MARQUETTE, Mich. - With four games left in the regular season, the Northern Michigan men's basketball team is now in a battle for postseason home court and will look to get back on track on Thursday with a trip to No. 22 Michigan Tech.
The Wildcats (16-8, 10-6) fell to No. 15 Lake Superior State and No. 20 Ferris State last weekend at home, and now it doesn't get any easier, as the Green and Gold will head up US-41 to take on the GLIAC-leading Huskies (18-6, 13-3) on Thursday, February 20 at 7:30 p.m.
The game can be watched on Fox-UP, with Mark Evans and Dave Ellis on the call. You can also watch the action on FloHoops or listen 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) for updates leading up to and during the race.
Thursday, February 20 - at No. 22 Michigan Tech at 7:30 p.m.
Watch on Fox-UP |
Watch on Flo |
Live Stats |
Listen
Hear from Matt Majkrzak
"We have to get hot, and that streak needs to start Thursday...I hope we can be within a couple points down the stretch and we'll find out if we can pull it off."
About the 'Cats
The Wildcats are coming off of two tough defeats, falling 80-74 to No. 15 Lake Superior State in overtime and then dropping a 91-84 decision to No. 20 Ferris State.
Dylan Kuehl scored 25 points against the Lakers and followed it with a career-high 31-point outing vs. the Bulldogs. The redshirt junior is 8th in the conference averaging 16.2 points per game. The two-time GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week has scored in double figures in all but one game. In conference games only, he is also 6th at 17.1 points per game, 3rd in field goal percentage shooting 49.0% from the floor, and 5th in rebounding at 6.8 per game. Kuehl surpassed the 1,000 career-points plateau earlier this season, becoming the 35th player in program history to join the exclusive 1K club, and the first since Max Bjorklund (2/17/22). Kuehl was selected to the All-GLIAC Preseason First Team after being named to the All-GLIAC First Team and All-Defensive Team in each of his first two seasons.
Since entering the starting lineup six games ago,
Jackson Dudek is averaging 14.3 points per game, scoring in double figures in all six. During that stretch, he is shooting 36-57 (63.2%) to go along with 8.2 rebounds per game.
Gerald Gittens also re-entered the starting lineup six games back, averaging 11.2 points, five rebounds, and 2.8 assists. He is coming off of a season-high 21 points against Ferris State where he shot 7-12 from the floor.
Julien Smith (11.2) and
Sam Privet (9.9) are second and third on the team in scoring and each have 10+ games in which they scored double figures.
Defense continues to be the mode of operation for Northern. While its offense holds 8th out of 11 teams in the conference at 73.9 points per game, the scoring defense ranks 3rd, allowing 68.1. The offense has turned it on as of late, however, averaging 78.5. NMU is also allowing a league-low 31.9 opponent rebounds per game and holds a +3.8 margin on the glass.
A Look at Michigan Tech
The Huskies enter Thursday's matchup at No. 22 in the latest NABC poll after a 75-63 win over Ferris State and 80-75 victory over Lake Superior State vaulted them to the top of the GLIAC standings at 13-3.
Tech is a perfect 11-0 on their home court, averaging 82.1 points per game while winning by an average margin of 19.4.
Michigan Tech is averaging 77.9 points per game overall while allowing 69.4. The three-point line has been a weapon for the Huskies, as their 10.0 three-pointers per game and 38.3 three-point percentage are top-25 marks nationally.
Leading the charge is junior guard Marcus Tomashek. At 23.9 points per game, the GLIAC Preseason Player of the Year ranks 6th in the country. Several other Huskies have stepped up throughout the season, with Pete Calcaterra, Ty Fernholz, Adam Hobson each earning GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week honors this season, joining Tomashek who has won it four times.
In a storied rivalry dating back over 100 years, the Wildcats hold a 139-87 all-time series record over the Huskies. Tech has won the last two, 80-69 last season in Houghton and 88-65 last month in Marquette.
