MARQUETTE, Mich. - For the second time this season, the Northern Michigan men's basketball team will hit the road for a pair of tilts against top-15 teams in the nation, facing the No. 8 Ferris State Bulldogs and No. 14 Lake Superior State Lakers.

Northern Michigan (12-4, 6-2) split last weekend, falling to Wayne State 82-67 before bouncing back against Saginaw Valley State with a 75-62 victory. Now the 'Cats will be downstate to take on Ferris State (17-2, 7-1) on Thursday, January 23 at 7:30 p.m. before heading north over the Mighty Mac to contend the Lake Superior State (15-3, 6-2) on Saturday, January 25 at 3 p.m.

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


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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. 

Thursday, January 23 - vs. Ferris State at 7:30 p.m. 
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Saturday, January 25 - vs. Lake Superior State at 3 p.m.
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About the 'Cats
The Wildcats fell to Wayne State 82-67 last Thursday after WSU's Rob Lee Jr. dropped a career-high 40 points, but the Green and Gold got back on track on Saturday, defeating the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals 75-62. NMU used a 19-0 run out of halftime to take the lead and hold on for the win.

Through 16 games, defense has been the mode of operation for Northern. The 'Cats are allowing just 66.4 points per game, 25th best nationally and tops in the GLIAC. NMU is also allowing a league-low 31.2 opponent rebounds per game and holds a +4.0 margin on the glass. The 'Cats sit 2nd across the conference with 7.3 steals per game while holding the 2nd best turnover margin at 231.

Dylan Kuehl is 9th in the conference averaging 15.4 points per game. The two-time GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week has scored in double figures in 15 of 16 games while shooting at least 50% in 12 of the last 14. In GLIAC games, he is 4th across the league at 16.4 points per game and 2nd in field goal percentage, shooting 51.6% 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 11.9 points per game and is coming off of his best game since November 23, scoring 17 points on 3-5 shooting from three against SVSU. 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. 

Sam Privet (10.1) is third on the team in scoring and has found double figures seven times. Cal Klesmit (9.5) presents a scoring threat off the bench, notching at least 11 points in each game he's seen extended minutes. 


A Look at Ferris State
The Bulldogs are ranked No. 8 in the most recent NABC poll. FSU was on a 16-game winning streak before falling at Parkside 78-66 last weekend. The Bulldogs bounced back, defeating Purdue Northwest 93-83 on Saturday. Ferris is a perfect 11-0 on their home court. 

Ferris lands in the top-10 nationally in several key categories, presenting a problem for any opponent they face. The Bulldogs are 4th in defensive rebounds per game (30.3), 7th in field goal percentage defense (38.8), 8th in three point percentage defense (28.4), 8th in scoring margin (17.7), and 10th in three point percentage (39.4). 

The Bulldogs are led by senior guard Ethan Erickson, averaging 16.8 points per game. He is third in the league in scoring as well as three point percentage (40.5). His 3.2 made threes per game leads the league. 

Tyler Hamilton (11.2) and Nathan Claerbaut (10.7) also average in double figures while Claerbaut also averages 7.2 rebounds per game and the 4th-best block rate in the country (2.7 per game). 

In one of the best GLIAC matchups the past few seasons, the Wildcats have won four of the past six. Each team has a signature win over the other, with NMU knocking out Ferris State 67-59 in the 2023 GLIAC Tournament while the Bulldogs ended the Wildcats season last year with a 81-65 win in the NCAA Tournament. NMU holds a 76-71 all-time series lead.
 

A Look at Lake Superior State
The Lakers are ranked No. 14 in the latest national poll. At 15-3 overall, LSSU also lost to Parkside last weekend, a narrow 66-63 defeat. The Lakers are a perfect 8-0 at home.

LSSU is 11th nationally with a 1.65 assist/turnover ratio while the Lakers also lead the conference with 8.3 steals per game. Lake Superior is 2nd in the conference in both scoring offense (80.5) and scoring defense (67.1). The Lakers also take to the three-point shot more than anyone in the conference, connecting on 10.3 per game. 

With five players in double figures, the Lakers present one of the most balanced attacks in the nation. Led by senior guard Tyson Edmondson (15.9), the Lakers have also received significant contributions from Kingsley Perkins (13.1), Hunter Soper (11.1), Devin Womack (10.7), and Adam Harakow (10.3). Perkins leads the league with a 55.7 field goal percentage Soper's 29 steals sits atop the GLIAC leaderboard.

NMU is 70-46 all-time vs. the Lakers. The teams split last season, with the 'Cats winning in Marquette 72-71 and the Lakers winning in Sault Ste. Marie 74-68. 

 
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.