GAME NOTES: The Mid-American Conference Tournament gets underway on Monday evening, including a first-round matchup at Rhodes Arena between the seventh- seeded Akron Zips and the 10th-seeded Northern Illinois Huskies.

The winner of this game will move into Wednesday's second round and take on either Ohio or Western Michigan.

The Huskies had their share of troubles this season, finishing one game under .500 overall at 14-15 and two games under that mark in league play at 8-10. However, Mark Montgomery's squad found its groove down the stretch, closing out the regular season with four straight victories. NIU is just 10-19 in this event all-time with one tournament title to its credit, that coming all the way back in 1982.

Keith Dambrot's Zips had a little bit more success this year with an 18-13 overall mark, including an even 9-9 in the MAC. Unlike the Huskies though, Akron limps into the postseason with losses in two straight and six of its last seven regular-season games. Akron is 21-14 all-time in the MAC Tournament with three tournament crowns, including 2013. The Zips had reached the tournament's title game in six straight seasons from 2006-2012, but the streak ended last year.

Akron holds a 21-10 series advantage, but Northern Illinois won the only regular-season meeting this year, a 64-61 victory in Dekalb on Jan. 21.

Winning close games is something that has plagued NIU this season, especially earlier in the year. Of their 15 total losses, seven have come by five points or fewer. The offensive numbers on the season are bland, with the Huskies averaging a modest 66.2 ppg on .430 shooting. The team was able to remain competitive with a scoring defense that allowed just 66.0 ppg.

Aarix Armstead took his game to another level down the stretch, as the sophomore guard closed out by shooting .645 from the floor over his final five games. He currently leads the team in scoring at 11.1 ppg. Senior guard Anthony Johnson runs a close second at 10.8 ppg, while junior forward Darrell Bowie round out the top scoring threats on the roster with 10.2 ppg. Senior center Jordan Threloff is just under double figures at 8.5 ppg and tops the team on the boards (7.5 rpg).

Akron hasn't exactly lit up scoreboards this season either. The Zips are averaging 68.9 ppg, but that number could be so much better if not for a pedestrian .417 shooting percentage. The team does launch up a lot of long- range shots (824 attempts from 3-point range), but the 3-pointer is a weapon in the arsenal, with the team averaging 9.4 makes per game.

Pat Forsythe is the only player on the Akron roster currently averaging double figures at 10.7 ppg, but he isn't expected to play in this game with a foot injury. The junior center is shooting an impressive .549 from the floor, while also pacing the team in rebounding (5.3 rpg), so finding an adequate contributor is a must for Akron. Freshman guard Noah Robotham and senior guard Deji Ibitaylo finished just under double digits, as they come in at 9.9 and 9.8 ppg, respectively. However, Robotham has been out since late February with a knee injury.

With Akron's struggles down the stretch and the absence of key contributors, this could be an early exit for the Zips.