In some ways, it’s become easy to take St. Thomas for granted. The Tommies have, after all, spent the first seven weeks of this season checking off the milestones. 
 
First win against a Division I opponent? Done before the season was a week old. First winning streak against Division I opponents? Done before Thanksgiving. First Summit League win? Done on the first try, and on the road to boot. 
 
But in all that, it’s certainly worth keeping the Tommies inaugural jaunt through Division I in the historical perspective that it deserves. The NCAA’s first two-division hopping program has looked right at home in the Summit League, and already shown that they’re unlikely to be an easy out even if this isn’t where conventional wisdom might have dictated they’d be. 
 
UST’s Summit League opener against Omaha last week went as many of their games have this season. Riley Miller and the Tommies threw in a lot of three pointers (14-31), hardly turned the ball over and put up 80 points en route to another landmark win in the former Division III program’s early morning hours in Division I. Coach Johnny Tauer touched on that importance in a release after the win. 
 
"We're thrilled to get a road victory in our first game in the Summit League," Tauer explained. "We're so excited about the opportunity to compete in this outstanding conference, and tonight was the first step in that journey. I thought the guys came out very crisp, moving the ball and shooting efficiently. We were very pleased to have only three turnovers, and I thought that our veterans played with composure, even when the game got closer in the second half.” 
 
That composure has been there on the offensive end throughout the season, which runs counter to many other Division I newcomers in recent years. 
 
Teams making the leap have generally scuffled offensively in their debut campaigns. The last 11 newcomers – dating back to a quartet of teams in the 2013-14 season – have finished on average 245th in the country in offensive efficiency per kenpom.com. The Tommies have been a starkly positive contrast to that trend, as their three-point heavy attack has been the 86th most efficient in the country.
 
Only Bellarmine’s cut-them-up passing style produced a better mark (78th) in its debut last year. Notably, UST has outperformed a Grand Canyon team in 2013-14 that, unlike the Tommies, put an emphasis adding Division I – and high major – experience prior to the year, and California Baptist’s free-flowing offense in 2018-19, which was spearheaded by a future league player of the year – Milan Acquaah – that himself was a high major transfer. 
 
Instead, Tauer has translated his Division III scoring machine without a hitch.
 
As of Tuesday, Miller was leading the country in three pointers made, while scoring at essentially the rate (18.2 ppg, 46.2 3P%) that he was in last year’s truncated Division III season. Anders Nelson has had a similarly resounding debut (17.3 ppg, 3.4 apg) as both players have put themselves in immediate contention for All-Summit honors. The two – along with Ryan Lindberg, Kevin Cunningham and others – have fueled an offensive attack that’s hit double digit three pointers in 11 games this season, tied for most in the country with Princeton and Oral Roberts. 
 
Perhaps as impressively as that long distance bonanza has been how UST has dealt with the length and athleticism of Division I defenses in other ways. The team has been allergic to turnovers, coughing the ball up at the second-lowest rate in the country, summed up by Miller failing to turn it over over the team’s Summit-opening road trip to UNO and Denver despite rarely coming off the court. Along those same lines Nelson has been lethal in pick and roll situations, with Synergy Sports grading the point guard out as among the country’s most efficient in scoring when coming off screens with the ball in his hands.
 
Just before Christmas, Nelson tweeted about what it’s like playing alongside Miller. 
 
“Best shooter in the country, and I get to feed him the rock,” he wrote. “Makes life easy.” 

Division I life, in general, has been comparatively easy for UST when it comes to putting the ball through the basket. Four years ago, Nelson reportedly only held other offers from Northern State and University of Sioux Falls and two years Miller was a solid-yet-not-spectacular scorer (8.5 ppg) for the Tommies as they dominated the MIAC. It wasn’t always a given, but Miller and Nelson have been at the heart of a historic, and successful, transition.

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