HOUGHTON, Mich. – The No. 5 nationally-ranked Michigan Tech men's basketball squad returns to GLIAC play, hosting two teams with 8-2 records in Grand Valley State on Friday (3:00 p.m.) and Davenport on Saturday (3:00 p.m.) to begin the 2026 slate.

A live stream ($) and live stats of the contest can be found on Michigantechhuskies.com/live.

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About the Lakers

Grand Valley State enters the New Year 8-2 overall and 1-1 in league play, most recently wrapping non-conference play with a loss to Malone (57-55) on Dec. 17 before downing Aquinas (87-65) on Sunday.

The Lakers are receiving votes and have gone 3-2 in their last five games with losses to Saginaw Valley State (81-80) and Malone (57-55). 

GVSU has a balanced attack as three players average over 13 points per game, led by Ethan Alderink (13.7). Shamus Thompson leads the team with 5.2 rebounds per game, with a game-high of 11 this season. Alderink has scored a team-high 28 points against Lewis.

The Lakers rank first in the GLIAC in steals per game (10.8), free throws made per game (18.8), free throw percentage (76.1) and fastbreak points (16.11). Mason Docks paces the team in assists (4.4) and steals (3.2) while adding 8.8 points. Docks ranks eighth in the country with a 3.36 assist to turnover ratio. 

GVSU was tabbed to finish fourth in the league coaches' poll under fourth-year head coach Cornell Mann.

About the Panthers

Davenport brings a five-game winning streak to the Upper Peninsula with an 8-2 overall record and a 2-0 start in league play. The Panthers most recently bested Findlay 83-74 on Dec. 20.

DU ranks first in the country in field goal percentage defense (36.4%) and defensive rebounds per game (33.8%) while also owning the ninth-best rebounds per game (43.4) and the 12th-best three-point percentage defense (26.6).

The Panthers have three scorers averaging double-digits, led by transfer Ken Walker with the fourth-best points per game in the country (23.2) and leads the team with 2.7 3-pointers per game on 36.5 percent from beyond the arc.

Alden Ritt ranks third in the country in double-doubles with seven in 10 games, averaging 10.9 points and 9.8 rebounds, a GLIAC high. He grabs 8.4 defensive boards per game, which ranks 3rd in the country and first in the league, as Dylan Smith chips in 11.5 points and 9.1 rebounds per outing.

The Panthers were selected to finish fourth in the GLIAC under the guidance of Burt Paddock in his 18th season at the helm.

About the Huskies

Michigan Tech returns to the SDC Gymnasium for just the third and fourth times this season on a nine game win-streak for an overall ledger of 11-1 and a 2-0 record in the GLIAC. The No. 5 nationally-ranked Huskies most recently went 2-0 in its second Florida Tournament of the season, with wins over Florida Tech (64-52) Friday and Lynn (105-67) on Saturday at the Florida Tech Christmas Classic.

All-American Marcus Tomashek earned league recognition for his part in the 2-0 weekend in the Sunshine State, averaging 30.5 points, 5.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds to earn his first GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week distinction of the season. The Green Bay, Wisconsin, native broke the school record for single-game 3-point field goals made with 11 in the win over Lynn, where the Huskies made 23 3-pointers as a team, also breaking the team record. For the weekend, he shot 54.1 percent from the field (20-37), 50 percent from trey (14-28) and a perfect 7-7 from the free throw line.

The Huskies have the third-best scoring defense in the country (58.8), the fourth-best field goal percentage defense (36.8%) and the 11th-best three-point percentage defense (26.6%). Offensively, the Black & Gold post 72.7 points per outing as Tomashek (20.1) and Ty Fernholz (11.5) reach double-figure scoring. Fernholz leads the GLIAC in 3-point attempts (103), 3-pointers per game (3.17) and total 3-pointers (38).

Nate Abel and Gabe Smith pace the Huskies in rebounds and steals per game. The duo average 1.9 pickpockets as Abel has a team-high 6.7 rebounds with 6.3 per game from Smith.

One Last Thing

The Huskies haven't lost a regular-season game at the SDC Gymnasium since Mar. 2, 2024 and are currently riding a 15-game win streak at home.