Sioux Falls, S.D. -- The CU Mortgage Direct Dakota Showcase provided a little glimpse into how competitive Summit League play should be after the New Year. Each team won at least a game and all but two of the contests were decided by single digits, including a 53-52 slugfest win by North Dakota State over in-state foe North Dakota.
South Dakota's Stanley Umude capped the event with one of the single-best performances of the young college season, dropping a career-high 41 points in the Coyotes 91-78 victory over South Dakota State. The San Antonio native collected the second #SummitMBB weekly honor of his career after averaging 28.3 ppg over the course of the three games.
With a new week on tap, the competition does not get any easier for Summit League foes as a trio of Power-5 matchups loom with Omaha facing Colorado of the Pac-12, Oral Roberts set to square off against in-state foe Oklahoma of the Big XII and North Dakota State wrapping up its non-conference slate against another Big XII opponent in TCU. The Coyotes get another crack at an undefeated Drake team that is currently 6-0 and ranked No.9 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major poll. The Bulldogs defeated South Dakota earlier this season at the Little Apple Classic in Manhattan, Kan.
AROUND THE SUMMIT LEAGUE
Tuesday, December 15
Oral Roberts 96, Bacone College 65
Wednesday, December 16
Omaha at Colorado | PAC-12 Network | 4 p.m.
Northern Colorado at Denver | Altitude 2 | 6 p.m.
Oral Roberts at Oklahoma | FSO+ | 7 p.m.
Thursday, December 17
North Dakota at Southern Illinois | ESPN3 | 1 p.m.
Omaha at Wyoming | MW Network | 7 p.m.
Friday, December 18
North Dakota at Southern Illinois | ESPN3 | 3 p.m.
Drake at South Dakota | 5 p.m.
Saturday, December 19
Texas State at Denver | Altitude | 12 p.m.
Kansas Christian College at Kansas City | 12 p.m.
Kansas Christian College at Kansas City | 5 p.m.
UT Arlington at Oral Roberts | Cancelled
Sunday, December 20
Oral Roberts at Arkansas | SECN | 1 p.m.
Mount Marty at South Dakota | 4 p.m.
Tuesday, December 22
Northern Arizona at Denver | Altitude | 1 p.m.
North Dakota at Drake | Mediacom | 7 p.m.
NDSU at TCU | ESPNU | 8 p.m.
Wednesday, December 23
Kansas City at Saint Louis | FSMW | 7 p.m.
Tuesday, December 29
Denver at Grand Canyon | GCUTV | 7 p.m.
Omaha at Kansas State | ESPN+ | 7 p.m.
All Times Local | All Summit League home games will have a stream
NOTING THE PIONEERS
• The Pioneers close out the pre-Christmas stretch with three-consecutive home games, starting Wednesday with regional-rival Northern Colorado.
• Junior Jase Townsend has reached double figures in all four games this season and is averaging a team-best 17.8 ppg. He also leads the team in rebounding (6.0/g).
• Townsend had his second 20-plus point scoring game with 21 the last time out in a rally that fell short against Dixie State.
• Sophomore Taelyr Gatlin is shooting a team-best 50 percent from beyond the arc through four games.
• Freshman Sam Hines scored 11 points in his first career start against Dixie State and is averaging 10.0 ppg since making his debut vs. UC-Riverside.
NOTING THE ROOS
• The Roos dropped a pair of road tilts last week, falling at Minnesota (90-61) before nearly rallying from a double-digit deficit at Toledo (64-57).
• Kansas City had trailed by as many as 12 before trimming the Rockets’ lead down to three on a made trey by Franck Kamgain, who is 7-for-10 from distance in last three games.
• Brandon McKissic averaged 15.5 ppg in those two contests and posted his second 20-plus point scoring game with 21 against the Rockets.
• Kansas City will play the rare doubleheader on Saturday as Kansas Christian pays a visit to the Swinney Center for tips at Noon and 5 p.m.
• Sophomore Josiah Allick is averaging 12.8 ppg and ranks fourth among league players in field goal percentage (56.1).
NOTING THE FIGHTING HAWKS
• The Fighting Hawks opened the CU Mortgage Direct Dakota Showcase with a tightly-contested 75-71 victory over South Dakota before falling to South Dakota State (74-62) and losing a nailbiter to North Dakota State (53-52).
• Junior Filip Rebraca averaged 21.7 ppg and 6.7 rpg during those three contests. He scored a career-high 26 in the win over the Coyotes in what was the second-consecutive game he made 10 field goals (vs. Minnesota; 12/4).
• Rebraca is one of four Fighting Hawks that share the team lead with seven 3-pointers made. He’s shooting 53.8 percent from beyond the arc, while Ethan Igbanugo is 7-for-15 (46.7) to pace the club in those efforts.
NOTING THE BISON
• The Bison snapped a five-game skid to open the season by taking their final two games of the CU Mortgage Direct Dakota Showcase, posting wins over South Dakota (74-67) and rallying from a late 10-point deficit to clip North Dakota (53-52) in the finale.
• Junior Sam Griesel tallied the first three double-digit scoring efforts of his season in Sioux Falls, finish the event with 50 points (16.7 ppg).
• After scoring just 21 points in NDSU’s first three games, Maleeck Harden-Hayes put up a career-high 18 against South Dakota State and averaged 12.3 ppg at the Pentagon.
• The Bison are the league’s top scoring defense, allowing 67.3 ppg.
NOTING THE MAVERICKS
• The Mavericks head to the Rocky Mountain range for back-to-back games at Colorado and Wyoming.
• Junior Wanjang Tut led Omaha with 14 points in a 95-50 loss at No. 5 Kansas last week.
• Freshman Jadin Booth chipped in with a career-high 11 points off the bench thanks to a 2-for-5 effort from beyond the arc.
• Senior Matt Pile, the lone Summit League player to average a double-double a year ago, is trying to duplicate the feat. Through six games, he’s averaging 9.7 ppg and 8.9 rpg with one double-double to his credit (vs. SIUE).
NOTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES
• The Golden Eagles picked up a pair of easy home wins in the last handful of days, dropping Southwestern Christian, 111-58, then cruising to a 96-65 win over Bacone College.
• ORU allowed its bench to carry the team to those two wins as the Golden Eagles gear up for Power-5 tilts at in-state foe Oklahoma (Dec. 16) and SEC-foe Arkansas (Dec. 20).
• Graduate transfer Justin Lovvorn paced a quartet of reserves in double figures for the Golden Eagles with a career-high 15 points against Southwestern Christian.
• D’Mauria Jones went for back-to-back career-highs in the two victories, scoring 13 against the Eagles before recording his first career double-double with 16 points and a career-high 21 rebounds against the Warriors. The 21 boards were the most by a Summit League player this season and equaled the most by a DI player.
NOTING THE COYOTES
• The Coyotes snapped their five-game skid to open the season with an impressive 91-78 victory over in-state rival South Dakota State.
• Senior Stanley Umude keyed the win with a 41-point outburst that broke the program’s DI single-game scoring record. He went 17-for-26 from the field had 26 before the break.
• A.J. Plitzuweit added 17 points and six assists in the win over the Jacks. He’s second among Summit League players in assists, dishing out 4.3/g.
• The Yotes home opener is scheduled for Friday against a Drake squad that is ranked No. 9 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major poll.
NOTING THE JACKRABBITS
• The Jackrabbits finished the CU Mortgage Direct Dakota Showcase with a 2-1 record, picking up wins over NDSU and North Dakota before dropping the finale against South Dakota.
• SDSU played the event without Summit League Preseason Player of the Year Douglas Wilson, who sat out with a foot injury.
• The Jackrabbits dropped to No. 11 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll. SDSU was No. 7 a week ago and was ranked No. 5 in the preseason edition.
• Junior point guard Alex Arians has reached double figures in seven straight and averaged 15.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg and 2.3 apg at the Showcase.
• Sophomores Noah Freidel (23) and Baylor Scheierman (21) rank one-two in the league in 3-pointers made and are averaging 17.5 ppg (6th) and 14.5 ppg (8th), respectively.
NOTING THE FIGHTING LEATHERNECKS
• The Leathernecks nearly pulled off the comeback at Eastern Illinois, but the Panthers held on for a 92-88 victory.
• JUCO All-American Justin Brookens had his coming out party for the Leathernecks, pouring in 37 points off the bench. The Milwaukee native, who scored 20.1 ppg and shot 48.8 percent from the field at Iowa Lakes last season, had just 22 points in the Leathernecks first four games.
• Junior Tamell Pearson (UAB) has recorded a pair of double-doubles in the early portion of the season and leads the team in scoring (12.6) and rebounding (9.2).
• Joining Pearson and Brookens with double-figure scoring averages are a pair of grad transfers in Rod Johnson and Will Carius, who are both averaging 10.0 ppg.
SUMMIT POINTS (NEWS AND NOTES)
#BEATTYPE1 GAMES RETURN FOR YEAR THREE
League basketball season will mark the third consecutive that the league's nine men's and women's programs will bring awareness to type 1 diabetes. All 18 programs have once again designated a league game to team up with Sanford Health and bring awareness to the disease that more than 1.25 million Americans are currently battling.
The #BeatType1 initiative is a collaborative effort between the league's nine-member institutions and Sanford Health and administrators from each institution have toured the Sanford Health facilities during visits to Sioux Falls in the past and recorded public service announcements once again that will air at each of their respective institutions during these awareness games.
In total, there were 12 dates set aside by league members ranging from Jan. 2 to Feb. 28.
#BeatType1 Games
| Date |
Host |
Opponents |
| 1/3 |
Omaha |
Oral Roberts |
| 1/8 |
South Dakota State |
Western Illinois |
| 1/8 |
Kansas City |
South Dakota |
| 1/23 |
North Dakota State |
Denver |
| 1/23 |
Western Illinois |
South Dakota |
| 1/29 |
South Dakota |
Omaha (MBB) |
| 1/30 |
North Dakota |
Western Illinois (WBB) |
| 2/12 |
North Dakota |
South Dakota (MBB) |
| 2/26 |
Denver |
Omaha |
| 2/28 |
Oral Roberts |
Western Illinois |
SOUTH DAKOTA’S UMUDE SECURES #SUMMITMBB PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOR
South Dakota senior Stanley Umude collected #SummitMBB Player of the Week honors after a dazzling three-game stretch at the CU Mortgage Direct Dakota Showcase, league officials announced Monday.
Umude averaged 28.3 ppg, 7.0 rpg and shot 50 percent from 3-point range (10-for-20) in the three games at the Pentagon in Sioux Falls, capping the event with a 41-point outburst in a 91-78 win over in-state rival South Dakota State. The 41 points were the most by a Summit League player in a game this season and tied Iowa’s Luka Garza for the most by a Division I player in a game this season.
Umude had 26 points by halftime of the SDSU contest and finished the game, making 17-of-26 shots from field. The San Antonio native also added 11 boards to register his second double-double of the season.
In USD’s opener against North Dakota, Umude put up a then season-high 30 points thanks to a 5-for-9 effort from beyond the arc against the Fighting Hawks and added 14 points, five rebounds and three assists in the Coyotes’ middle game against North Dakota State.
JACKS SHIFT TO NO. 11 IN MID-MAJOR POLL
SDSU slipped to No. 11 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major poll after posting a 2-1 record at the CU Mortgage Direct Dakota Showcase. The Jacks picked up wins over both Summit League programs from the Peace Garden State before falling to rival South Dakota in the finale of the three-day, three-game event.
FLURRY OF 30-POINT SCORERS
It took a couple of weeks for a Summit League player to eclipse the 30-point mark in a game, but once Oral Roberts’ Max Abmas dropped 33 on Oklahoma State on Dec. 8, the total of 30-point games reached four before last week was over. South Dakota’s Stanley Umude contributed two of those, going for 30 in a 75-71 loss to North Dakota in the opening game of the CU Mortgage Direct Dakota Showcase. He capped the event with a Summit League single-game high 41 in a win over South Dakota State on Dec. 12. Earlier that day, Justin Brookens came off the Western Illinois bench to score a career-high 37 points in a 92-88 loss at Eastern Illinois. Brookens, who was a JUCO All-American a season ago at Iowa Lakes, had scored just 22 points in the Leathernecks’ first four games.
WELCOME BACK, KANSAS CITY
After spending the previous seven seasons in the Western Athletic Conference, Kansas City is back in The Summit League once again as a full-time member. The Roos, who were previously a member from 1994-2013, will replace Purdue Fort Wayne, keeping the league’s membership at nine for the 2020-21 season.
DOUBLE-DIGITS
Earlier this Summer, Summit League Commissioner Tom Douple announced that St. Thomas would join the league as the 10th full-time member to start the 2021-22 season. The Tommies will become the first NCAA Division III member to make the leap straight to the DI level after receiving a special waiver.
HIGHEST SCORERS BY CLASS
Senior: Stanley Umude, South Dakota (23.7/g)
Junior: Filip Rebraca, North Dakota (19.7/g)
Sophomore: Max Abmas, Oral Roberts (20.8/g)
Freshman: Sam Hines, Denver (10.0/g)
HIGHEST RETURNING SCORERS BY CLASS
Senior: Douglas Wilson, SDSU (18.6/g)
Junior: Jase Townsend, Denver (16.8/g)
Sophomore: Max Abmas, ORU (14.7/g)
MAKE ROOM FOR ME
Last season, more than a dozen league players eclipsed the 1,000-career point plateau. Five league players entered the 2020-21 with more than 700 career DI points and South Dakota’s Stanley Umude became the first to eclipse that milestone. Umude scored 24 points in the season-opener vs. Colorado and became the 31st player in USD history to achieve that feat.
Here’s a rundown of the current DI career scoring leaders among league players:
Stanley Umude, South Dakota | 1,123
Matt Pile, Omaha | 985
Brandon McKissic, Kansas City | 945
Kevin Obanor, Oral Roberts | 870
Rocky Kreuser, North Dakota State | 773
Grad transfer R.J. Glasper scored 1,531 career points in three seasons at Arkansas Tech (DII) before transfering to Oral Roberts to conclude his collegiate career.
CARIUS HAS IT COVERED
Western Illinois grad transfer Will Carius has covered all three divisions the NCAA has to offer and arrives in Macomb with 1,277 career points between stops at Northern Michigan (DII) and Monmouth College (DIII). Oral Roberts
#SUMMITMBB | #REACHTHESUMMIT
