MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Northern Michigan men's basketball team is ready to begin its 2025-26 season this weekend, taking on Maryville on Friday, November 14, and Missouri-St. Louis on Saturday, November 15. Both games will tip off at 4 p.m. ET.
With four more games on tap this season at the Justagame Fieldhouse in Wisconsin Dells, the Wildcats return to their "home away from home" for the third straight season. Northern is 5-1 in the Waterpark Capital, including a perfect 4-0 last season.
Both games can be streamed through the Justagame Fieldhouse website. Friday's game can be listened to on 100.3 The Point and Saturday's 94.9 The Bay, with Casey Ford on the call.
Follow the Action
Follow @NMU_MensBBALL and @NMU_Wildcats on X (formerly known as Twitter) and @nmu_mbb on Instagram for updates throughout the weekend.
From the Coach
"Having three guys deciding to return for their fifth year is sweet and cool, knowing that they have their degree, and they want to play one more year together."
About the Wildcats
The Northern Michigan men's basketball team enters the 2025-26 season aiming for another championship run after capturing last year's GLIAC Tournament title. The Wildcats were picked to finish second in this year's preseason poll and return a veteran frontcourt that has powered three straight NCAA Tournament appearances, the longest such streak in program history.
Graduate standouts
Dylan Kuehl and
Jackson Dudek headline the returning core after earning Preseason All-GLIAC honors. Kuehl, a three-time All-GLIAC First Team and All-Defensive Team selection, led NMU with 16.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game last season while surpassing 1,000 career points. Dudek earned GLIAC Tournament MVP honors, averaging 15.7 points during the championship run, including 19 in the title game.
Sam Privet joins the pair to form one of the league's top frontcourts, having started all 32 games a season ago while averaging 9.8 points and 5.3 rebounds on 56.4 percent shooting. Together, the trio combined for nearly 35 points and 17 rebounds per game.
The Wildcats welcome nine newcomers this season, including Division I transfers
Charlie Miller (Northern Iowa) and
Bennett Basich (UW-Green Bay), who add depth and scoring punch to the backcourt. Now in his seventh season, head coach
Matt Majkrzak owns a 108-66 (.621) overall record and a 69-43 (.616) GLIAC mark, guiding NMU to a championship in each of the last three seasons.
About Maryville
Maryville opened its season with a 92-67 exhibition loss at Division I Missouri State, where it played the Bears nearly even in the second half. Evan Palmquist led the Saints with 19 points, while Henry Sanchez added 13, all in the second half. The Saints went 8-20 last season and were picked 14th of 15 in the GLVC Preseason Poll. In a complete roster overhaul, all 15 players on this year's team are newcomers, marking a fresh start for the program.
About Missouri-St. Louis
Missouri-St. Louis enters the weekend 0-2 after narrow losses to Northwest Missouri State (82-79) and Missouri Western (71-63) at the D2CCA Tip-Off Classic. The Tritons were picked to finish third in the Great Lakes Valley Conference preseason poll following a 21-12 campaign last year that included a trip to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen, their third in four years. UMSL returns three players from that squad, including Quenton Parker, who averaged 4.0 points per game last season. Taye Moore has led the early offense with a career-high 23 points in the opener, while Jayden Creighton and Miles Boland have also been key contributors.
