MARQUETTE, Mich. - Winners of eleven straight, the Northern Michigan men's basketball team (15-5, 8-0) continues GLIAC play this weekend, as they get ready to host rival Michigan Tech (6-11, 3-5) on Saturday, January 27 at 3 p.m.

After a 8-0 start in GLIAC play with thrilling road victories over Purdue Northwest and Parkside last week, the Green and Gold are nationally ranked No. 19 in the D2CSC poll and they'll look to continue to stay atop the conference standings and build upon the established winning ways. This will be the first meeting with the Huskies this season. 

The game will be broadcast locally on Fox-UP, with Mark Evans and Dave Ellis on the call. 


Follow the Action
Follow @NMUMensBBALL and @NMU_Wildcats on Twitter for continuous updates throughout the week.
 
Saturday, January 27 - vs. Michigan Tech at 3 p.m ET
Tickets  |  Watch on Fox-UP  |  Watch on FloHoops  |  Live Stats  |  Listen
Game Sponsor: Stonehouse


A Word From Matt Majkrzak
"We only have one game this week. We can focus not only on Michigan Tech, but we can focus on ourselves. The hope is that in this week, we can make a jump and get better, which will propel us into Saturday and the weeks ahead."



Last Time Out
Northern continues to win in nail-biting fashion last weekend, as they secured two victories over the weekend vs. Purdue Northwest and Parkside. Northern outscored the Pride 38-32 in the second half to secure the game 82-78, on Thursday. Northern then carried the momentum into the weekend, beating the Parkside Rangers on the road, in a gritty battle. The Wildcats used a 8-0 run late in the second half to create some separation and put the game on ice, winning 61-58.

The guards led the way for the Green and Gold vs. The Pride, as Brian Parzych scored 24 and Max Weisbrod added 23. Against the Rangers Max Weisbrod was once again phenomenal, shooting lights out with 20 points on 7-11 shooting. Sam Schultz recorded a dominant 15-point, 13-rebound double-double, his seventh of the season. 


Conference and National Ranks

• In the latest D2CSC national poll, the Wildcats moved to No. 19. Northern is also ranked first in the Midwest.
• One of the most telling stats of a successful basketball team, NMU's 1.63 assist/turnover ratio is 7th across all of Division II.
• Northern is averaging 80.2 ppg while allowing 71.1 ppg. The 80.2 points per game is second in the GLIAC. NMU is shooting 48.3% from the floor and 34.5% from downtown. The 'Cats are also averaging 6.6 more rebounds a contest than their opponents and only allowing 7.2 offensive rebounds/game, the best mark among conference teams.
• The 'Cats are near the top of the conference in both creating assists on offense and preventing assists on defense, as their 16.5/game is the second most while the 10.2/game they allow is the second fewest. It will be the battle of the helping hand, as MTU's 9.8 assists/game allowed is the fewest in the conference. 
• NMU has had one of the stingiest defenses in the country during its 11-game winning streak, allowing just 62.6 ppg on a 42.0% shooting clip. 
• Five Wildcats are averaging in double figures: Dylan Kuehl (16.6 - 3rd in the GLIAC), Max Weisbrod (15.4), Brian Parzych (10.3), Carson Smith (11.7), and Sam Schultz (10.5). Northern is the only conference team to have all five starters in double figures.
• Sam Schultz leads the GLIAC at 10.2 rebounds/game, which is good for 12th in the country. Averaging 10.5 points/game, he is one of 14 in DII to be averaging a double-double. His 203 total rebounds in third in the nation. 

Cat Nips

• The Berry has been one of the toughest environments for road teams in all of Division II. Since February of 2022, the Wildcats are 20-1 (.952) on the hardwood in the BEC. The only loss during that stretch came to GVSU on January 19, 2023, a 82-77 defeat.
• The Green and Gold have been known to go on runs these last few years. In 2021-22, they won nine in a row to make the GLIAC Championship. Last season, they rattled off eight straight. Now riding an 11-game stretch without defeat, NMU is two games shy of the program's all-time winning streak of 13 set in 1984-85. 
• Northern has won the last four matchups between the two programs. Last season in the GLIAC Championship, Max Weisbrod and Dylan Kuehl both scored 14 points to lead NMU to a 79-66 win, its first tournament title in 23 years. 
• Weisbrod has won back-to-back GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week accolades, averaging 21.5 points/game over the last four. During that stretch, he has shot 53.1% from the field and 15-27 (55.6%) from three. Over the course of the season, he is second in the conference in three-pointers made (52), second in total assists (85), and third in assists/game (4.3).
• The Wildcats are 79-50 (.612) under 5th year head coach Matt Majkrzak. With 25 victories at Bryant and Stratton before he got to NMU, Majkrzak recently surpassed the 100 collegiate wins milestone in NMU's victory at Grand Valley State.

Notes on Michigan Tech
The Huskies enter the weekend at 6-11 overall and 3-5 in the GLIAC. The Huskies are 2-3 away from home court. They have lost three out of their past five games, most recently a 79-70 defeat at Purdue Northwest. 

MTU scores 71.5 ppg while allowing 74.0 ppg. The Huskies shoot 42.3% from the floor and 36.1% from three. Guarding the perimeter has been a point of emphasis for the Huskies as they lead conference play with the opponent lowest 3pt percentage (30.0%). 

Sophomore guard Marcus Tomashek leads the way for the Huskies offensively, averaging 22.5 ppg, leading the conference and ranking ninth in the country. Pete Calcaterra is averaging 7.3 rebounds a game, ranking him third in the conference.