It’s taken 17 games, but NIU men’s basketball coach Ricardo Patton has finally found his starting lineup – and it’s not the usual suspects.

After tinkering with multiple combinations of players all season, NIU found the right mix against Ball State Tuesday night at the Convocation Center, beating the Cardinals 60-58.

NIU (5-12 overall, 2-3 MAC) juniors Jarvis Nichols and Sean Smith have been added to the lineup despite starting a combined four games this season.

They joined senior Egan Grafel, senior Shaun Logan and freshman Jake Anderson to round out the starting five.

“The guys we started tonight should be starting,” Patton said. “I’d like to stick with this lineup now for the rest of the season.”

While the starting five produced a win against Ball State (3-14, 2-3), it may have left a void for the Huskies in the bench role.

Heading into the game Nichols and Smith combined to give the Huskies over 16 points per game off the bench. With the duo filling starting roles, NIU had just seven bench points.

This became noticeable in the first half, when NIU built up an 18-point lead, only to see it deflate to 9 points by the end of the half.

Despite the lack of bench production, Patton remains confident he has players that can give the Huskies a lift off the bench.

“Michael Patton has the ability to make shots,” Ricardo Patton said. “Michael Hart can also do some things. We don’t really have many perimeter players off the bench. We need to be more focused on pounding the ball inside.”

Moving into the starting spot will not greatly influence Nichols’ performance, he said. The 6–foot–2 guard showed no ill-effects, scoring 13 points while going 3–for–5 from three-point range.

“It’s pretty much the same thing for me,” Nichols said. “I was playing a lot of minutes before, so I’m used to it.”

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