MARQUETTE, Mich. - After an opening weekend split at the Lubbock Tip-Off Classic in Texas last week, the Wildcats will head to Wisconsin Dells for more early season tournament play, as they'll take part in the JustAgame Crossover with contests against Upper Iowa on Saturday, November 11, and Missouri S&T on Sunday, November 12. Each game will tip-off at 2 p.m. ET. 


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Follow @NMUMensBBALL and @NMU_Wildcats on X (formerly known as Twitter) for updates leading up to and during the race. 

Saturday, November 11 - vs. Upper Iowa (Wisconsin Dells, WI) at 2 p.m. ET
Live Stats  |  Listen on 94.1 WUPK

Sunday, November 12 - vs. Missouri S&T (Wisconsin Dells, WI) at 2 p.m. ET
Live Stats  |  Listen on 94.1 WUPK


A Word from Matt Majkrzak
"Lubbock Christian is a phenomenal team...I was very surprised on how competitive we were and how hard we played. It was a really positive sign about this group, that we were able to win and win pretty easily. These games coming up are possibly two of the most important games coming up, as when you're talking potential NCAA Tournament tiebreakers at the end of the season, these in-region games are something we can't take lightly." 



Last Weekend
The Wildcats fell to Southeastern Oklahoma State in a shootout to start the season, 108-101, but then bounced back with a 83-69 victory over Lubbock Christian. Sam Schultz was named to the tournament team following two double-doubles, averaging 12.5 ppg and 13.0 rpg.

Dylan Kuehl led the way for NMU on night one with 23 points on 7-14 shooting, while Max Weisbrod paced the 'Cats on night two with 18 points. Along with Kuehl, Weisbrod, and Schultz, freshman Riley Brooks (13 and 12) and Brian Parzych (10 and 12) also scored in double figures each night, while Carson Smith posted 19 points in the opener.  


Cat Nips

• Athletic forward Dylan Kuehl, who made the All-GLIAC First Team and All-Defensive Team as a redshirt freshman, leads the 'Cats early on with 18.0 ppg on 11-22 (50%) shooting from the floor.  He has been named to the GLIAC Preseason First Team this season. Kuehl played in all 33 contests last season, averaging 12.8 ppg and 6.8 rpg. He shot 55.3% from the floor, the third-best clip in the GLIAC. He also recorded seven double-doubles on the season and reached double-figures in 22 of the 33 games. 

 

• On the perimeter, reigning GLIAC Freshman of the Year Max Weisbrod is second on the 'Cats with 16.0 ppg while pacing the team in assists with 4.0 apg. He received Preseason Second Team honors after earning those same honors to end 2022-23. Weisbrod played in all 33 games with 25 starts, averaging 12.5 ppg while pacing the GLIAC with 5.0 apg. His five assists a contest was the second-best mark in the country among freshmen. Weisbrod reached double figures in 20 games, while reaching 10+ assists in three contests. 

 

• Sam Schultz was been named to the D2CCA TipOff Classic All-Tournament Team last weekend.  He averaged 12.5 points per game and 13.0 rebounds per game over NMU's two contests. He posted a 15-point, 15-rebound double-double in a 108-101 loss to Southeastern Oklahoma State and followed it up with another 10-point, 11-rebound double-double in a 83-69 victory over Lubbock Christian. Schultz shot 10-17 (58.8%) from the floor over the weekend and added four assists and a steal while hitting his only three-point attempt. It was the fourth and fifth double-doubles in his career, just the second time he's done it in consecutive games, and the first time he's accomplished the feat to open a season.

 

• After two games, the Wildcats are averaging 92.0 ppg while allowing 88.5 ppg. They are shooting 47.7% from the floor, 36.1% from three, and 74.1% from the charity stripe. 

Notes on Upper Iowa
The Peacocks were picked to finish in 8th place in the GLVC Preseason Poll. This will be the first season UIU will be a GLVC member. They accrued a 16-13 record last season. 

Upper Iowa brings back plenty of firepower from a season ago including Jake Hilmer, who was named All-Central Region First Team a season ago. He averaged an astounding 21.8 ppg, shooting 43.5% from the floor. 

Joining Hilmer will be Nick Reid who averaged 14.3 ppg and 8.9 rpg in 2022-23. Reid received Second Team honors in the NSIC last season. 


Notes on Missouri S&T
The Miners have been picked to finish in sixth in the GLVC Preseason Poll. Last year, they went 16-12. 

Ikenna Okeke (15.4 ppg and 5.8 rpg), Julien Smith (15.3 ppg), and Lovell Williams (10.9 ppg) are all back after averaging in double figures last season, leading to All-GLVC recognition. 


GLIAC Preseason Poll
Northern received 75 votes to slot two votes back of favorite Ferris State in the GLIAC Preseason Coaches Poll. NMU picked up four first-place votes while the Bulldogs had five. Parkside, the reigning regular season, received the final first-place vote and will enter the season at No. 4 in the Preseason Poll. 

1 Ferris State - 77 (5)
2 Northern Michigan - 75 (4)
3 Grand Valley State - 61
4 Parkside - 50 (1)
5 Michigan Tech - 45
6 Saginaw Valley State - 41
7 Davenport - 35
7 Lake Superior State - 35
9 Wayne State - 20
10 Purdue Northwest - 11


New Faces on the Sideline
Matt Majkrzak has added two new faces to the sideline for the new campaign. Keil Ganz reunites with Majkrzak after  serving as Majkrzak's first assistant back in 2019. Ganz previously worked as the Director of Operations at the University of Southern Indiana (USI) in the Ohio Valley Conference as they transitioned to the Division 1 level. 

Luke Mattson has also been added on as an assistant coach. Mattson is coming off of a four-year playing career in college with a couple of stops and this is his first collegiate coaching stint after coaching three years of AAU.


A Historic 2022-23 Season
Northern finished 2022-23 with a 25-8 record, the most wins in program history.

The Wildcats, the No. 3 seed in the GLIAC Tournament a season ago, defeated No. 6 Saginaw Valley State in the quarterfinals, No. 2 and host Ferris State in the semifinals, and No. 8 Michigan Tech in the championship to capture the program's first tournament title since 2000. NMU then defeated Hillsdale in the NCAA Tournament before falling to McKendree, a team they beat to open last season, in the Round of 32.

After losing senior standout Max Bjorklund who led the GLIAC with 21.1 ppg, the Wildcats will turn to the young up-and-comers for success this season. NMU averaged 80.4 ppg last season and will carry over 60% of that scoring into this season.