Northern Michigan University’s Jackson Dudek, center, scores two points on a basket around Lake Superior State defender Kingsley Perkins, right, during the GLIAC Tournament men’s basketball championship game played at Michigan Tech’s arena in Houghton on March 9. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

MARQUETTE — Home away from home, also known as the Dells, awaits the men’s basketball team at Northern Michigan University this weekend.

The Wildcats return to Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, for games tonight and Sunday afternoon after splitting a pair of games there last weekend to open the season.

That’s four games at the Justagame Fieldhouse in the central Wisconsin location, which NMU won’t match at Vandament Arena in Marquette until Jan. 1.

But Northern has won six of eight games played at Wisconsin Dells over the past three seasons, having its five-game win streak there snapped with Saturday’s 80-67 setback to Missouri-St. Louis. The Wildcats opened a day earlier with a 91-70 victory over Maryville (Missouri).

This weekend, NMU takes on Northern State (South Dakota) at 6 p.m. EST today, then Northwest Missouri State at 3 p.m. EST Sunday. Today’s game will be broadcast on Marquette radio station WUPZ 94.9 FM The Bay, then Saturday’s is set for WUPT 100.3 FM The Point.

Fans can follow @NMU_MensBBALL and @NMU_Wildcats on X (formerly Twitter) and @nmu_mbb on Instagram for updates throughout the weekend, or visit the NMU athletics website at nmuwildcats.com and look under the men’s basketball schedule for links to live video, live statistics and a preview.

“The expectations are so high now, but a 1-1 weekend on a neutral floor against two really good teams isn’t the end of the world,” Northern head coach Matt Majkrzak said about last week’s results in an NMU Sports Information news release previewing this weekend. “Now, we play two awesome opponents … which, in a lot of ways it’s fun.”

The Wildcats were chosen No. 2 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference behind only Michigan Tech in the preseason coaches poll.

Northern has a veteran frontcourt — three forwards listed as graduate students who combined averaged 35 points a game last season — with a pair of NCAA Division I transfers as guards on a team that has made three straight Division II national tournament appearances.

Against Maryville last weekend, returning veteran Dylan Kuehl and Northern Iowa transfer Charlie Miller led NMU with 16 points apiece, the team shooting 51% from the floor, including 62% on 3-pointers.

Things cooled off the following day against Missouri-St. Louis, the Wildcats making just 3 of 23 on triples as Kuehl led his teammates with 19 points and six rebounds.

The coach doesn’t have much direct experience with this weekend’s opponents, the Wildcats having never played Northwest Missouri State before and only one game vs. Northern State, an 82-66 loss in Aberdeen, South Dakota, in the 1997-98 season.

Though historically a powerhouse in Division II, Northern State is 0-2 with new head coach Matt Wilber following a bleak 2-26 campaign a year ago.

NW Missouri opened this fall with a loss but is now 4-1, following a 6-22 struggle last season.

Story contents based on Northern Michigan University Sports Information press release previewing the games. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.