GAME NOTES: About to conclude a lengthy homestand, the DePaul Blue Demons will host the Northern Illinois Huskies in a non-conference clash at Allstate Arena Tuesday.

Northern Illinois enters the contest at 3-1 on the season, having won all three home games but with one road loss. The Huskies are coming off a 61-56 victory over Maine in DeKalb, and will leave the comforts of the Convocation Center for a two-game road stint.

DePaul has yet to play a road game, but the Blue Demons will gain that experience after their battle with the Huskies. DePaul is coming off an 87-72 blasting of Stanford on Sunday that improved the team's record to 3-1.

These two in-state rivals have met 31 times on the floor in their history, with DePaul holding a commanding 25-6 all-time series advantage. The programs last met in the 2012-13 season, where DePaul came away victorious, 69-64.

Northern Illinois didn't have a strong day offensively at all against Maine in the team's last outing, but the Huskies managed to fend off the Black Bears (who are 0-5) for the five-point win. NIU shot a dismal 30.8 percent from the floor in the game, and hit just 3-of-16 from 3-point distance in the game. Michael Orris got the start at guard for the Huskies and poured in a team-best 18 points in 34 minutes of action. Darrell Bowie netted 16 points with nine rebounds, and center Jordan Threloff pulled down a team-best 12 boards.

Aaric Armstead leads a group of three players in double-digit scoring averages for the Huskies through four games. Armstead checks in atop that leaderboard with 13.8 ppg for NIU, which as a unit nets 68.5 ppg. Bowie is second on the squad with 12.0 ppg, followed by Threloff's 11.0 ppg average. Threloff comes into the contest with DePaul averaging a double-double, also bringing down 12.0 rpg this season. Northern Illinois' offense hasn't been especially dangerous so far, netting just 39.2 percent of its shot attempts including a 26.4 percent mark from 3-point range. But the defense has been solid, limiting opponent scoring to 62.2 ppg.

Although Stanford saw all five of its starters net a scoring total in the double digits while collectively the team shot 48.4 percent from the field, it was DePaul that still came away with the 15-point victory after the Blue Demons hit on 54.4 percent of their shots. Myke Henry scored a team-high 29 points with grabbed six rebounds, and Jamee Crockett contributed 19 points to the win. Tommy Hamilton registered 14 points and seven rebounds in a team-best 35 minutes of action for DePaul.

Henry leads a group of four players averaging a double-digit point totals for the Blue Demons this season. The forward checks in at 19.3 ppg through four games played, shooting 58.5 percent from the floor. Crockett is tied for second on the squad at 13.0 ppg, also attained by Hamilton. Billy Garrett isn't far behind them at 12.8 ppg, adding in a team-high 17 assists. The center Hamilton leads the Demons with a 7.0 rpg mark, followed by Henry's 6.8 rpg average. As a unit, DePaul is scoring 78.2 ppg and allowing 72.8 ppg to opponents.

After losing some key players mid-season in 2013-14, DePaul may have finally found a lineup that can be solid moving forward. Led by Henry, Garrett and Hamilton, the team appears ready to take on some tougher competition, which will be coming shortly. The Huskies are a good team, but need to solidify a much better offensive effort in order to keep pace with opponents.