MARQUETTE, Mich. - The Northern Michigan University men's basketball team gears up to prepare for its last road trip of the regular season. Northern will look to get back into the win column after suffering a 80-69 loss to rivals Michigan Tech last weekend. The Wildcats will travel down state to take on Saginaw Valley State on Thursday at 8 p.m. followed by a clash with Wayne State on Saturday at 3 p.m. 

Ranking No. 19 in the latest D2CSC poll and first in the Midwest, the Wildcats will look to stay atop the conference standings to close out the regular season and secure the top seed for the GLIAC Tournament.


Follow the Action
Follow @NMUMensBBALL and @NMU_Wildcats on Twitter for continuous updates throughout the week.  

Thursday, February 22 - at Saginaw Valley State at 8 p.m. 
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Saturday, February  24 - at Wayne State at 3 p.m.
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A Word from Matt Majkrzak
"Saginaw is a really hard place to play and Wayne State has played everyone tough. For us, we have to get better ourselves while preparing for two tough opponents on the road and we have to find that balance."



Last Time Out
The Wildcats fell to rival Michigan Tech on the road last Saturday, 80-69. Northern was without top scorer and point guard Max Weisbrod and had issues running the offense at times. Leading 37-32 at the half, the Wildcats were outscored 48-32 in the second half. The Huskies shot 17-28 (60.7%) from the floor and 8-11 (72.7%) from three in the final 20 minutes. In comparison, NMU shot 11-25 (44.0%) in the closing 20 minutes. In the game, Tech made its difference from deep, connecting on four more threes than the 'Cats.

Carson Smith paced the NMU with 20 points on an efficient  8-11 shooting. MTU's Marcus Tomashek paced the Huskies offensively with 34.


Cat Nips

• In the latest D2CSC national poll, the Wildcats are ranked at  No. 19 and remain first in the Midwest.
• For a program that has been around for well over 100 years (since 1906), the Wildcats tied the longest winning streak in program history earlier this season at 13 games, set in 1984-85.
• Sam Schultz continues to lead the GLIAC at 9.8 rebounds/game, which is good for 15th in the country. He is looking to become the first Wildcat since 1987-88 (Lake Cosby, 11.8 rpg) to average double-digit rebounds in a season.
• Over his last nine games, Max Weisbrod has been one of the best players in the country, averaging 22 .3 points/game while shooting an efficient 32-68 (47.1%) from beyond the arc. On the season, he now sits fifth in the GLIAC in scoring (16.9), third in assists/game (4.3), and second in three-pointers made (71-177, 40.1%). In conference play, his 19.1 ppg ranks third and his 44 triples are first.
• The 1.67 assist/turnover ratio for the 'Cats is the sixth best mark in the country. Northern is also averaging 5.8 more rebounds a contest than its opponents, good for 28th in the nation and second in the GLIAC to Ferris State (6.4). NMU is only allowing 7.4 offensive rpg, also the second best mark among conference teams. 
• The Wildcats average 79.2 ppg while allowing 70.9 ppg. The 79.2 points per game is second in the GLIAC. Northern has allowed the fewest points/game in conference play (68.6). NMU is ranked third in the conference in FG%, shooting 47.9% from the floor.
• The 'Cats are near the top of the conference in both creating assists on offense and preventing assists on defense, as its 16.0/game is the third most while the 10.7/game they allow is the second fewest.  
• The Wildcats are 83-52 (.615) under 5th year head coach Matt Majkrzak. With 25 victories at Bryant and Stratton before he got to NMU, Majkrzak hit the 100 collegiate wins milestone in NMU's victory at Grand Valley earlier this season. 

Notes on Saginaw Valley
The Cardinals enter the week at 13-11, dropping four of its last five. SVSU is 10-3 when playing at its home court. The Cardinals averages 79.1 ppg, while holding its opponents to 73.8 ppg. SVSU has had impressive home wins this season, beating LSSU by 13, FSU by 10, and Hillsdale by seven.  

SVSU shoots 47.7% from the field, and 32.3% from behind the arc. The Cardinals present the most potent three-headed attack in the GLIAC, as they are led by redshirt junior guard Toodles Seal averaging 18.3 ppg, senior guard Tre Garrett averaging 17.3 ppg, and senior guard Freddie McIntosh averaging 16.3 ppg. All three are top-seven scorers in the conference. 

Head Coach Randy Baruth is in his 12th season leading the Cardinals. 
In December, the Wildcats defeated the Cardinals in blowout fashion, 71-56. NMU outscored the Cardinals 36-25 in the final 20 minutes to pull away. Dylan Kuehl had a career-performance in the PEIF Gym, dropping a career-high 30 points with 10 rebounds and a career-best six blocks. The Cardinals were led by Tre Garrett and Toodles Seal, both notching 14. 


Notes on Wayne State
The Warriors enter the weekend at 10-14, dropping three of five. Wayne State is 8-4 on its home court, and have allowed opponents to score 72.4 points/game this season while scoring 72.3 ppg themselves. WSU shoots 46.1% from the field and 31.7% from three, the lowest in the GLIAC.?? The Warriors guard the arc better than anyone in the conference (34.0%).

The Warriors are led by senior forward Carmelo Harris who is averaging 13.3 ppg on 41.3% shooting. Sophomore Ray Williams is right behind at 9.9 ppg while leading the team on the glass, pulling down 6.0 boards a contest, good for sixth in the conference. 

Bryan Smothers is at the helm for the Warriors in his second season guiding the program. 

In December, the Wildcats defeated the Warriors 75-69 to begin conference play. Brian Parzych and Dylan Kuehl each poured in 24 points as they paced NMU offensively. Parzych was 8-12 (66.7%) while Kuehl was 9-15 (60.0%) on the night. Wayne State's Carmelo Harris had 22 for the Warriors.