Great Lakes Wire

The Northern Michigan University men's basketball team has been selected to finish second in the 2025-26 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Preseason Poll, according to an announcement by the conference on Wednesday.

The preseason poll placed Michigan Tech at the top with 100 points and 10 first-place votes. Northern Michigan followed with 85 points and one first-place vote. Parkside was ranked third with 80 points. The rest of the poll included Grand Valley State, Lake Superior State, Ferris State, Wayne State, Saginaw Valley State, Purdue Northwest, Davenport, and Roosevelt.

Northern Michigan enters the season as the reigning GLIAC Tournament champion. Last season, the Wildcats finished fourth in conference play with a 13-7 record before advancing through the postseason and winning the tournament title. They defeated Grand Valley State, Michigan Tech, and Lake Superior State in succession to secure the championship. Over the last three seasons, Northern Michigan has won two tournament titles and one regular-season championship.

The Wildcats return three graduate student frontcourt starters: Dylan Kuehl, Jackson Dudek, and Sam Privet. Kuehl is a three-time All-GLIAC First Team and All-Defensive Team honoree. Dudek was named GLIAC Tournament MVP last season. Together with Privet, they averaged 34.8 points and 16.5 rebounds per game while shooting 52.5% from the field.

The roster also features nine newcomers this year, including Division I transfers Charlie Miller from Northern Iowa and Bennett Basich from UW-Green Bay.

Head coach Matt Majkrzak is entering his seventh season leading the Wildcats. He holds an overall record of 108-66 (.621) and a conference record of 69-43 (.616). Under his leadership, Northern Michigan has reached three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time in program history and aims to continue its success in the upcoming season.