MARQUETTE, Mich. - Winners of seven straight, the Northern Michigan men's basketball team returns home to begin a four-game homestand, starting with a clash against rival Michigan Tech on Thursday, January 9, at 7:30 p.m. at Vandament Arena. 

Northern (10-2, 4-0) welcomes the Michigan Tech Huskies (8-4, 3-1) for their first-ever matchup inside the new Vandament Arena. The Wildcats have won seven in a row while the Huskies dropped their most recent matchup at the buzzer in overtime at Davenport, snapping a seven-game winning streak of their own. 

The game can be watched on Fox-UP, with Mark Evans and Dave Ellis on the call. You can also watch the action on FloHoops or listen on 100.3 The Point, with Casey Ford on the call. 


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 9 - vs. Michigan Tech at 7:30 p.m.
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Hear from Matt Majkrzak


About the 'Cats
The Wildcats return home after picking up a pair of road wins to start the new year, 60-52 over Davenport and 78-70 over Grand Valley State.  

Currently on a seven-game winning streak, this is the 5th time in the last four seasons NMU has had a 7+ game winning streak, with its 13-game winning streak last year tying a program record, originally set in 1984-85. 

The Wildcats have had the stingiest defense across the GLIAC, allowing just 64.6 points per game (59.5 in conference games), the 15th best scoring defense in the nation. NMU is also allowing a league-low 29.6 opponent rebounds per game and holds a 10.0 rebounding margin against GLIAC teams. The 'Cats sit 2nd across the conference with 7.8 steals per game, with Gerald Gittens Jr. (1.7) and Biggie Luster (1.3) top-10 in the league. Gittens' 2.3 steals per game in GLIAC clashes paces the conference and he has already notched seven multiple-steal games already. 

Dylan Kuehl was named the GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season on Monday after he averaged 20 points per game in last weekend's games. Kuehl had a game-high 19 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks at Davenport and followed it up with 21 points at Grand Valley, tying a career-high with four made threes on six attempts. 

The Hustisford, Wisconsin native has been on a tear for the Green and Gold, scoring in double figures in 11 of 12 games including each of the last 10. In his last 10, he is averaging 17.0 points per game and has made at least five field goals and pulled down four rebounds in each. He has shot over 50% from the floor in nine of his last 10. In GLIAC games, he is second across the league at 18.5 points per game and 3rd in field goal percentage, shooting 52.0% from the floor. He 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 12.9 points per game. He has been elite in clutch time this season. 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 (10.6), Gerald Gittens Jr. (8.8) and Brian Parzych (7.9) round out a well-balanced starting five.


Matt Majkrzak at the Helm
Matt Majkrzak has been a magician after New Year's Day, as the win over Davenport moves him to a perfect 6-0 at NMU in the first game after New Year's Day. NMU has also won its last 9 games played in January (2-0 this year and 7-0 last year). For as good as Majkrzak has been in January, he's been as dominant in Marquette. NMU is 34-5 in its last 39 home games and will look for the 35th win in its last 40 home games against Michigan Tech. 

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. 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. 


A Look at Michigan Tech
After starting its season 2-3, the Huskies won seven straight before falling in its most recent outing, a 73-71 overtime defeat. Tech is averaging 78.8 points per game while allowing 68.4. The Huskies are shooting 49.6% from the field and 38.2% from beyond the arc, both top-30 marks nationally. 

Led by one of the most pure scorers in the nation and GLIAC Preseason Player of the Year, Marcus Tomashek is 10th in the nation averaging 23.5 points per game. He has recorded five games with at least 29 points, with a career-high 40 in an upset win over No. 3 MSU-Moorhead. He has been named the GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week twice this season. 

Freshman guard Ty Fernholz is second on the team averaging 11.5 points per game. He leads the GLIAC with a 47.6% three-point percentage. Dawson Nordgaard (10.7) and Pete Calcaterra (10.0) are both in double figures this season out of the starting lineup. 

Josh Buettner is in his fourth season as head coach of the Huskies after spending several seasons as an assistant. 

In a storied rivalry dating back over 100 years, the Wildcats hold a 139-86 all-time record in 225 meetings. The Wildcats won five of the past six that includes a 79-66 victory in the GLIAC Championship game in 2022-23. 
 

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.