Sometimes the cards simply don’t fall your way. Sometimes an issue that has plagued a team for most of the season can come back at the worst possible times. In the case of the #20 Northern Michigan Wildcats, another poor showcase taking care of the basketball led to prime opportunities for Grand Valley State. 14 total turnovers for the Wildcats allowed the Lakers to push the pace and play how they wanted with 20 total points off of those giveaways.
Neither side shot the ball particularly well as neither side shot over 40% from anywhere on the floor. Both GVSU and NMU were within a percentage point for overall field goal shooting, but an efficient first half for Grand Valley allowed the Lakers to build the lead as high as 19 points in the first frame. While NMU did outrebound GVSU 42-33, the Lakers still managed to outsqueak the ‘Cats in the paint with 34 points inside as opposed to Northern’s 28.
Due to the symphony of turnovers, Northern finished with just 57 points, their lowest output all season and the first time in the 2025-26 campaign the Wildcats failed to hit the 60-point threshold. Dylan Keuhl once again led all players with 16 points, though that mark came on a 5-17 shooting clip. Keuhl was also the only Wildcat to finish the night with more than 8 points. The other 4 Northern starters managed just 26 points in 96 minutes of action. Every starter also committed at least one turnover, accounting for 11 of the 14 total infractions.
Even with the loss, NMU still punched their ticket to the postseason for the NCAA tournament. The Wildcats earned an at-large bid from the committee, marking the third consecutive appearance for the unit in the big dance. First up for the fifth seeded ‘Cats is #4 Rockhurst, their first ever matchup with the Hawks.
“are pretty basketball, as good as it is and as fun as it is, it there is a time and a place where we have to just be meaner and nastier and tougher.” said Head Coach Matt Majkrzak. “We’ve done that throughout the year, but it [against Grand Valley] was maybe another good reminder that Lake State gave us a really good challenge.”
The tournament action for Northern will kick off Saturday, March 14 at 7:30 p.m. Live coverage will be available at the NCAA website.
