MARQUETTE, Mich. – Following a setback last Saturday at Purdue Northwest, the No. 22 Northern Michigan men's basketball team will look to get back on track this weekend, hosting No. 12 Michigan Tech and traveling to Ferris State.
With just four conference games remaining, the Wildcats sit at 12-4, a game back of co-leaders Grand Valley State and Michigan Tech. NMU will need to take care of business the rest of the way, along with some help, to sit atop the leaderboard in a couple of weeks.
That will start with hosting the rival Huskies on Thursday, Feb. 19, at 7:30 p.m. in a 'White Out.' All fans are encouraged to wear white, and a limited supply of white rally towels, sponsored by GMC, will be placed on chairs.
Following the game, an Overtime Party will take place at Slabz Bar & Grill with a cash bar and complimentary Hors d'oeuvres.
On Friday, Northern will travel to Ferris State and take on the Bulldogs on Saturday, Feb. 21, at 3 p.m.
Thursday's game against the Huskies will be televised on 100.3 The Point, with Mark Evans and Dave Ellis calling the action. Each game this weekend will also be streamed on FloCollege and can also be heard live on 100.3 The Point, with Casey Ford on the call.
Miracle Minute
During Thursday's game, NMU student-athletes will be collecting cash donations during a "Miracle Minute." During this time, they have sixty seconds to collect donations from the crowd. All proceeds benefit their efforts to fundraise for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
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
The Wildcats dropped to No. 22 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Poll after splitting last weekend on the road. Now at 21-5 overall and 12-4 within GLIAC play, the Wildcats trail GVSU and MTU, both at 13-3, with four games left.
Dylan Kuehl has led the way for Northern all season and continues to be one of the most well-rounded players in all of DII. In GLIAC games, he is first in scoring (22.2 ppg), second in field goal percentage (56.5%) and blocks (1.6 bpg), and 12th in rebounds (6.0). He has scored in double figures in every DII game this season and has scored 26 or more points in three of the past four.
He was named to the Bevo Francis Top-50 Watch List and the Trevor Hudgins Award Top-25 Watch List.
The Wildcats have established themselves as one of the most efficient teams in the nation, tied for the best rebounding margin in the nation at +11.1. They are also top-10 in assist/turnover ratio (2nd, 1.73) and scoring margin (5th, 18.0), while top-20 in three-point percentage (14th, 39.0) and scoring defense (16th, 64.6).
NMU's success from beyond the arc is in large part thanks to
Cal Klesmit, who is second in GLIAC play with 3.2 threes per game and first in shooting 47.7% from deep. Over 16 conference games, he is 13th at 13.8 points per game. He can take over a game from three, notching five or more triples eight times this season.
Bennett Basich has made an impact since the new year, scoring in double figures in 11 of the 14 games, averaging 11.8 points and 6.6 rebounds.
Jackson Dudek is also averaging double figures this season at 12.3 points per game. His 44.0% career three-point percentage is seventh among all active players with at least 80 attempts.
A Look at Michigan Tech
The No. 12 Huskies enter at 22-4 overall and 13-3 in the GLIAC. Michigan Tech downed the Wildcats 84-75 in Houghton on Jan. 8. Tech ranks among the nation's best defenses, ranking ninth in field goal percentage defense (39.3) and 17th in scoring defense (65.0).
Reigning GLIAC Player of the Year and Preseason Player of the Year Marcus Tomashek is averaging 21.6 points per game this season. Over his career, he has accumulated 2,253 points, 307 made threes, and is averaging 19.8 points per game, all bests among active players in Division II.
After Tomashek, no other player averages in double figures, but six players average at least 5.0 points per game, led by Ty Fernholz (9.2), Dawson Nordgaard (8.8), and Gabe Smith (8.2).
A Look at Ferris State
The Bulldogs are 10-13 overall and 7-9 in league play. They lost to the Wildcats 95-66 on Jan. 12, but have played better at home, where they are 7-4. Ferris is averaging 76.3 points per game while allowing 79.8. They limit opponents to just 26.8% shooting from three, the best mark in the nation.
Five players average over 11 points per game, with Tae Boyd (13.6) and Mykel Bingham (13.1) leading the way. Owen Hardy is top-5 in the GLIAC in rebounding (7.5) and blocked shots (1.4).
