MARQUETTE, Mich. – Before the Northern Michigan men's basketball team heads to Puerto Rico for three games on December 18-20, the Wildcats will be home this week, taking on Concordia (WI) on Thursday, December 11, at 7:30 p.m. and Marian (WI) on Sunday, December 14, at 3 p.m.
The Wildcats picked up a pair of conference road victories last weekend, knocking off Parkside 82-78 and Roosevelt 85-64. Now, Northern will dip back into non-conference play with a pair of meetings against Division III Wisconsin-based NACC schools. NMU is 6-0 all-time against Concordia, while this will be their first matchup against the Sabres of Marian.
Both games can be streamed on FloCollege. The contests will also be on 100.3 The Point, with Casey Ford on the call.
Additionally, on Thursday, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) will be holding its annual Wildcat Toy Drive. Bring a new, unwrapped toy to donate to the Salvation Army and St. Vincent DePaul.
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
"There is a lot of positives [with the upcoming schedule], even with five games in 10 days and travel to Puerto Rico. Concordia has two guys that are special talents and they are different from the Division III which we typically play. Their two-headed monster should present a unique challenge."
About the Wildcats
The 'Cats have started the season at 6-1, with a 2-0 conference record. Northern defeated Parkside and Roosevelt last weekend, thanks to a dominant weekend from
Cal Klesmit. The redshirt sophomore opened the weekend with a career-high 30 points in an 82-78 win at Parkside, more than doubling his previous best of 13. He followed with 20 points and career highs in rebounds (8) and assists (7) in an 85-64 win at Roosevelt, finishing 6-10 from the floor and 5-7 from three for his second straight game with at least five triples.
Leading the way for the Green and Gold is graduate forward
Dylan Kuehl, averaging 19.3 points per game, ranking him third in the GLIAC. He also ranks fourth in rebounds per game (7.6), third in field goal percentage (53.1%), second in assists (4.3), and 10th in blocked shots (0.9), making him not only one of the most prolific all-around players in the conference but also 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, Klesmit is averaging 13.6 ppg, good for 15th in the GLIAC. His 44.2% mark from three leads the conference.
Jackson Dudek, last year's GLIAC Tournament MVP, is also averaging double figures at 10.6, while
Charlie Miller is close by at 9.9.
The Wildcats are second in the nation with a 1.9 assist/turnover ratio. They lead the GLIAC with 16.6 assists/game. Northern is also among the country's best from beyond the arc. Knocking them in at a rate of 40.3%, they rank 18th nationally, while also being the only team in the league averaging over 10 makes per game (10.1).
About Concordia (WI)
A Division III program out of the NACC, the Falcons are 4-4 after a 76-71 win over Edgewood in their most recent outing. CUW plays fast, averaging 78.8 points per game while allowing 80.0. Through eight games, the offense has largely run through two players: Logan Landers (26.4), who ranks fifth nationally in Division III scoring, and Casey Verhagen (22.5). Landers has also been dominant on the glass, averaging 11.5 rebounds per game.
About Marian (WI)
Also a Division III member of the NACC, the Sabres sit at 3-3 after a 66-61 loss to Concordia and a 73-64 win over Edgewood in their last two games. Marian averages 71.5 points per game and features a stingy defense that allows just 67.2. Andrew Ayeni leads the team at 18.0 ppg, followed by Derek Lindhert at 14.7. Guard Alex Vassilakis paces the team on the boards at 9.5 rebounds per game while also scoring 9.2 ppg.
