MARQUETTE, Mich. - The Northern Michigan men's basketball team will wrap-up its four game home stand this weekend, hosting the Wayne State Warriors and Saginaw Valley State Cardinals.

Northern Michigan (11-3, 5-1) bounced back on Monday with a 77-55 victory over Roosevelt and has now turned its attention to the Wayne State Warriors (7-7, 3-3), who they will host on Thursday, January 16 at 7:30 p.m. The Wildcats will then take the hardwood on Saturday, January 18 at 3 p.m. when they host the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals (6-8, 2-4). 

The games can be watched on the FloSports app, or Casey Ford has you covered on the airwaves of 100.3 The Point. 


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

Thursday, January 16 - vs. Wayne State at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets  |  Watch on Flo  |  Live Stats  |  Listen 

Saturday, January 18 - vs. Saginaw Valley State at 3 p.m.
Tickets  |  Watch on Flo  |  Live Stats  |  Listen 
- Poster autograph signing following the game


Hear from Matt Majkrzak
"I am hoping to get momentum going again and hoping we can play incredibly hard, be tough, and play the right way that we have shown."
 


About the 'Cats
In its first Monday game since January 2, 2023 at Northwood, the Wildcats hosted Roosevelt this past Monday, taking care of business with a 77-55 win. Roosevelt shot just 19-60 (31.7%) from the field, an opponent season-low in Division II contests for NMU. The Wildcats forced the Lakers into 10 turnovers, scoring 18 points of those Roosevelt mishaps. Northern's offense was engineered by the bench, with the reserves accounting for 44 of the 77 (57.1%) points. Jackson Dudek led the way with a season-high 18 points while Cal Klesmit added 11 on three triples.

Through 14 games, defense has been the calling card for the Green and Gold. NMU is allowing just 65.6 points per game, 18th best nationally. NMU is also allowing a league-low 30.8 opponent rebounds per game and holds a +5.2 rebounding margin. The 'Cats sit tied for 2nd across the conference with 7.5 steals per game while holding the best turnover margin at 2.43.

Dylan Kuehl is 9th in the conference averaging 15.6 points per game. The two-time GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week has scored in double figures in 13 of 14 games while shooting at least 50% in 11 of the last 12. In GLIAC games, he is 3rd across the league at 17.3 points per game and field goal percentage, shooting 54.3% from the floor.

Kuehl surpassed the 1,000 career-points plateau earlier this season, becoming the 35th player in program 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.

Julien Smith is second on the team averaging 12.2 points per game. He has been NMU's go-to player in the clutch. With less than four minutes to go in a 10-point game or closer, he is 8-10 (80.0%) from the field, including 7 for his last 7. The majority of that work has come from beyond the arc, shooting 6-8 (including 5 for his last 5) with a game-winning buzzer beater over Illinois-Springfield. 


A Look at Wayne State
The Warriors come to Marquette .500 overall at 7-7 and .500 in GLIAC play at 3-3. WSU has won its last two, taking down Parkside 65-61 and Purdue Northwest 70-67 at home last weekend. Wayne State is just 1-5 on the road, but have been battle-tested, losing to No. 14 Lake Superior State 75-71 and No. 4 Ferris State 91-81 as the visitors. 

The Warriors are the 3rd best shooting team in the conference, knocking them in at a clip of 45.2%. They are also productive at the charity stripe, converting on 76.9% of its attempts. Wayne State has been a second half team so far, outscoring teams by over four points per game after halftime while holding just below even in first half action. 

Carmelo Harris (15.9 points per game), Rob Lee Jr. (13.3), and Tamario Adley (12.8) lead the offense for the Warriors, one of only two conference teams with three players in the top-20 in scoring. Harris (94.0%) and Lee Jr. (91.4%) are the top two free-throw shooters in the league. 

In 83 all-time meetings dating back to 1934-35, NMU narrowly holds a 42-41 series lead. The Wildcats have won the last four played in Marquette by an average margin of 6.5 points, but the Warriors won the last meeting, 84-80 last February in Detroit. 


A Look at Saginaw Valley State
The Cardinals are 6-8 overall, 2-4 in conference play, and 1-4 on the road. Last weekend, SVSU defeated Purdue Northwest 81-68 before falling to Parkside 77-66.

Saginaw is averaging 74.8 points per game while allowing 73.7. The Cardinals shoot 43.9% from the floor and 32.2% from beyond the arc on 367 total attempts, the 3rd most in the GLIAC. SVSU has the 2nd worst turnover margin in the league at -0.85. 

Offensively, the Cardinals are paced by senior guards Toodles Seal (14.9 points per game) and Freddie McIntosh (14.2). Elijah Mattingly anchors the defense, pulling down 6.3 rebounds and blocking 1.5 shots per game. 

In the 82nd all-time meeting, Northern will look to pull even at 41 wins a side. NMU has a six-game winning streak against Saginaw Valley, winning by an average of 12.3 points per game. The 'Cats edged the Cardinals 71-56 last season in Marquette.

 
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.