PREVIEW: Huskies hit the road for important conference matchups

HOUGHTON, Mich. - Coming off a pair of GLIAC wins last week at home, the Huskies hit the road for the first time in more than a month to play Wayne State and Saginaw Valley State this week. Fans will not be permitted at Wayne State Fieldhouse due to COVID-19 precautions but both games will be broadcast on local radio via Mix 93.5 FM and pasty.net. The Huskies are the conference's most stingy defensive team and have allowed just 66.7 points to opponents per game (49th in NCAA DII).

LAST TIME OUT

• The Huskies won in two very ways last week. Thursday night featured a defensive showdown and Tech prevailed 59-53. The Huskies held the Rangers to just one basket over the final 2 minutes, 38 seconds while balancing their scoring. Owen White provided a spark with five minutes to play when he was on the receiving end of a charge in the lane.
• Carter Johnston helped the team on both ends of the floor with 11 points, six rebounds, three steals, and five assists.
• Saturday, the Huskies prevailed 83-55 over Purdue Northwest to win their seventh game in eight outings. Tech led from start to finish and went 5-1 during their longest homestand of the year. The Huskies led by 23 at halftime and built it to a 39-point game with 12:03 left. Eric Carl tied a season-high with 22 points, shooting an impressive 6-for-7 from deep.
• Owen White added 17 points and seven rebounds, and Adam Hobson also achieved double figures with 12.

SCOUTING THE WARRIORS

• Wayne State made up a postponed game Monday night and fell 104-73 to Ferris State on the road to extend their losing skid to three games. Brailen Neely scored a game-high 24 points and seven assists in the loss. WSU went just 4 of 17 from the 3-point arc. The Warriors trailed 51-36 at halftime.
• Game cancellations have hurt the team's rhythm this season and Wayne State has played the fewest games (nine) of any GLIAC school. Last year, WSU finished 12-7, 12-5 GLIAC and was excellent at home (8-1). The Warriors fell to Saginaw Valley State in the GLIAC quarterfinals and to Ashland in the NCAA Regional quarterfinals 76-61.
• Thursday will be the first matchup between the Huskies and Warriors since January 2, 2020. MTU won 80-68 in Houghton.
• David Greer is in his 21st season as head coach and held a 266-261 record at WSU prior to the first game.
• Wayne State returned three top upperclassmen scorers, including Darian Owens-White (R-Sr., Guard), Brailen Neely (R-Sr., G), and Avery Lewis (R-Jr., F). Neely currently leads the squad with 15.8 points per game, just shy of his 16.7 ppg average in 2020-21. 
• The Warriors moved to a new arena this year (WSU Fieldhouse), after playing in the Matthaei since 1968. Wayne State has made 14 NCAA appearances and won four GLIAC Tournament titles. 

SCOUTING THE CARDINALS

• Saginaw Valley State has been challenging to beat inside James E. O'Neill Jr. Arena (6-1) but less imposing lately with recent losses to Lake Superior State (99-87) and Ferris State (88-84). Saturday night in Big Rapids, the Cardinals took a four-point lead with 2:37 to play but the Bulldogs scored eight unanswered points to win by four. Darnell Hoskins Jr. led the Cards with 24 points on 7 of 13 shooting, hitting seven 3-pointers. James Toohey finished with 14 points and three steals. SVSU shot 40.9-percent overall and 20-for-27 from the free throw line.
• Saginaw Valley State ranks third in the conference with 81.7 points per game but can be vulnerable at time defensively (74.4 points against - eighth). 
• Senior guard Delano Smith averaged 16 points last season and has matched that total this season to go with 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists. Smith transferred from Davenport University before starting 16 games in 2019-20.
• Senior guard Darnell Hoskins Jr. averages 12.8 points per game with a pair of games of 20 points this winter.
• Head coach Randy Baruth is in his 10th season. In 2020-21, the Cardinals went 5-12 overall, but made a stunning run to the GLIAC Tournament semifinals. After beating Wisconsin Parkside, the magic ran out against eventual champion Ashland. Michigan Tech defeated SCSU in the 2019-20 GLIAC Tournament quarterfinals.
• Last season, the Huskies downed Saginaw Valley State 76-57 on February 5, then 65-62 on February 6. Both games were at SDC Gymnasium.

FOR THE HUSKIES

• With their only blemish a 71-48 loss to the Nationally ranked Ferris State Bulldogs, the Huskies are off to a 5-1 start to the conference schedule and in second place in the North Division. Michigan Tech currently ranks eighth in points per game (74.6), first in points against (66.7), 9th in rebounding (33.9 rpg), third in assists (16.6 apg), and 5th in steals (6.9 spg). 
• All-American combo guard Owen White (Rhinelander, Wisconsin) leads the team with 16.8 points per game and an 81-percent free throw percentage.
• White is shooting 40-percent from the 3-point arc and 51-percent overall. His most notable game so far was a 25 points performance in a win over St. Cloud State on November 28. White scored 17 points in Saturday afternoon's win over Wisconsin Parkside.
• Junior guard Carter Johnston (Beaverton, Michigan) continues to be steady in the passing game with a team-high 4.1 assists per contest, just shy of his 5.5 assist per game average a year ago. Johnston is also just shy of his point and rebound totals from last spring.

COACH BUETTNER AT THE HELM

• For 27 seasons, Kevin Luke led the Huskies as head coach. Luke announced his retirement in April after amassing 471 career victories. He is the school's all-time winningest coach. Longtime assistant coach Josh Buettner was named head coach one day later after serving 13 seasons as assistant coach and one as associate head coach.
• Buettner (a former Husky all-American player) hired Ben Stelzer as assistant coach. Stelzer is another former all-American for the Huskies (2011-15) and played basketball professionally in Spain before beginning his coaching career.

PRESEASON POLL

• Michigan Tech men's basketball was selected to finish first in the GLIAC North Division this season the league announced Tuesday in its preseason coaches' poll. The Huskies begin the regular season as defending North Division Champions with four of five starters returning, including CoSIDA All-American combo guard Owen White.

North

1. Michigan Tech 56 (6)

2. Ferris State 55 (5)

3. Parkside 34

4. Lake Superior State 32

5. Northern Michigan 25

6. Purdue Northwest 23

South

1. Grand Valley State 49 (9)

2. Wayne State 42 (2)

3. Davenport 31

4. Saginaw Valley State 20

5. Northwood 18

HUSKIES AT A GLANCE

• With returning All-American combo guard Owen White and four starters back in the fold for 2021-22, Michigan Tech men's basketball hopes to again reach the NCAA Midwest Region tournament, where they fell 65-62 to Truman State in the Championship game last spring. The Huskies finished 15-8 overall, including 12-6 in the GLIAC North Division and took second place in the conference tournament.

LAST YEAR RANKS

• Last year, the Huskies ranked ninth in the conference in scoring (67.9 points), second in defense (63.7 points against), second in 3-point percentage (37.4-percent), and 10th in rebounding (31.3 rebounds).
• Tech began non-conference play with a pair of games in the Lewis Tournament November 12-13. After facing a trio of Northern Sun opponents (Minnesota Crookston, Minnesota Duluth, and St. Cloud State), the team started GLIAC action at Northwood on December 4.