MARQUETTE, Mich. – After a weekend split, the Northern Michigan men's basketball team returns home and will look to maintain its positioning atop the conference standings.
First, NMU will entertain the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals on Thursday, Feb. 5, at 7:30 p.m. The 'Cats will then turn their attention to the Lake Superior State Lakers, who they will host on Saturday, Feb. 7, at 3 p.m.
The Wildcats defeated SVSU 86-77 and LSSU 77-74 in two hard-fought road games earlier this season.
Each game this weekend will be streamed on FloCollege and can also be heard 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
At 19-3 overall, the Wildcats fell to No. 16 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Poll, narrowly behind No. 14 Grand Valley State and just ahead of No. 17 Michigan Tech.
The Wildcats are tied for first place in the conference standings with GVSU at 10-2. Northern is 8-0 on their home court and will look to keep that momentum going this weekend.
Dylan Kuehl continues to lead the way for the Green and Gold. In GLIAC games, he is second in scoring (20.9 ppg), third in field goal percentage (54.0%), and second in blocks (1.7 bpg). Over his last 10 games, he is averaging 22.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game.
The Wildcats have established themselves as one of the most efficient teams in the nation, leading the country with a +12.5 rebounding margin. They are also top 10 in assist/turnover ratio (2nd, 1.83), three pointers per game (9th, 10.7), and scoring defense (10th, 63.5).
A large part of the success beyond the arc is
Cal Klesmit, who is second in GLIAC play with 3.3 threes per game and first in shooting 4597% from beyond the arc. Through 12 conference games, he is 10th at 14.6 points per game. He can take over a game from three, notching five or more triples eight times this season.
Bennett Basich has also been an all-around force in league competition, averaging 11.5 points and 7.1 rebounds. He has scored in double figures in eight of the past 10 games and notched a 13-point, 14-rebound double-double on Jan. 17 vs. Saginaw Valley State.
Jackson Dudek is also averaging double figures at 13.0 points per game. His 44.7% career three-point percentage is second among all active players with at least 80 attempts.
A Look at Saginaw Valley State
The Cardinals enter the week at 11-9 overall and 5-7 in conference play. Last weekend, they defeated Parkside and Roosevelt at home. Away from home, they are 5-4, including an 81-80 win at Grand Valley State on Dec. 6.
Xavier Thomas leads the team at 17.5 points per game, followed by Marquese Jospehs at 13.8. In the paint, Kevonne Taylor leads the GLIAC and is top-10 nationally with 2.6 blocks per game.
A Look at Lake Superior State
The Lakers are 11-10 overall and 5-7 within the league. They also swept last weekend over Roosevelt and Parkside. They are 2-5 on the road.
LSSU is an efficient shooting team. They rank 22nd nationally in three-pointers per game (10.1) and 51st in three-point percentage (36.3). The offense is led by Omar Suleiman (15.7 ppg) and Harrison Sorrelle (13.6).
