January 17, 2026 - UMass at Northern Illinois

• Season: 2025-26
• Date: Saturday, January 17, 2026
• Opponent: Northern Illinois
• Start Time: 3:00 PM ET / 2:00 PM CT
• Site: Convocation Center, DeKalb IL
• Event: MAC game
• Television: none
• Stream: ESPN+
• Radio: WEEI 105.5 FM, WCRN 830 AM, Varsity (stream)
• Spread: UMass -8½¹⁾
• UM personnel report: Josh Engel was not dressed, no official report as to why.

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

• Game notes: UM, NIU
• Daily Hampshire Gazette: UMass men’s basketball looks to extend winning streak in MAC play against NIU
• Minuteman Command: Key To UMass Win Vs. NIU Starts Up Top

Quick hits:

• NIU returned no players from the previous season.²⁾
• 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.³⁾

See the UMassHoops.com Message Board thread for pre-game and post-game discussion.

• UM: Massachusetts Men’s Basketball Falls To Northern Illinois
• NIU: Valentine Ties Career High as Huskies Outlast UMass
• Mass. Daily Collegian: Minutemen fall short of comeback against Northern Illinois
• MDC: UMass lack toughness versus Northern Illinois
• Minuteman Command: 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.
• Leo Bettiol did what he could to carry the team, with 25 points, 7 rebounds, and a +15, all UM highs.

• Highlight packs from NIU, MAC
• Highlights and video clips from ESPN
• UM video clip: Wimbley denies Valentine
• NIU video clips: Failure to box out costs UM 2 points, UM loses Valentine in the corner, UM's perimeter D is slow again, NIU finds the hole in the 3-2 zone, Valentine uses the screen,

Standard, SideArm, PDF