Basketball Game Preview: Cumberland Beavers vs. Northwestern Tigers

The Cumberland Beavers will head out on the road to square off against the Northwestern Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Cumberland knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past five games -- so hopefully Northwestern likes a good challenge.

Cumberland easily dispatched Spooner on Tuesday, but unfortunately both the margin and the ultimate result were a different story in this one. Cumberland fell just short of Barron by a score of 68-66 on Friday. The Beavers' loss signaled the end of their four-game winning streak.

Meanwhile, Northwestern posted their biggest victory since February 8th on Friday. They put the hurt on Hayward with a sharp 90-69 win. The Tigers' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.

Northwestern's victory was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 3-1. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 80.7 points per game. As for Cumberland, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-1.

Cumberland came up short against Northwestern in their previous meeting back in February, falling 75-70. Can Cumberland avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.