Local college hoops 2016-17 preview: Northern Illinois

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2015-16 Results: Last season things started coming together for the Huskies as they finished 21-13 and 9-9 in the MAC. Head coach Mark Montgomery appears to have found some consistency with the roster and returns a lot of pieces this season.

Players to Watch: Junior center Marin Maric led the Huskies in scoring and rebounding as a sophomore as he put up 11.9 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. Senior Aaric Armstead, a former Hales star, is also back after averaging 10.9 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. Sophomore shooter Marshawn Wilson is also back after averaging 11.0 points per game and shooting 41 percent from three-point range.

Key Storylines: Northern Illinois has never won the MAC since joining in 1997 and they haven't been above .500 in league play since 2006. With expectations now being placed on this team, how will they respond to the expectations of having to win? 

Newcomers to Track: Most of the rotation returns for NIU, who does get freshman guard Eugene German in the mix. German could push for backcourt minutes if he shows that he's a playmaker and sophomore Laytwan Porter doesn't perform. 

Season Outlook: Expectations are high for NIU as they push for a NCAA tournament bid out of a very tough MAC. The conference is putting a lot of teams in the postseason and the Huskies played in the Vegas 16 last season, so they're looking to build by playing in a bigger tournament. With a lot of production returning, the time for NIU to win is now.

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