MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Northern Michigan men's basketball team will close the pre-holiday portion of its schedule with a rare and memorable opportunity, traveling to Puerto Rico for the Puerto Rico Clasico from Dec. 18–20. The Wildcats, 8-1 overall and riding a seven-game winning streak, will play three games in three days to cap the first part of the season before the holiday break.

Northern opens the trip on Thursday, Dec. 18, against the Interamericana Tigres at 5:15 p.m. EST, followed by a matchup with the UPR Río Piedras Gallitos on Friday, Dec. 19, at 7 p.m. EST. The Clasico concludes on Saturday, Dec. 20, when the Wildcats take on the UPR Bayamón Cowboys at 6:30 p.m. EST. 

The event features seven U.S. Division II programs, men's and women's teams combined, making it one of the most distinctive in-season tournaments the Wildcats have played. 

Beyond the games, the Puerto Rico Clasico provides Northern with a once-in-a-lifetime experience, offering exposure to a different style of play and basketball culture than what the Wildcats typically see in the Midwest. The trip gives the team a chance to test itself against unfamiliar opponents while representing the program and university on a unique stage before turning the page back to conference play on New Year's Day.

Each game can be streamed for $14.99 through the Puerto Rico College Sports Tours website. There will be no live feeds for stats or radio. 


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About the Wildcats
Northern knocked off two opponents last week in dominant fashion. On Thursday, the Wildcats defeated Concordia Wisconsin 87-35 and followed it with a 109-52 thumping of Marian on Sunday.

Jackson Dudek, the reigning GLIAC Tournament MVP, led the way for Northern on offense, averaging 21.5 points per game, shooting a red-hot 15-21 (71.4%) from the floor and an even better 7-9 (77.8%) from three. He had a career game against Marian, totaling a career high 29 points in just 22 minutes, shooting 10-12 (83.3%) from the field and a perfect 3-3 from beyond the arc. Defensively, Bennett Basich was named the GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week.  In 28 minutes of work on the weekend, still less than 3/4 of one game, he totaled 16 points, 15 rebounds, eight assists, and three steals, including a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double against Concordia. 

Leading the way for the Green and Gold is graduate forward Dylan Kuehl, averaging 18.6 points per game, ranking him fourth in the GLIAC. He also ranks sixth in rebounds per game (6.4), third in field goal percentage (55.9%), third in assists (3.8), and eighth in blocked shots (0.9), making him not only one of the most complete players in the nation. He has scored in double figures in every game and already has an 18-point, 16-rebound double-double and a career-high 35-point performance to his credit. 

Behind Kuehl, redshirt sophomore Cal Klesmit is 13th in the GLIAC, scoring 13.8 ppg. In the last four, he is averaging 19.8 points, including a 30-point outburst vs. Parkside on Dec. 4. Shooting 25-59 (42.4%) from beyond the arc, he has been the most lethal threat across the conference from deep. Dudek is also averaging double figures at 13.0, ranking him 18th in the league. He is shooting 55.7% from the field this season, and 51.5% (17-33) from three. 

The Wildcats have shown they are a complete team through nine games, ranking inside the top 20 in Division II in several key categories: a 1.9 assist-to-turnover ratio (2nd), a 22.8 scoring margin (5th), 60.4 points allowed per game (7th), an 11.9 rebound margin (7th), a 79.5% free throw percentage (10th) and a 39.7% 3-point percentage (20th).

Despite the 8-1 record, Northern is still not receiving a single vote in the Natinoal Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) poll (top 40 teams). The Wildcats are currently ranked 12th in the Massey Ratings.