MARQUETTE, Mich. - A pair of conference games await the Northern Michigan men's basketball team this week, as they are set to host the Purdue Northwest Pride and the Parkside Rangers to open GLIAC play. 

Northern (4-2) will first battle the Pride (2-4) on Thursday, December 5 at 7:30 p.m. and then finish the weekend in a bout with the Rangers on Saturday, December 7 at 2 p.m.

This opening weekend will mark the only two conference games the 'Cats will play before the calendar flips to 2025. 

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


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Thursday, December 5 - vs. Purdue Northwest at 7:30 p.m.
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Saturday, December 7 - vs. Parkside at 2 p.m.
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A Word from Matt Majkrzak
"We are still searching for how to mesh the talent we have into a cohesive team. It will be up to us in the first GLIAC game [against Purdue Northwest] to not let their talent  and their guards take over."



About the 'Cats
NMU opened up Vandament Arena last weekend, defeating Concordia (WI) 70-58. 

Redshirt junior Dylan Kuehl surpassed the 1,000 career-points plateau in the game, scoring 26 points. 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 2nd in the GLIAC with a 3.17 turnover margin, committing 65 this season while opponents are at 84. Julien Smith paces the offense with 14.7 points per game while Kuehl immediately follows at 14.3 points per game. The duo rank 14th and 15th in the conference in scoring. Each of them have scored in double figures in five of six games. 

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 90-58 (.606). 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 Purdue Northwest
Entering the weekend at 2-4, the Pride are first in the conference early on with a 87.3 points per game scoring offense. They are coming off of a 120-74 victory over Division III Great Lake Christian. PNW is allowing 82.7 points per game, a mark that is in the bottom 10% in Division II.

The offense is paced by a trio of guards in Collin Albert (16.8), Detalian Brown (15.3), and Jailen Nelson (15.3), all top-10 in the conference in scoring. Senior forward Dalton Gayman is pulling down 8.8 rebounds per game, leading all conference players. 

 Purdue Northwest paces the conference and is top-10 nationally with an 81.5%.

Northern and Purdue Northwest have matched up 13 times dating back to the 2017-18 season when the Pride joined the conference, with the Wildcats holding a 12-1 all-time record. NMU's lone loss against the Pride came during the 2019-20 season, a 65-62 victory for PNW in Marquette. Since then, the 'Cats have won seven straight, including a 3-0 mark last season with a 71-63 win in the GLIAC Quarterfinals. Dylan Kuehl scored 26 points on a 13-17 shooting performance to pace the Green and Gold. NMU is averaging 82.7 points per game against the Pride. 


A Look at Parkside
The Rangers have accumulated a record of 2-4 to this point after a 13-16 mark a season ago. They most recently fell to Maryville 72-62 and defeated Concordia University Chicago 93-67 in the HARIBO Invitational in Kenosha. 

Scoring just 61.7 points per game while allowing 69.7 points per game, the Rangers offense ranks last among conference teams in scoring. The three-point line has been an issue early on, as they rank 10th of 11 GLIAC teams with a 30.8% mark from three while allowing a league worst 37.5% success rate from its opponents. 

Graduate Nick Brown leads the team at 15.3 points per game while junior wing Jack Rose is also in double figures at 12.3 points per game. 

First matching up in 1970-71, the Wildcats hold a 27-14 all-time series lead over Parkside. NMU has won the last three as well as the last eight at home against the Rangers, with an average margin of 11.9 points. The Rangers last win in Marquette came in 1992-93 by a 72-68 score. 

Most recently, the 'Cats bounced the Rangers 81-67 last year. Dylan Kuehl co-lead the NMU attack with 17 points on 7-13 to go along with six rebounds. 


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.