  3–5
  17 – Valentine   5 – Cobb   4 – Ducommun  Convocation Center (824)
DeKalb, IL
December 6, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Bradley L 55–84  3–6
  17 – Ducommun   8 – Winther   3 – Cobb  Carver Arena (5,750)
Peoria, IL
December 13, 2025*
12:00 p.m., FloCollege 		at Elon L 79–85  3–7
  17 – Valentine   10 – Valentine   5 – Kelly  Schar Center (1,092)
Elon, NC
December 16, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		East-West       Convocation Center 
DeKalb, IL
December 20, 2025
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Central Michigan       Convocation Center 
DeKalb, IL
December 30, 2025
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Buffalo       Convocation Center 
DeKalb, IL
January 3, 2026
12:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Kent State       M.A.C. Center 
Kent, OH
January 6, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Toledo       Convocation Center 
DeKalb, IL
January 13, 2026
5:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Eastern Michigan       George Gervin GameAbove Center 
Ypsilanti, MI
January 17, 2026
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		UMass       Convocation Center 
DeKalb, IL
January 20, 2026
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Ohio       Convocation Center 
Athens, OH
January 24, 2026
1 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Ball State       Worthen Arena 
Muncie, IN
January 27, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Western Michigan       Convocation Center 
DeKalb, IL
January 31, 2026
2:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Miami       Millett Hall 
Oxford, OH
February 7, 2026*
TBA, ESPN+ 		at TBA
MAC–SBC Challenge 		      TBA 
TBA
February 11, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Bowling Green       Convocation Center 
DeKalb, IL
February 14, 2026
3:45 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Central Michigan       McGuirk Arena 
Mount Pleasant, MI
February 17, 2026
5:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Buffalo       Alumni Arena 
Buffalo, NY
February 21, 2026
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Ohio       Convocation Center 
DeKalb, IL
February 24, 2026
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Toledo       Savage Arena 
Toledo, OH
February 28, 2026
3:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Ball State       Convocation Center 
DeKalb, IL
March 3, 2026
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Kent State       Convocation Center 
DeKalb, IL
March 6, 2026
6:00 p.m, ESPN+ 		at Akron       James A. Rhodes Arena 
Akron, OH
MAC Tournament
March 12, 2026†
TBA, TBA 		vs. TBA
Quarterfinals 		      Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse 
Cleveland, OH
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

Sources:[13][14]

References

  1. ^ "2024-25 Men's Basketball Standings". Mid-American Conference. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
  2. ^ Fenbers, Robert (March 12, 2025). "Mid-American Conference basketball tournament 2025 schedule, results, TV, ticket info". Cleveland.com. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
  3. ^ Eric, Peterson (May 19, 2025). "Dragons men add 3rd D-I transfer, a former junior college scoring ace". InForum. Archived from the original on May 21, 2025. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
  4. ^ a b "2025 Northern Illinois Basketball Transfer Portal". On3. Archived from the original on November 30, 2025. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
  5. ^ "Men's Basketball Signs Transfer Forward Tsvet Sotirov". Georgia Southern University Athletics. May 6, 2025. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
  6. ^ Harris, Paul (August 22, 2025). "Angelo State Rams Add 5 More Players to Signing Class". sanangelolive.com. Archived from the original on November 30, 2025. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
  7. ^ Shinder, Adam (April 16, 2025). "Northern Illinois transfer Nasir Muhammad commits to UAlbany". Times Union. Archived from the original on April 17, 2025. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
  8. ^ Gullo, Rob (May 22, 2025). "CCSU Men's basketball adds Northern Illinois transfer Mott". New Britain Herald. Archived from the original on May 25, 2025. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
  9. ^ "MTSU Men's Basketball signs guard James Dent Jr". Shelbyville Times-Gazette. July 10, 2025. Archived from the original on August 11, 2025. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
  10. ^ CStandard (May 8, 2025). "Ethan Butler Is A Veteran Voice Who Can Make An Impact For Charlotte Men's Basketball". Collegiate Standard. Archived from the original on May 19, 2025. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
  11. ^ a b "MAC Announces 2025-26 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll & Teams". Mid-American Conference. October 21, 2025. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
  12. ^ "Men's Basketball Game vs. Bellarmine Canceled". NIU Athletics. November 27, 2025. Retrieved November 29, 2025.
  13. ^ "2025-26 Men's Basketball Schedule". NIU Athletics. Archived from the original on November 30, 2025. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
  14. ^ "Northern Illinois Huskies Schedule 2025-26". ESPN. Retrieved November 29, 2025.
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