MARQUETTE, Mich. – Riding a 4-1 start to the season, the Northern Michigan men's basketball team is set to begin Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) play this weekend, visiting Parkside (3-1) on Thursday, December 4, at 8:30 p.m. ET, and Roosevelt (0-4) on Saturday, December 6, at 4 p.m. ET.
The Wildcats are coming off one of their most impressive victories this season, blowing out Minnesota Duluth 79-53 at Vandament Arena, their first win over the Bulldogs since 2022.
Both games can be streamed on FloCollege or listened to live on 100.3 The Point (Thursday) and 94.9 The Bay (Saturday), 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.
Hear from Matt Majkrzak
"These games are vital. We can't let the success we've been having make us soft going into these games."
About the Wildcats
Through five games, the Wildcats are 4-1 and are coming off of arguably their most impressive victory this season, in which they handled Minnesota Duluth 79-53. Allowing just 63.0 points per game, the Wildcat defense has been the second strongest across the conference, while their 14.2 margin of victory also ranks second.
Graduate forward
Dylan Kuehl has led the way for the Green and Gold, averaging 21.0 points per game, ranking him fourth in the GLIAC. He also ranks fourth in rebounds per game (8.0), third in field goal percentage (54.9%), third in assists (3.8), and ninth in blocked shots (1.0), making him not only one of the most prolific all-around players in the conference but also in the nation. He has scored at least 16 points 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,
Jackson Dudek is second in scoring at 11.2 points per game while shooting 52.3% from the field. In the backcourt,
Cal Klesmit is averaging 9.0 ppg,
Charlie Miller is at 8.4, and freshman
Brooks Hinson made an impression last time out with 13 points and six assists.
About Parkside
The Rangers enter the weekend at 3-1. Having not played since November 22, Parkside also had a game canceled last week due to the winter storm in the Midwest.
The Rangers are averaging 84.0 points per game, good for second in the GLIAC. The offense consists of shooting 49.5% from the field, tops in the GLIAC, and making 21.3 free throws per game, 11th in the nation. Luka Mateski (19.3 ppg) and Paxton Warden (18.7) rank sixth and seventh in the conference in scoring and present one of the top duos in the conference. Fawaz Surakat is averaging 11.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 3.3 blocks per game.
About Roosevelt
The Lakers are 0-4 on the season, most recently losing at Northwood 92-82. This weekend's games against Michigan Tech and NMU will mark their first home games of the season.
Roosevelt holds an average margin of -17.5, the second worst in the conference. Despite only averaging 66.5 points per game, graduate Jalen Windham has carried the offense for the Lakers with 22.5 points per game, over a third of the offensive production. He also leads the GLIAC in minutes, averaging 36.0 per game.
