Michigan Tech senior Kyle Monroe, right, shoots against Saginaw Valley State during a GLIAC tournament first-round game on Saturday, March 3, 2020, in Houghton, Mich. (David Archambeau/The Daily Mining Gazette)

HOUGHTON — The Michigan Tech Huskies men’s basketball team is back in the GLIAC Final Four for the third time in four years. They will face the Grand Valley State University Lakers on Saturday in Allendale.

Tip off is set for 1 p.m.

The Huskies split their regular season games with the Lakers. In January they lost on the road in overtime 95-93. However, they bounced back and evened the score with a 78-70 win at the SDC on Senior Day towards the end of February.

The Huskies (21-8 , 14-6 GLIAC) are seeded third in the GLIAC tournament. They defeated Saginaw Valley State 75-56 earlier this week in opening-round play. Meanwhile the Lakers (23-6, 15-5 GLIAC) are seeded second. They took out Ashland 73-60 on Tuesday to reach the Final Four.

The Lakers are led by sharp shooter Jake Van Tubbergen who leads the team in scoring with 18.7 points per game. He is also the team’s top rebounder with 10.1 boards a game. The Lakers will be relying on their defense to stop the Huskies. It is number one in the GLIAC as Grand Valley has limited their opponents to just a 41.8 percent shooting average.

Meanwhile, MTU will be relying on their school’s most prolific shooter, Kyle Monroe. At 23.0 points per game, Monroe became Tech’s all-time career scoring leader earlier this year. Even more impressive, the senior from Green Bay established a new GLIAC career scoring record to close out the regular season. He ranks among the top 10 in the GLIAC in three-pointers (67), free-throw percentage (78.4), total rebounds (193), steals (41) and free throws (109).

The Huskies are first in the GLIAC in three-point scoring made per game with 10.6. They are also tops in the GLIAC in field-goal percentage at 49.1 percent and are first in shooting from beyond the three-point arc at 43.5 percent. They are second in the league in fewest turnovers per game and are fourth in fewest points allowed per game at 68.4 while they average 79.6 points per game.

The last time the Huskies were in the GLIAC Final Four was 2018 where they lost to Lake Superior State 70-52. A win on Saturday would put them in the championship game against the winner of the Northwoods versus Northern Michigan University contest on Sunday afternoon. The Huskies have won the GLIAC Tournament title three times. They did it in succession in 2001,02 and 03.

The Huskies are ranked eighth in the NCAA Division II Midwest Region Poll. They are one of three GLIAC terms with national rankings. The other two include Ferris State at No. 2 and Grand Valley State at No. 4. If the Huskies win on Saturday and on Sunday in the championship game, they would earn an automatic bid the NCAA Midwest Regional Tournament next week. The last time the Huskies were in the NCAA II Tournament was on an at-large bid in the 2013-14 season.

Should the Huskies not win the GLIAC Tournament, their eighth-spot ranking will be key as the tournament field will be announced this Sunday night.