Northern Michigan University’s Dylan Kuehl, right, reaches high to get off this shot in a GLIAC Tournament quarterfinal game against Purdue Northwest played at the Berry Events Center in Marquette on March 6. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

MARQUETTE — The Northern Michigan University men’s basketball team takes a step up in its opposition this weekend with a trip to Duluth, Minnesota, to face a pair of nationally ranked teams from the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

The Wildcats face No. 3 Minnesota State-Moorhead at 5 p.m. EST today as a neutral-site game, then play host and No. 6 ranked Minnesota-Duluth at 5 p.m. EST Saturday.

All three teams are undefeated, NMU and Duluth in three games and Moorhead in four. By the way, Northern is receiving votes in the National Association of Basketball Coaches national poll and is No. 15 in the Division 2 College Sports Communicators ratings.

Each game will be broadcast by radio station WUPT 100.3 FM The Point, while fans can also follow @NMU_WBBall and @NMU_Wildcats on X (formerly Twitter) for updates leading up to and during the games. Or visit the NMU athletics website at nmuwildcats.com and look under the men’s basketball schedule for links to live video, live statistics, game previews and series histories.

“(Last weekend) the ball ended up in the hands of one of our best shooters,” Wildcats sixth-year head coach Matt Majkrzak said in an NMU Sports Information news release previewing the games. “I’m right on the line and as soon as he released it I felt like it was going in. And the next thing you know, we win the game.”

The “best shooter” he was referring to was Julien Smith, a newcomer to the team who played last year for Missouri S&T.

Smith hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift Northern to an 85-83 win over Illinois-Springfield on Saturday.

“(Looking ahead to this weekend) this Duluth team has a real chance to win a national title with their depth,” Majkrzak said. “Moorhead is undefeated and has the same team back from last year.

“They are both coached at an elite level and are national contenders, so we will know more about us after this weekend.”

This will be the Wildcats’ first game that counts that wasn’t played in the Wisconsin Dells, after beating Maryville and Missouri-St. Louis there the weekend before. Northern also faced Michigan State in an exhibition in the Superior Dome in Marquette on Oct. 13, losing that contest to the NCAA Division I and Big Ten member 70-53.

Nationally, NMU is tied for ninth in rebound margin at plus-13.0 and is 17th in scoring defense at 61 points per game.

The Wildcats have spread around their scoring quite well, as against Maryville, all 10 NMU players scored and grabbed a rebound, while against St. Louis, all 10 again scored with each also having at least one assist. Last weekend, eight of 11 Northern players scored.

Brian Parzych leads the way in scoring at 13.0 ppg, while also in double figures are Sam Privet at 12.7, Smith at 12.3 and Dylan Kuehl at 10.7. Gerald Gittens is close, too, at 9.0 ppg.

Privet has the high individual game so far with a career-high 22 points, 19 in the second half, vs. Springfield when he went 9 of 11 from the field and 4 of 5 on 3s. That was just enough production for Smith’s last-second heroics.

Minnesota-Moorhead averages 66.3 ppg and gives up 56.5, the third-best scoring defense in the nation. The Dragons are also 22nd in 3-point defense at 25.4% and rebounding margin at plus-9.8.

Senior guard Jacob Beeninga leds Moorhead at 16.0 ppg and led the Dragons last year at 16.5 ppg.

NMU and Moorhead met last season, a 83-79 victory for the Dragons in OT. Beeninga scored 35 points.

Minnesota-Duluth scores a higher 86.3 ppg and only allows 58.7 ppg, the 27.7-point margin that is No. 5 nationally.

Four Bulldogs score in double figures, led by forward Austin Andrews at 15.3 ppg, while forward Charlie Katona is at 15.0 ppg and 9.0 rebounds an outing.

Last season, the Bulldogs edged the Wildcats 74-72 in Marquette. Kuehl scored 22 points for Northern that day.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.