SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- All the prep work has been completed and now the time has arrived for all 10 Summit League teams to embark on their 18-game men's basketball league slates this week. The action starts Monday night with a quartet of contests and five more scheduled for Wednesday and all the matchups come equipped with plenty of storylines to get the campaign underway.

South Dakota State will begin its quest for a fifth consecutive regular season title against a Kansas City squad that will look to improve upon a 7-7 finish from its first season back as a league member. The Jackrabbits rank third nationally and top the Summit League in scoring after averaging 87.3 ppg in 13 non-conference tilts, while Billy Donlon's Roos are the league's top scoring defensive unit, holding opponents to just 60.4 ppg in 10 non-conference affairs.

Defending tournament champions Oral Roberts will open league play against a South Dakota squad that finished second in the regular season standings a season ago and own a 7-4 non-conference mark after knocking off Bellarmine this past Wednesday. The Coyotes have won three of four, while the Golden Eagles arrive in Vermillion leading the country in three-pointers made with an average of 12.9 per game.

Reigning DI scoring champ Max Abmas was the lone Summit League player to average 20-plus during non-conference play as his 20.2 ppg helped the Golden Eagles post a 6-5 record in 11 contests.

The hottest team in The Summit League will take its act to the Mile High City as Western lllinois opens year two of the Rob Jeter-era at Denver. The Leathernecks have won five in a row and owned the best non-conference record among league teams at 9-2. Graduate student Will Carius is one of four Leathernecks averaging double figures at 18.1 ppg.

The Pioneers are under the direction of first-year head coach Jeff Wilbrun, whose team snapped a six-game skid with a 64-56 win over UC San Diego to wrap up a 4-9 run through non-conference play. Transfer K.J. Hunt has been the Pios' top player and scored a career-high 24 points against the Tritons. He's averaging 16.4 ppg in his first season at DU.

St. Thomas will tip off its first journey through Summit League play at Omaha and do so as one of the most efficient 3-point shooting teams in the country. Led by senior Riley Miller, who is making a DI-best 4.8 3-pointers per game, the Tommies have knocked down 152 triples and shot 39.9 percent as a team from beyond the arc through 11 non-league games. Those efforts helped the Tommies post a 5-6 record in those contests.

UST will take on a Mavericks' squad that has flirted with the win column, but has yet to break back into it since taking their season opener against Hastings College. Senior Nick Ferrarini has played in eight of Omaha's 11 games and leads the team in scoring at 10.1 ppg with most of his production coming off the bench. Felix Lemetti is the only Maverick to start all 11 games and he's averaging 9.0 ppg, but has reached double digits in three consecutive games, including a career-high 20-point outing in Omaha's last game at UNLV.

North Dakota and North Dakota State will begin their respective league slates Wednesday in Fargo when the two in-state rivals square off. The Fighting Hawks have the top scoring freshman in The Summit League in Paul Bruns, who leads the team with a 12.5 ppg clip. UND finished 4-9 in non-league action and will take on a Bison squad that hit its stride down the back stretch of a 12-game non-conference slate, winning four of its last five. Senior Rocky Kreuser has been NDSU's top player to no surprise as the reigning all-league first team performer is averaging 14.4 ppg and ranks second in the league in rebounding with 8.4 rpg.
  
Upcoming In The Summit League (TV/Streaming) | Tip (Local)
Monday, December 20
St. Thomas at Omaha* (UNO) | 7 p.m. CT
Oral Roberts at South Dakota* (MSN/ESPN+) | 7 p.m. CT
Kansas City at SDSU* (MSN2/ESPN+) | 7 p.m. CT
Western Illinois at Denver* (ALT2) | 7 p.m. MT

Wednesday, December 22
St. Thomas at Denver* (DU) | 2 p.m. MT
North Dakota at NDSU* (WDAYX/ESPN+) | 7 p.m. CT
Kansas City at South Dakota* (USD) | 7 p.m. CT
Western Illinois at Omaha* (UNO) | 7 p.m. CT
Oral Roberts at SDSU* (MSN/ESPN+) | 7 p.m. CT

Wednesday, December 29
Western Illinois at Iowa (BTN+) | 7 p.m. CT
North Central at St. Thomas (UST) | 7 p.m. CT

Thursday, December 30
South Dakota at North Dakota* (MSN/ESPN+) | 7 p.m. CT
SDSU at NDSU* (WDAYX/ESPN+) | 7 p.m. CT
Denver at Oral Roberts* (ORUSN) | 7 p.m. CT
Omaha at Kansas City* (KCRoos) | 7 p.m. CT

Saturday, January 1
South Dakota at NDSU* (WDAYX/ESPN+) | 1 p.m. CT
Western Illinois at St. Thomas* (UST) | 2 p.m. CT
Omaha at Oral Roberts* (ORUSN) | 7 p.m. CT
Denver at Kansas City* (KCRoos) | 7 p.m. CT
SDSU at North Dakota* (MSN/ESPN+) | 7 p.m. CT

(#) AP/Coaches Poll Top 25 | *Summit League game

Recently In The Summit League
Monday, December 13
North Dakota State 77, Indiana State 70

Tuesday, December 14
St. Thomas 109, Northland College 50
North Dakota 110, North Central 65

Wednesday, December 15
UNLV 84, Omaha 71
Missouri State 75, South Dakota State 63
South Dakota 78, Bellarmine 64
Denver 64, UC San Diego 56

Thursday, December 16
Oral Roberts 71, UT Arlington 62

Friday, December 17
North Dakota State 73, Pacific 61

Saturday, December 18
Western Illinois 71, Eastern Illinois 54
Dixie State 78, North Dakota 69

AROUND THE SUMMIT LEAGUE
ORU'S LACIS EARNS TICKETSMARTER #SUMMITMBB WEEKLY AWARD
Oral Roberts forward Francis Lacis earned the latest TicketSmarter #SummitMBB Player of the Week award, league officials announced Monday. The Golden Eagle senior scored a career-high 21 points and posted his second double-double of the season, while matching a career-high four steals and blocking three shots in a win over UT Arlington.

Lacis went 8-for-11 from the field, including a career-best five makes from 3-point range to lead the Golden Eagles to a 71-62 victory over the Mavericks.

The Riga, Latvia native eclipse the 20-point mark for the first time in his career as he led a quartet of ORU players in double figures. His four steals marked the second time he's reached that total in a game this season.

POWER WINS
A year ago, Summit League teams tripped up Power 5 teams on three occasions, including two by Oral Roberts during its run to the Sweet 16 at the NCAA Tournament. The Golden Eagles defeated Ohio State (Big Ten) in the first round and Florida (SEC) in the second round during their magical run.  

This year, those wins have come a little more frequently as Summit League teams posted three before league play commences Monday. Those wins came over a Big Ten team,  an SEC team and a Pac-12 team to go with four wins over high-major programs (American, A-10, Big East, C-USA and Mountain West) as well. 

Summit League squads also have 32 wins over fellow mid-major programs after registering just three in a truncated non-league slate a year ago in 22 tries.

Western Illinois registered the first P-5 win on opening night in thrilling fashion, knocking off Nebraska 75-74 when Luka Barisic drilled a 3-pointer in the closing seconds. The league's second P-5 win was more convincing when Kansas City rolled to an 80-66 victory at Missouri behind a 28-point outburst from Evan Gilyard. It was the Roos' first Power-5 win since 2015.

The third P5-win came on Dec. 11 when SDSU used a buzzer-beater by Baylor Scheierman to topple Washington State in Spokane. The Jackrabbits also knocked off a pair of high-major programs at the Mammoth Sports Construction Crossover Classic, defeating Nevada (Mountain West) and George Mason (A-10) at the Sanford Pentagon in the days leading up to Thanksgiving. 

BOMBS AWAY 
No team in Division I is shooting better from 3-point range than South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits are knocking down 44.4 percent of its attempts from deep with sophomore Noah Freidel leading that charge. The Tea, S.D., native is 40-for-98 (40.8 percent) and averaging a team-best 19.0 ppg.

TOMS AWAY
As it reclassifies to the Division I level, St. Thomas has shown right away a propensity to score from distance and do so efficiently. The Tommies have made 150 3-pointers through 11 games, which is only topped by Eastern Kentucky's 167 makes (13 games) and VMI's 152 (12 games) among DI teams.

In their latest victory, St. Thomas made 22 3-pointers, which was the fourth most by a Summit League team in a single game. Senior Riley Miller's 50 makes are the most among Division I players and teammate Ryan Lindberg is making 54.7 percent of his attempts (29-for-53), which tops league players and is fourth among DI players.

The Tommies are making 13.6 triples per game, which tops all Division I teams, while Oral Roberts leads the NCAA and is second among DI teams at 12.9 3-pointers per game.

FRUITS OF YEAR TWO
A year ago, in Western Illinois' first season under head coach Rob Jeter, the Leathernecks found their footing late in the campaign, winning five of their last eight games after opening the campaign with a 2-12 record.  That momentum lasted throughout the summer and carried over into the start of the 2021-22 campaign. 

In fact, it's been a record-breaking start for Jeter and Leathernecks whose 9-2 mark is the program's best start since moving to the Division I level prior to the 1981-82 campaign. Those nine victories have also exceeded the team's win total from 2020-21 when the Leathernecks finished 7-15. 

Jeter, who has DI coaching experience from a previous stint, won the 200th game of his career this past Saturday when the Leathernecks defeated Eastern Illinois, 71-54.

PRESEASON ALL-LEAGUE NOTEABLES
• ORU's Max Abmas was named the Preseason Player of the  Year after leading the nation in scoring at 24.5 ppg, including a 27.2 ppg average in 15 Summit League contests. He led the 15th-seeded Golden Eagles to a Sweet 16 appearance following a run to the Summit League Championship as the No. 4 seed where he earned Championship MVP honors.
• SDSU's Douglas Wilson was a second-team selection during his second season in Brookings where he averaged 16.8 ppg and 4.9 rpg in league action. He was the 2020 Summit League Player of the Year.
• SDSU's Baylor Scheierman led all league players with 4.7 apg in league action, ranked second in rebounding at 9.4 rpg to go with a 15.1 ppg average. He's the top returning rebounder in the league and shot 43.8 percent from 3-point range.
• NDSU's Rocky Kreuser ranked 10th in league action in scoring (15.8 ppg) and fifth in rebounding (7.4 rpg). He led the Bison in both categories.
• NDSU's Sam Griesel averaged 12.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg and 2.6 apg in 16 starts for the Bison in league play.
• KC's Josiah Allick shot 54.9 percent from the field in league play, which is tops among all returners. He averaged 14.4 ppg and 5.3 rpg for the Roos in league action.
• USD's Xavier Fuller and Tasos Kamateros both started all 25 games for the Coyotes, who finished second in league play a year ago. Fuller averaged 8.9 ppg, while Kamateros chipped in 8.4 ppg.
• Tyree Eady was one of three Bison to average in double figures, scoring at a 10.9 ppg clip in league play and 11.5 ppg overall.
Freidel averaged 16.0 ppg in 14 contests, which included 12 starts. He shot 38.3 percent from 3-point range.
• Will Carius averaged 2.5 makes per game from 3-point range and led the Leathernecks in scoring (14.4 ppg) during his first season with the program. He upped that average to 16.4 ppg in 14 league contests.

HIGHEST SCORERS BY CLASS
Senior: Will Carius, Western Illinois (18.1/g)
Junior: Max Abmas, Oral Roberts (20.2/g)
Sophomore: Noah Freidel, SDSU (19.0/g) 
Freshman: Paul Bruns, North Dakota (12.5/g)

TEAM TRACKER
NOTING THE PIONEERS
• The Pioneers snapped a six-game skid in their final non-conference game of the season, defeating UC San Diego 64-56.
• The defensive effort was the best of the season for DU as the Pios held an opponent below 60 for the second time.
• Transfer K.J. Hunt continued his strong start to the season, scoring a career-high 24 points on 9-of-18 shooting from the floor. Hunt has  now scored 20-plus four times this season.
• First-year head coach Jeff Wilbrun's eight-man rotation in the win over the Tritons were all newcomers to the program.
• Freshman Touko Tainamo contributed 12 points and a season-high nine rebounds against UC San Diego.   

NOTING THE ROOS
• Preseason all-league pick Josiah Allick averaged 16.0 ppg and 6.5 rpg as the Roos split their last two contests heading into league play.
• Evan Gilyard broke out of a scoring slump at SIUE, scoring a game-high 19 points in the 60-56 loss to the Cougars. Gilyard went 12-for-13 from the foul stripe to account for a majority of his scoring as he reclaimed the team scoring lead.
• Gilyard (11.9 ppg), Allick (11.7 ppg) and Anderson Kopp (10.8 ppg) are all averaging double figures.
• The Roos went 7-7 in their first season back as a league member in 2020-21.
• Allick averaged 14.4 ppg and 5.3 rpg in Summit League action a season ago.  

NOTING THE FIGHTING HAWKS
• The Fighting Hawks nearly erased a double-digit deficit in their final tune-up of non-conference play, but Dixie State was able to post a 78-69 road win at The Betty.
• Freshman Paul Bruns continues to pace all league rookies in scoring after putting a season-high 21 points against the Trailblazers.
• Bruns took over the team's scoring lead and will enter Summit League at North Dakota State next Wednesday with a 12.5 ppg. 
• The Hawks have played without Caleb Nero (12.1 ppg) the past four games, while Mitchell Sueker (11.9 ppg) missed the Dixie State contest.
• UND went 8-8 last season in league play. 
• Ethan Igbanugo, who matched his career-high with 18 against Dixie State, averaged 10.4 ppg in league play last season.

NOTING THE BISON
• The Bison have won four of their last five games heading into the start of league play, which begins Wednesday with a home tilt against in-state rival North Dakota.
• NDSU's latest victory was a 73-61 victory over Pacific in which senior Rocky Kreuser registered his fifth double-double of the season.
• Kreuser, who scored a season-high 24 points, and pulled down 10 rebounds, shares the league lead in that category.
• The Bison finished third in the league standings at 11-5 a season ago. The trio of Kreuser (15.8 ppg/7.8 rpg), Sam Griesel (12.3 ppg) and Tyree Eady (10.9 ppg) all averaged in double figures and are back for NDSU in 2021-22.
• Freshman Grant Nelson averaged 12.0 ppg during NDSU's 12 non-league tilts.

NOTING THE MAVERICKS
• The Mavericks led UNLV at halftime thanks to a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Felix Lemetti, but the Rebels would rally in the second half to post an 84-71 victory.
• Lemetti finished with a career-high 20 points on the strength of a 6-for-9 effort from beyond the arc. He has reached double figures in scoring in three straight after doing that just once in the Mavericks first nine games.
• Sophomore Darius Hughes has also provided a much-needed scoring punch of late, averaging 14.0 ppg over Omaha's last four contests.
• Hughes has reached double figures in five of his last six games after reaching that feat just twice in his first 59 career games for the Mavericks.
• Omaha will be at home for its first two Summit League games of the season, including what will be St. Thomas' first as a league member on Dec. 20.

NOTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES
• The Golden Eagles finished non-conference play above .500 thanks to a 71-62 win over UT Arlington that pushed their record to 6-5.
• Senior Francis Lacis scored a career-high 21 points and went 5-for-8 from 3-point range as the Golden Eagles knocked down 14 from distance in the victory.
• ORU continues to lead the NCAA in three-point field goals with an average of 12.9 per game.
• Lacis and frontcourt mate Deshang Weaver each had three blocks as the ORU defense surrendered a season-low 62 points to a DI opponent.
• ORU opens Summit League play at South Dakota on Monday. The Golden Eagles finished last season with a 10-5 record, which was their best winning percentage in league play since rejoining the league prior to the 2014-15 season.    

NOTING THE TOMMIES
• The Tommies buried 19 first-half triples in a 109-50 route of Northland College in what was the team's final tune up before it embarks on Summit League play for the first time in program history.
• The Tommies finished with 22 triples as seven different players made at least two. The 22 makes is the fourth-highest single-game total in Summit League history.
• Senior Riley Miller, who leads all Division I players with 53 3-pointers this season, paced the way with a 5-for-7 effort from beyond the arc.
• UST will make its league debut at Omaha on Dec. 20.
• The Tommies won 34 MIAC regular season championships and 13 MIAC postseason tournament titles at the DIII level. 

NOTING THE COYOTES
• The Coyotes arrive at Summit League play having won three of four, including a 78-64 victory over Bellarmine in their last contest.
• Senior Xavier Fuller matched his season-high for the third time and made it back-to-back 20-point outings in the win over the Knights.
• Fuller is the team's leading returning scorer from a squad that finished second in the league standings a season ago with an 11-4 record.  He averaged 8.3 ppg in 15 league starts.
• Kruz Perrott-Hunt added 19 against the Knights and has reached double figures in eight of 11 games. His 13.5 ppg clip topped the team in 11 non-conference tilts.
• Backcourt mate Mason Archambault was close behind with a 13.2 ppg. Archambault leads all Summit League players with a 90 percent clip from the foul stripe (45-50).
• The Yotes will be home for their first two league clashes against Oral Roberts (Monday) and Kansas City (Wednesday).

NOTING THE JACKRABBITS
• The Jacks were held to a season-low 63 points in what was their final non-conference tilt of the season, falling to Missouri State by 12.
• The loss left them with a 9-4 record in what was the most non-conference games by a league team (13).
• SDSU's scoring average of 87.3 ppg still ranks third nationally.
• SDSU will look to rebound at home when it opens league play with Kansas City Monday at Frost Arena where it owns an 82-5 record since 2015-16. The .943 winning percentage is the best by any DI team during that stretch.
• The Jacks have won four consecutive Summit League regular season titles and seven of the last nine.
 
NOTING THE FIGHTING LEATHERNECKS
• The Leathernecks did not skip a beat despite a 13-day break as they rolled to their fifth straight win with a 71-54 victory over in-state foe Eastern Illinois.
• The victory also marked a milestone for head coach Rob Jeter as it was the 200th of his Division I career.
• WIU's defense limited EIU to 54 points, which was the fewest allowed by the team in a game this season.
• Graduate student Will Carius continue his torrid start to the season, scoring 25 points on 7-of-12 shooting from 3-point range. He is making 4.0 3-pointers per game, which is the fifth best mark in the NCAA.
• The Leathernecks are the only team in The Summit League with four players averaging double figures -- all of which are above the 13.0 ppg clip.
 
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