THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK MEN'S BASKETBALL… The Upper Iowa men's basketball program opens their season on the road this weekend as they compete in two games at the JustAgame Crossover tournament, held in Wisconsin Dells, Wis. Their first contest is against Northern Michigan on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Peacocks face their second opponent Michigan Tech on Sunday at 3 p.m.
 
LIVE COVERAGE… There are several ways to follow along with the Peacocks while they are on the road this weekend. Live stats and a webcast can both be found through the links attached to this story. Fans can also refer to UIUPeacocks.com/Live for all links on each gameday.
 
RUN IT BACK…  At the head of the helm is senior guard Jake Hilmer, who finished last season with a collection of awards. The Walker, Iowa product became the first Upper Iowa men's basketball player to be named as the NSIC South Division Player of the Year following the 2022-23 season and garnered an All-NSIC First Team selection. Hilmer was also named to both the D2 Conference Commissioners Association's All-Central Region First Team and the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-Central District First Team.
 
Upper Iowa also welcomes back senior forward Nick Reid, who was awarded Second Team All-NSIC last season after stringing together 14.3 points per game (41 percent from the floor) and 8.9 boards per contest (tied for first in NSIC). Reid was effective from downtown as he shot 38.2 percent from behind the arc, knocking down a team-high 68-178. 
 
FRESH FACES… The program can expect to see immediate impact from several newcomers, two of them being junior transfer Noah King and graduate transfer Christian Haffner. King comes to the program from Kirkwood Community College where he earned Second Team All-American honors, as well as a two-time All-Region selection. He averaged 16.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.
 
Haffner comes to Upper Iowa after several successful seasons as a collegiate athlete. He was a walk-on at Marquette University in 2015-16 before transitioning to Utah State Eastern in 2019-20. He then played for Des Moines Area Community College in 2020-21, notching a Second Team All-Conference nod and helping the Bears reach their JUCO National Championship title. At Saint Martin's, Haffner registered 7.6 points per game in two seasons behind 282 career-made three-pointers and a 41 percent shooting performance from the field.
 
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS (Courtesy of NMU Communications)… The Wildcats are 1-1 on the season after falling to Southeastern Oklahoma State 108-101 and defeating Lubbock Christian 83-69 last weekend.
 
Athletic forward Dylan Kuehl, who made the All-GLIAC First Team and All-Defensive Team as a redshirt freshman, leads the 'Cats early on with 18.0 ppg on 11-22 (50%) shooting from the floor.  He has been named to the GLIAC Preseason First Team this season. Sam Schultz was named to the D2CCA TipOff Classic All-Tournament Team last weekend.  He averaged 12.5 points per game and 13.0 rebounds per game over NMU's two contests.
 
After two games, the Wildcats are averaging 92.0 ppg while allowing 88.5 ppg. They are shooting 47.7% from the floor, 36.1% from three, and 74.1% from the charity stripe.
 
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES (Courtesy of MTU Communications)…  Michigan Tech turned the corner on the 2022-23 season that saw the Huskies contend for a GLIAC Tournament Championship despite an overall record of 10-20 in Josh Buettner's second season at the helm.
 
The Huskies return 11 from a season ago and were tabbed to finish fifth in the GLIAC Preseason Coaches' Poll. One key returner for the Black & Gold this season is sophomore guard Dan Gherezgher, who was tabbed Second Team All-GLIAC in his freshman campaign. He was tabbed preseason All-GLIAC First Team. 
 
Michigan Tech will rely on Gherezgher, sophomore guard Marcus Tomashek and junior guard Adam Hobson. The trio started over 20 games last season, all averaging double-figure scoring. 
 
DOWN THE STRETCH… The Peacocks are on the road again next weekend as they head to Aberdeen, S.D for the prestigious Small College Basketball Champions Classic, hosted by Northern State. UIU is set to challenge Northwest Missouri State on Nov. 17 at 5 p.m. and Northern State on Nov. 18 at 7:30 p.m.