Basketball Game Preview: Northwood Timberwolves vs. Irvine Vaqueros

Northwood and Irvine are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2021, but not for long. The Northwood Timberwolves will be playing in front of their home fans against the Irvine Vaqueros at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Northwood is coming into the match on a five-game losing streak.

Last Thursday, Northwood lost to Laguna Beach on the road by a 46-29 margin. While losing is never fun, the Timberwolves can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 903rd, while the Breakers are ranked 413th).

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Irvine). They were the clear victor by a 61-35 margin over University on Friday. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory the Vaqueros have posted since November 21, 2024.

Irvine is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 12-9 record this season. As for Northwood, their loss dropped their record down to 4-18.

Northwood came up short against Irvine when the teams last played last Friday, falling 51-38. Will Northwood have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.