Basketball Game Preview: Hayward Hurricanes vs. Northwestern Tigers

Hayward is 2-8 against Northwestern since February of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Hayward Hurricanes will venture away from home to face off against the Northwestern Tigers at 7:00 p.m.

Last Saturday, Hayward was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 41-37 to Osceola.

Meanwhile, Northwestern entered their tilt with St. Croix Falls on Thursday with four consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with five. They claimed a resounding 69-42 victory over the Saints. Given the Tigers' advantage in MaxPreps' Wisconsin basketball rankings (they are ranked 176th, while the Saints are ranked 391st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Northwestern pushed their record up to 10-4 with the win, which was their third straight at home. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 68.7 points per game. As for Hayward, they now have a losing record at 7-8.

Hayward came up short against Northwestern in their previous matchup back in December of 2024, falling 40-32. Can Hayward avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.