====== January 17, 2026 - UMass at Northern Illinois ======
  * Season: [[season_2025-26|2025-26]]
  * Date: Saturday, January 17, 2026
  * Opponent: [[opponent_northern_illinois|Northern Illinois]]
  * Start Time: 3:00 PM ET / 2:00 PM CT
  * Site: [[wp>Convocation Center (Northern Illinois University)|Convocation Center]], DeKalb IL
  * Event: [[MAC]] game
  * Television: none
  * Stream: [[https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/eventCalendarId/401814525?gameId=401814525|ESPN+]]
  * Radio: [[https://www.audacy.com/stations/weei-1055fmspringfield|WEEI 105.5 FM]], [[https://wcrnradio.com/|WCRN 830 AM]], [[https://thevarsitynetwork.com/audioapplink/source/university-of-massachusetts:oas-1218/content/umass:allaccess-Live-5106|Varsity]] (stream)
  * Spread: UMass -8½((per Covers.com))
  * UM personnel report: [[Josh Engel]] was not dressed, no official report as to why.

[{{ ::20260117_bettiol_works.jpg?direct&300|Leo Bettiol put up 25 & 7 but didn't get much help from the rest of the UM frontcourt.  Photo courtesy: UMass Athletics}}]
  * **Result: Northern Illinois 70, UMass 68**
  * Attendance: 1535

^  Previous Game  ^  Next Game  ^
|  [[game20260113_western_michigan|at Western Michigan (1/13)]]  |  [[game20260120_toledo|Toledo (1/20)]]  |

===== Previews =====
  * Game notes: [[https://umassathletics.com/news/2026/1/16/mens-basketball-massachusetts-basketball-travels-to-northern-illinois-on-saturday|UM]], [[https://niuhuskies.com/news/2026/1/16/mens-basketball-huskies-welcome-umass-to-dekalb-saturday.aspx|NIU]]
  * Daily Hampshire Gazette: [[https://gazettenet.com/2026/01/16/umass-mens-basketball-looks-to-extend-winning-streak-in-mac-play-against-niu/|UMass men’s basketball looks to extend winning streak in MAC play against NIU]]
  * Minuteman Command: [[https://open.substack.com/pub/minutemancommand/p/key-to-umass-win-vs-niu-starts-up?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web|Key To UMass Win Vs. NIU Starts Up Top]]

Quick hits: 
  * NIU returned no players from the previous season.((https://www.umasshoops.com/newboard/viewtopic.php?p=583321#p583321))
  * NIU went into the game with a NET rating of 324, so this was a Quad 4 game for UMass.  UM was 8-1 in prior Quad 4 games.
  * UMass was favored by 8½, their largest spread in a neutral or away game so far this season.((https://www.covers.com/sport/basketball/ncaab/teams/main/umass-minutemen/2025-2026))

===== Game Thread =====
See [[https://www.umasshoops.com/newboard/viewtopic.php?t=17454|the UMassHoops.com Message Board thread]] for pre-game and post-game discussion.

===== Recaps =====
  * UM: [[https://umassathletics.com/news/2026/1/17/mens-basketball-massachusetts-mens-basketball-falls-to-northern-illinois|Massachusetts Men’s Basketball Falls To Northern Illinois]]
  * NIU: [[https://niuhuskies.com/news/2026/1/17/mens-basketball-valentine-ties-career-high-as-huskies-outlast-umass.aspx|Valentine Ties Career High as Huskies Outlast UMass]]
  * Mass. Daily Collegian: [[https://dailycollegian.com/2026/01/minutemen-fall-short-of-comeback-against-northern-illinois/|Minutemen fall short of comeback against Northern Illinois]]
  * MDC: [[https://dailycollegian.com/2026/01/umass-lack-toughness-versus-northern-illinois/|UMass lack toughness versus Northern Illinois]]
  * Minuteman Command: [[https://www.minutemancommand.com/p/umass-falls-on-road-at-niu|UMass Falls On Road At NIU]]

Quick hits:
  * UM started the day at 2-4, 9th place in the MAC standings, a half-game ahead of both NIU and Western Michigan.  Only the top 8 teams qualify for the MAC Tournament, so this was a good chance to try to move up.  Instead, with the loss, UM fell down to 10th.
  * Despite being favored by 8½, UMass only led for 3:16, and their largest lead was early on at 5-2.  UM fell behind by 12 late in the first half.
  * [[Daniel Hankins-Sanford]] was a non-factor, fouling out after just 16 minutes of play, with 0-4 shooting, just 3 rebounds and 2 points, 4 rebounds and 10 points below his average, and his low mark in scoring on the season.
  * [[leonardo_bettiol|Leo Bettiol]] did what he could to carry the team, with 25 points, 7 rebounds, and a +15, all UM highs.

===== Other content =====
  * Highlight packs from [[https://youtu.be/aBPUw9igxtw?si=H8HhyC0XoSXpPlgx|NIU]], [[https://x.com/MACSports/status/2012899025691779351|MAC]]
  * [[https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/video/_/gameId/401814525|Highlights and video clips from ESPN]]
  * UM video clip: [[https://x.com/UMassMBB/status/2012631242240336101|Wimbley denies Valentine]]
  * NIU video clips: [[https://x.com/GoHuskiesMBB/status/2012622255872786631|Failure to box out costs UM 2 points]], [[https://x.com/GoHuskiesMBB/status/2012625630739734541|UM loses Valentine in the corner]], [[https://x.com/GoHuskiesMBB/status/2012626816008106208|UM's perimeter D is slow again]], [[https://x.com/GoHuskiesMBB/status/2012638457609195716|NIU finds the hole in the 3-2 zone]], [[https://x.com/GoHuskiesMBB/status/2012641739022991702|Valentine uses the screen]], 

===== Box score =====
[[https://umassathletics.com/sports/mens-basketball/stats/2025-26/northern-illinois/boxscore/16363|Standard]], [[https://niuhuskies.com/sidearmstats/mbball;game=24713/summary|SideArm]], [[https://dxbhsrqyrr690.cloudfront.net/sidearm.nextgen.sites/umassathletics.com/stats/mbball/2025/pdf/20260117042503-2754745.pdf|PDF]]

{{tag>"2025-26 season" "Northern Illinois"}}