MARQUETTE, Mich. - In the sixth weekend of the Northern Michigan men's basketball season, the team will be making its third trip to the Waterpark Capital of the World (Wisconsin Dells, WI) to take on the Upper Iowa Peacocks on Saturday, December 14 at 12:10 p.m. CT (1:10 p.m. ET). 

The Wildcats (6-2, 2-0) enter on a three-game winning streak and 3-0 at the Justagame Fieldhouse. The Peacocks (7-2, 2-1) are coming off of a win in its most recent outing and claim a 2-0 record on neutral grounds. 

The matchup marks a top-10 clash in the Midwest, as the 'Cats are ranked 6th and the Peacocks right behind at 7th in the latest D2CSC Midwest Regional Poll. 

The game can be heard on 100.3 The Point, with Casey Ford on the call. 


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

Saturday, December 7 - vs. Upper Iowa (Wisconsin Dells, WI) at 12:10 p.m. CT (1:10 p.m. ET)
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A Word from Matt Majkrzak
"Upper Iowa has four of five starters back from last season. They're coming at you by crashing five to the glass, pressing every possession, and launching threes."



About the 'Cats
NMU opened up GLIAC play last weekend with a 70-54 win over Purdue Northwest followed by a 73-62 victory against Parkside.

Gerald Gittens Jr. had a stellar weekend, averaging 13.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 steals, and 3.0 assists per game. In Thursday's 70-54 win over PNW, Gittens Jr. led a defensive effort that held the Pride 33 points below their season average. He recorded three steals to go along with eight points and five rebounds.

Saturday's 73-62 victory over Parkside was in large part thanks to the efforts of Gittens Jr. late in the game. He scored all 18 of his points, a season-high, and added three steals in the final 8:40 of play. He added a game-high three steals in that time frame and was relentless on the defensive end, creating offense from defense time and time again. He was 9-9 at the free throw line, led the team with five assists, and added three boards. The native of Brooklyn, New York has now notched a steal in six straight games and 7/8 this season. His 13 steals are tied for second across the conference.

Redshirt junior Dylan Kuehl averaged 17.0 points per game last weekend and leads the team at 15.0 points per game this season. He surpassed the 1,000 career-points plateau a couple weekends ago, scoring 26 points against Concordia. He became the 35th player in Northern Michigan history to join the exclusive 1K club, and the first since Max Bjorklund (2/17/22). Kuehl was selected to the All-GLIAC Preseason First Team after being named to the All-GLIAC First Team and All-Defensive Team in each of his first two seasons, as well as earning a spot on the NABC All-District Second Team last year.

The team is currently first in the GLIAC in allowing just 27.9 rebounds per game. The 'Cats are also second with a 2.88 turnover margin. 

Now in his sixth season at the helm, Matt Majkrzak is looking to bring the 'Cats to a third consecutive NCAA Tournament after his teams have earned a spot in the big dance in back-to-back seasons. The last two seasons have been two of the best in program history. In 2022-23, Northern captured its first GLIAC Tournament title since 2000. The Wildcats went 25-8 that year, the most wins in program history, and made it to the Round of 32. Last year, the Green and Gold followed it up with a 22-11 season that saw them win the GLIAC regular season title for the first time since the 1992-93 season with a regular season conference record of 14-4. 

Majkrzak is the reigning GLIAC Coach of the Year. In his 6+ seasons, NMU has gone 92-58 (.613). Last year, Majkrzak and the Wildcats hosted the GLIAC Tournament for the first time since 1992-93. He is only the second leader of the program to be named conference Coach of the Year, joining Dean Ellis in 1993. For a team that dealt with injuries all season long a year ago, Majkrzak continued to make it work for the Green and Gold, plugging and playing different lineups with seemingly no interruptions. The Wildcats also tied the longest winning streak in program history last year at 13 games, originally set in 1984-85. NMU averaged 79.2 points/game and allowed 76.7 last year. 

On the court, NMU fields a 17-player roster. Of those, only six players return to the lineup who saw playing time with the Wildcats a season ago. Losing GLIAC Player of the Year Max Weisbrod to Division I Northern Iowa will be a lot to overcome, but forward Dylan Kuehl and his freakish athleticism will certainly be up to the task. 

In the backcourt, NMU added a quartet of guards in Julien Smith (Missouri S&T), Gerald Gittens (Mary), Derek Merwick (Midland), and Biggie Luster (Clarke) in the transfer portal. Smith is amongst the nation's returning scoring leaders as he's mustered 1,623 career points (15.9 ppg) over his four seasons at Missouri S&T while Gittens averaged 13.8 ppg last year at the University of Mary. These guards will join Brian Parzych who is the established veteran in the backcourt. Parzych has averaged 10.6 points/game and over the last two seasons and 3 assists/game over his career, as the three guards that are expected to lead the way in the backcourt. 

Majkrzak will also look to returning bigs Sam Privet and Jackson Dudek, as well as redshirt freshman Peter Lattos to step into a bigger role than they held in 2023-24.

Northern has added four freshmen to the fold in Michael McNabb, Cody Schmitz, Jonny Ingalls, and Isaiah Allen. The four combined for a remarkable 8,216 career points in high school and the class will look fit right in with the veterans around them. 


A Look at Upper Iowa
Entering the weekend at 7-2, the Peacocks attack the glass as well as anyone in the country, ranked 9th nationally at 43.6 rebounds per game. Of those, 15.1 come on the offensive end, also a top-15 mark across the Division II landscape. 

Averaging 83.6 points per game, the offense is led by the duo of Noah King (19.1 ppg) and Nick Reid (18.7 ppg), ranking them first and third in the GLVC in scoring. Reid is nearly averaging a double-double, pulling down 9.4 rebounds per game to pace the GLVC.

The teams played in Wisconsin Dells last season on November 11, 2023. The Wildcats were victorious 85-75, led by Dylan Kuehl with a 19-point, 13-rebound double-double. 


GLIAC Preseason Poll
1. Lake Superior State, 98 (9)
2. Ferris State, 88 (1)
3. Northern Michigan, 80 (1)
4. Grand Valley State, 77
5. Wayne State, 57
6T. Michigan Tech, 50
6T. Parkside, 50
8. Saginaw Valley State, 41
9. Purdue Northwest, 32
10. Davenport, 17
11. Roosevelt, 15


Superior Dome Showdown vs. Michigan State
On October 13, the Wildcats played its most notable preseason exhibition in program history when they hosted DI blueblood Michigan State in front of 11,500 fans in the Superior Dome Showdown, the largest indoor event in the history of the Upper Peninsula. In a weekend that was much more than the game on the court that included the retirement of NMU alum Tom Izzo's #10 jersey and icons Bill Raftery and Lisa Byington announcing the game, the Wildcats put up a valiant effort and fell 70-53 to the Spartans. Jackson Dudek led the way with 14 points.