PREVIEW: Huskies embark on final road trip

HOUGHTON, Mich. - Riding a three-game win streak, Michigan Tech men's basketball goes on the road for the final last time this week. The Huskies face Grand Valley State Thursday night at 8 p.m. followed by Davenport Saturday at 3 p.m. 

With five games remaining in the regular season, Tech is tied for eighth in the GLIAC Standings and needs to finish eighth or better to qualify for the conference tournament. Thursday night's games can be heard on Mix 93.5 FM WKMJ and Saturday's contest will be on partner station AM 920 WMPL.

CHANGING THEIR FORTUNES

• The Huskies extended their winning streak to three games with a weekend sweep at the SDC Gym.
• Tech defeated Wayne State 78-58 Thursday and Saginaw Valley State 75-67 Saturday.
• Marcus Tomashek (14), Pete Calcaterra (12.5), Dan Gherezgher (11.5), and Adam Hobson (11.5) all averaged double figures on the weekend. 
• Saturday, Nate Abel came off the bench to score a team-high 15 points. Calcaterra was efficient with 14 points on 5 of 7 shooting and Hobson provided 13 points and six assists.
• The Huskies shot 48.1 percent from the field, including 38.2 percent (13-32) from beyond the arc.

THE MATCHUP

• Grand Valley State used a strong start to the second half to pull away from Michigan Tech 74-61 at SDC Gymnasium on January 21.
• Tied 33-33 at halftime, the Lakers proceeded on a 13-0 run and scored 48 points in the paint. 
• Marius Grazulis led the Lakers with 17 points and nine rebounds after shooting 7-for-10 from the field.
• Hobson led the Huskies with 16 points, including three triples and four rebounds.
• Josh Terrian (12 pts) and Dan Gherezgher (11 pts) also made it to double figures.
• Last year, the two teams split the season series with the Huskies winning on the road 75-67 on February 12, 2022.

FOR THE HUSKIES

• Gherezgher leads the Huskies with 11.3 points per game, good for 23rd in the GLIAC.
• Calcaterra ranks 15th in the league in rebounds (5.1 rpg) and Hobson comes in 19th in assists (2.1 apg). 
• The Huskies committed a season-low seven turnovers against Wayne State Thursday night.
• MTU ranks fifth in the category at 13.2 turnovers per game.
• Michigan Tech holds a 6-4 home record and 1-10 away record this winter.
• Their first road victory came at Lake Superior State on Saturday, January 28 at Bud Cooper Gymnasium 76-71.
• Tech has qualified for the GLIAC Tournament in each of the past three seasons, and eight of the last ten.
• The last time Tech finished with an under .500 win percentage was in 2018-19 (11-16, 6-14 GLIAC). 

SCOUTING THE LAKERS (13-9, 7-5)

• The Lakers fell in the GLIAC quarterfinals last season to Saginaw Valley State.
• Projected to finish sixth in the conference, the Lakers began a new era this season under head coach Cornell Mann.
• Mann was most recently an assistant coach at Missouri (2017-21) and had previous stops at Oakland (2016-17), Oakland (2008-11), Western Michigan (2003-08), and Central Michigan (2001-03).
• GVSU added nine newcomers this year, including three transfers and six true freshmen.
• Of the seven returners, four saw time on the court in 2021-22.
• Marius Grazulis (Marquette, Michigan) is a U.P. native and the team's leading scorer and rebounder.
• The Lakers have won five of their last six, including an 87-61 victory last time out at Davenport (Feb. 4).
• Trevon Gunter scored 15 points on 5-for-10 shooting.
• Gunter had five triples in the opening five minutes of the first half, giving GVSU a 44-30 edge at halftime.

SCOUTING THE PANTHERS (6-16, 2-10)

• The Panthers were projected to finish fifth in the GLIAC this season under veteran head coach Burt Paddock (15th season).
• After becoming a Division II institution in 2017-18, the Panthers qualified for the conference tournament for the first time in school history last season and finished with a record of 17-14 overall.
• Redshirt sophomore guard Mercedes Leech Jr. was named Preseason First Team All-GLIAC after averaging 12.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists in his first season.
• Leech Jr. entered the week tied with Max Bjorklund (Northern Michigan) for the conference scoring lead at 20.1 points per game.
• Seven newcomers joined the team this year, including three transfers, indicating a similar recruiting strategy to the Panthers football team in the fall.
• The Panthers dropped their fourth straight Saturday afternoon to Grand Valley State 87-61.
• DU hosts Northern Michigan Thursday at 7:30 p.m. before the Huskies come to town Saturday.

GLIAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK

• Josiah Palmer played a crucial role in the Rangers' two major conference wins this weekend.
• The sophomore scored 20 points in the 86-66 win over Ferris State and followed it up with an 18-point performance in the win over Lake Superior State on Saturday. 
• Palmer hit four threes in the opening half, keeping the Rangers in the game and allowing them to take the win and remain in first place in the GLIAC.

BIG PICTURE

• Tech has been selected for entry in the NCAA Region Tournament two of the last three years and has not finished below .500 overall since 2018-19. 
• In 101 seasons, the squad has made 11 NCAA appearances and won three GLIAC Tournament titles.
• The Huskies were selected fifth in the D2SIDA preseason midwest region rankings poll.