PREVIEW: Tech to face Parkside in GLIAC Quarterfinals

•  Wisconsin Parkside Tickets (as of Tuesday afternoon): Tickets in Kenosha will be sold at the door only. Cash or card (cash preferred)

HOUGHTON, Mich. - Michigan Tech men's basketball earned the No. 8 seed in the GLIAC Tournament and begins the postseason at No. 1 seed Wisconsin Parkside on Wednesday, March 1 at 8:30 p.m. EST. The Huskies (8-19, 5-13) qualified for March basketball for the fourth straight season and feature a young talented squad that has struggled on the road this winter. Fans can listen to the game on local radio station Mix 93.5 FM WKMJ and online at pasty.net.

• Tiebreaking procedures helped Tech clinch their spot on Thursday night after losses from Purdue Northwest, Wayne State, and Davenport all assisted the effort.
• The Huskies recently played the Rangers last Saturday and lost at home 76-58.
• UWP also defeated Tech on their home court 72-49 on December 1.

LAST WEEK

• Dan Gherezgher scored 15 points in a 65-57 loss to Northern Michigan Saturday. The Huskies led for a solid portion of the afternoon and took a 32-26 lead into halftime.
• Leading candidate for GLIAC player of the year Max Bjorklund helped spark the 'Cats in the second half with an open three and a lead change.
• Pete Calcaterra and Adam Hobson posted 14 and 10 points respectively for MTU.

SCOUTING THE RANGERS (21-7, 14-4)

• The Rangers are the most sound defensive club in the conference, surrendering just 66.7 points to opponents (40th in Division II). 
• UWP ranked sixth in last week's NCAA Midwest Region Rankings Poll.
• Parkside has won each of its last three, most recently over Saginaw Valley State Saturday 73-65 at home. 
• Rasheed Bellow posted a game-high 23 points on 9-15 shooting. Jamir Simpson contributed 17 points and seven rebounds.
• Parkside won the GLIAC Regular season title for the first time since 2018-19.
• Luke Reigel has been head coach since 2003-04 and is in his 20th season (22nd overall). 
• The Rangers made five consecutive NCAA appearances from 2012-13 to 2016-17. 
• Parkside finished in 5th place in the GLIAC North Division for three straight seasons following their regular season title in 2018-19.
• In seven NCAA appearances, the Rangers have won one game (2015-16, Kentucky Wesleyan). 
• Michigan Tech downed Wisconsin Parkside in the GLIAC quarterfinals last year at SDC Gymnasium 66-53 as the No. 2 seed. 
• Parkside was picked to finish eighth in this year's GLIAC Preseason Coaches Poll.
• Jamir Simpson was selected Preseason Second Team All-GLIAC. 
• The Rangers returned three of its top four scorers after finishing 14-14, 10-9 GLIAC a year ago.
• The roster also includes seven newcomers, including five true freshmen.

LAST TIME AGAINST PARKSIDE

• Parkside took the last matchup between the two foes 76-58.
• Hobson scored 15 points for Michigan Tech.
• "They're a good team and they were tougher than us," said head coach Josh Buettner. "They have a great defensive game plan. Everything we had was contested, especially at the rim. We didn't shoot well but most of the credit goes to Parkside. They took away a lot of what our players wanted to do individually and they executed better than we did physically and schematically... "Parkside is well-coached and they don't make the couple of mistakes that could help jump-start us. They don't beat themselves. It's not that they made a ton of adjustments, just that they were better than us. We had a good start but couldn't sustain it."
• Michigan Tech enters the tournament having won four of its last ten conference contests.

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.
• Tech's last GLIAC Tournament title was 2019-20. The Huskies finished 23-8, 14-6 GLIAC, and were the No. 2 seed. 
• The Huskies were selected fifth in the D2SIDA preseason midwest region rankings poll.

AROUND THE LEAGUE WEDNESDAY - QUARTERFINALS

• [1] Parkside vs. [8] Michigan Tech - 8:30 p.m.
• [2] Ferris State vs. [7] Purdue Northwest - 7 p.m.
• [3] Northern Michigan vs. [6] Saginaw Valley State - 5:30 p.m.
• [4] Lake Superior State vs. [5] Grand Valley State - 6 p.m.
• Should the Huskies win Wednesday, they would travel to the highest remaining seed for the semifinals (Saturday) and championship (Sunday).

SENIOR STATS

• The Huskies honored their two senior players prior to tipoff Saturday. Senior guard Eric Carl developed into one of the GLIAC's premier 3-point shooters in 2020-21.
• After winning the Bob Olson Outstanding Newcomer Award as a freshman, Carl led the conference with 64 threes as a sophomore, including a season-high 24 points against Saginaw Valley.
• Carl scored 13 points in the Midwest Region Championship game against Truman State. 
• Last year, Carl finished fourth in the league in triples and started all 28 games, with 11.1 points per game.
• This winter, Carl is shooting a respectable 41.1 percent from downtown and has embraced a leadership role helping a group of talented freshmen adjust to the collegiate level.
• Carl is working toward a degree in Mechanical Engineering.
• Senior guard Devin Schmitz attended Dollar Bay High School before getting the chance to play for his hometown Huskies.
• After redshirting in 2018-19, Schmitz appeared in eight games in 2019 and another five in the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 campaign.
• Schmitz posted a career-high 11 points against Finlandia on December 15, 2021. He majored in sports and fitness management and with an added year of eligibility, may take the option to lace up the sneakers in 2023 but with graduation on the horizon, Schmitz's career may instead be wrapping up.