MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Northern Michigan men's basketball team opens 2026 riding a 10-game winning streak and receiving votes in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches Top 25 Poll.
Northern returns to GLIAC play this week with a pair of home games at Vandament Arena, facing Davenport on Jan. 2 at 3 p.m. and Grand Valley State on Jan. 3 at 3 p.m. With a return to conference play from here on out, each game will be vital the rest of the way.
The Wildcats have been dominant on both ends of the floor, ranking first nationally in assist/turnover ratio and controlling the glass with the nation's top rebounding margin and scoring defense.
Both games this weekend can be streamed on FloCollege, or listened to live 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) and @nmu_mbb on Instagram for updates throughout the weekend.
About the Wildcats
Northern Michigan enters the week riding a 10-game winning streak and receiving votes in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Top 25 Poll. Through 12 games, the Wildcats have established themselves as one of the most complete teams in Division II, pairing elite defense with efficiency on both ends of the floor.
Defensively, NMU has been the standard nationally, allowing just 57.3 points per game — the lowest mark in Division II. The Wildcats also lead the nation with a +14.3 rebounding margin. Northern complements its defense with disciplined offense, ranking first in the country with a 1.91 assist-to-turnover ratio while sitting fourth nationally in scoring margin at +27.1.
The Wildcats are also among the nation's most efficient shooting teams on each end of the floor, ranking 13th in field goal percentage defense (38.3%), 14th in three-pointers made per game (10.9), and 22nd in three-point percentage (39.6%).
Graduate forward
Dylan Kuehl continues to anchor the Wildcats, leading the team at 16.1 points per game while ranking inside the GLIAC's top 10 in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage, assists, and blocked shots.
Cal Klesmit (13.9 ppg) and
Jackson Dudek (13.6 ppg) provide consistent scoring support, with Klesmit shooting 44.0% from three — second best in the league — and Dudek converting at a 62.0% clip from the floor. The reigning GLIAC Tournament MVP has been especially efficient of late, knocking down 14-17 (82.4%) attempts from beyond the arc over his last five games.
A Look at Davenport
Davenport enters the week 8-2 overall and 2-0 in GLIAC play, riding a five-game winning streak. The Panthers have been led by their defense, ranking first in Division II in field goal percentage defense (36.4%) and defensive rebounds (33.8) per game. DU is paced by Ken Walker at 23.2 points per game, good for 1st in the GLIAC and 4th nationally. Alden Ritt (9.8) and Dylan Smith (9.1) are the top two rebounders in the conference.
A Look at Grand Valley State
The Lakers are also 8-2 overall, but 1-1 in the conference. After narrow defeats to Saginaw Valley State (81-80) and Malone (57-55), GVSU defeated Aquinas 87-65 in its most recent outing. Ethan Alderink (13.7 ppg), Jalen Charity (13.3), and Trevor Smith Jr. (13.2) present a challenging three-headed attack on offense. Mason Docks holds a 3.4 assist/turnover ratio, tops in the conference and 8th in the country.
