Northeastern Illinois: Here’s a sign that Northeastern Illinois is making great strides:
The Golden Eagles matched their 11-win total of last season, the school’s most in a season in 3 1/2 years of Division I play, with an 86-73 victory Saturday over Buffalo.
The home win also moved Northeastern (11-6) to 3-0 in its first year of conference play. Coach Rees Johnson’s club could all but cement the East Coast Conference title with a victory Monday at Troy State because the conference, which will merge with the Mid-Continent next season, has a shortened schedule for its last go-round.
Considering the Golden Eagles’ Division I past, it’s hard to consider them as overconfident, but that’s something that worries Johnson. He believes that’s one of the reasons why his team struggled to defeat Buffalo.
“Maybe we’re not used to winning yet,” Johnson said. “People tell you how good you’re doing and how far you’re going to go. When people stroke you, you forget how much hard work it took to get there. Sometimes teams get there and stop working. We’ve got to guard against that.”