SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- There are lots of intriguing questions to be answered as eight Summit League squads embark on Sioux Falls and the Sanford Pentagon for the 2021 Men's Basketball Championship. And, they will all be answered starting Saturday on Heritage Court as top-seed South Dakota State takes on eighth-seeded Omaha at 5:45 p.m. CT in the opening quarterfinal.
BURNING QUESTIONS BY SEED?
1) The Jackrabbits are back in familiar territory having won their fourth straight regular-season title, but SDSU has failed to get out of the first round in each of the last two tournament appearances as the No. 1 seed in 2019 and No. 2 seed in 2020. Can they repeat the magic from the 2018 squad that won the whole thing as the No. 4 seed?
2) South Dakota's last wins in The Summit League Championship were as the No. 2 seed when the Coyotes reached the title game in 2018. USD holds that same seed in 2021. Are first-team all-league selection Stanley Umude and Summit League Coach of the Year Todd Lee poised to guide the Coyotes to their first tournament title in program history?
3) Will the defending tournament champions make it three consecutive postseason titles in a row? North Dakota State won the 2018 event as the No. 4 seed, the 2019 event as the No. 1 seed, and will look to repeat as the No. 3 seed?
4) Can the nation's leading scorer and Summit League Player of the Year Max Abmas and fellow all-league first-team honoree Kevin Obanor carry fourth-seeded Oral Roberts to its first tournament title since 2011?
5) North Dakota will look to make back-to-back tournament title game appearances after the Fighting Hawks made a run to that contest a year ago as the No. 6 seed. They would have been the first No. 6 seed to win the whole thing, but now their attention turns to see if they can become the first No. 5 seed since Western Illinois in 1984 to capture the crown?
6) Kansas City is back in The Summit League Championship after a seven-year run in the Western Athletic Conference. Can the old/new squad on the block make some noise in 2021? The Roos have made five semifinal-appearances during their tenure in the Summit League and second-year head coach Billy Donlon will try to lead his squad to its deepest run yet as the No. 6 seed.
7) Western Illinois is under the direction of the only first-year head coach in the league as Rob Jeter and his Leathernecks arrive in Sioux Falls as winners of five of their last seven. The Leathernecks pulled off a first-round upset in their last appearance at the event in 2019 becoming the first No. 8 seed to knock off a No. 1 seed. A year ago, the No. 7 Purdue Fort Wayne sprang a first-round upset, so WIU will be looking to continue that trend. The league's only charter member remaining has one tournament title to its credit, winning the first one competed back in 1984. Is 2021 the year to hang banner No. 2 in Macomb?
8) Eighth-seeded Omaha has experienced recent success at the Summit League Championship, making it to the 2019 title game as the No. 2 seed. The Mavericks had to claw their way into the field on the final weekend of league play this season, however. That means they're bringing momentum with them as Coach Derrin Hansen's squad has won three of four down the stretch. A No. 8 seed has never won the tournament title, so why not this year?
If there is anything this event has proved in recent history, it's that anything can happen in March.
AROUND THE SUMMIT LEAGUE
Friday, February 19
Omaha 72, North Dakota 62
Kansas City 68, Denver 57
SDSU 68, NDSU 67
Saturday, February 20
South Dakota 86, Oral Roberts 84
North Dakota 81, Omaha 69
Kansas City 80, Denver 69
NDSU 84, SDSU 82
Sunday, February 21
Oral Roberts at South Dakota (cancelled)
Friday, February 26
Omaha 80, Denver 76
SDSU 67, Kansas City 49
Saturday, February 27
South Dakota 80, NDSU 71
Omaha 80, Denver 76
Oral Roberts 85, Western Illinois 81
SDSU 89, Kansas City 77
Sunday, February 28
NDSU 89, South Dakota 77
Oral Roberts 95, Western Illinois 59
Men's Basketball Championship
Saturday, March 6
Q1: (1) SDSU vs. (8) Omaha | 5:45 p.m.
Q2: (2) South Dakota vs. (7) Western Illinois | 8:45 p.m.
Sunday, March 7
Q3: (4) Oral Roberts vs. (5) North Dakota | 5:45 p.m.
Q4: (3) NDSU vs. (6) Kansas City | 8:45 p.m.
Monday, March 8
S1: Winner Q1 vs. Winner Q3 | 5:45 p.m.
S2: Winner Q2 vs. Winner Q4 | 8:45 p.m.
Tuesday, March 9
CH: Winner S1 vs. Winner S2 | ESPN2 | 8 p.m.
All Times CT
All quarterfinal and semifinal games are being televised on MidoSN and streamed on the new Midco Sports Plus digital app and ESPN+
#SUMMITMBB CHAMPIONSHIP: A CLOSER LOOK
Tournament Titles By Seed:
Seed Total Last Time
1 21 North Dakota State (2020)
2 7 South Dakota State (2016)
3 1 Eastern Illinois (1985)
4 5 North Dakota State (2019)
5 1 Western Illinois (1984)
6 0 Never
7 1 Oakland (2005)
8 0 Never
Tournament Titles By Team
Valparaiso | 8
South Dakota State* | 5
North Dakota State * | 5
Oakland | 3
Oral Roberts* | 3
(*current member)
For just the second time in Summit Men's Basketball Championship history, the 2020 title game featured a No. 1 vs. No. 6 matchup. Just like in the 2002 title game, the top seed prevailed this time around as North Dakota State dealt North Dakota an 89-53 setback.
A six seed and an eight seed are the only two seeds yet to capture the tournament title.
Dating back to Oakland in 2010 and 2011, the Bison made it five-straight tournament champions that have at least won back-to-back crowns.
Of the current nine-team membership, only South Dakota State (2018), North Dakota State (2020), and charter member Western Illinois (1984) have won tournament titles (last tournament title). NDSU (3) and SDSU (5) have combined for the last eight trophies.
2020 ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Sam Greisel, North Dakota State
Kevin Obanor, Oral Roberts
Vinnie Shahid, North Dakota State (MVP)
Marlon Stewart, North Dakota
Tyson Ward, North Dakota State
NOTING THE PIONEERS
• The Pioneers wrapped up their season with a pair of losses at home to Omaha and announced earlier this week that head coach Rodney Billups would not return after five seasons at DU.
• The Pioneers were led in scoring by junior Jase Townsend, who averaged 18.5 ppg in league play and earned a spot on the honorable mention all-league team.
• Sam Hines, Jr., ranked second among league rookies in scoring (11.2/g) and rebounding (5.8/g) in conference play (11.2/g).
NOTING THE ROOS
• The Roos are back in the Summit League Championship for the first time since 2013 when they were also the No. 6 seed. It will be their 17th appearance overall as they hold a 5-16 record in SL postseason games.
• Senior Brandon McKissic was named the Defensive Player of the Year after anchoring a unit that yielded a league-low 62.3 ppg. He also led all players with 2.1 steals per game in league action.
• McKissic was also the Roos' top offensive threat, averaging a team-high 17.5 ppg and dishing out 3.3 apg. He shot 51.8 percent from the field and 45.3 percent from beyond the arc en route to earning all-league second-team honors.
• Sophomore Josiah Allick started all 21 games that he appeared in, averaging a career-high 14.6 ppg and 5.8 rpg. He was named honorable mention all-league and owned the best field goal percentage in overall games (57.1) and was second in league play (54.9).
• Kansas City was part of the Western Athletic Conference the past seven seasons and was 3-6 in that conference's postseason event.
NOTING THE FIGHTING HAWKS
• North Dakota wrapped up its regular season with yet another split at Omaha (Feb. 19-20) and will be the fifth seed at the SL Basketball Championships. The Fighting Hawks ended up with six total splits during the 16-game slate as they also swept one (vs. South Dakota) and were swept in the other series (at SDSU) to finish at 8-8.
• Junior Filip Rebraca put up back-to-back double-doubles and has three in his last four games after recording just two in UND's first 21 contests. He was named to the All-League Second Team.
• Freshman of the Year Tyree Ihenacho has grabbed double-figure rebounds in three straight games and ranks in the top three among SL rookies in league play in scoring (9.6/g, 3rd), rebounding (5.9/g; 1st), assists (4.3/g; 1st). He was named to the all-league second team after reaching double figures in all 25 games.
• Senior Bentiu Panoam has surged into second place on the team in scoring. He's averaging 9.3 ppg in overall games and has upped that to 11.2 ppg in league play, including a 16.8 ppg clip over his last five.
• The Fighting Hawks made a run to the SL Tournament title game in head coach Paul Sather's first season a year ago as the No. 6 seed. UND earned the No. 5 seed this time around.
NOTING THE BISON
• The Bison will look to defend their back-to-back tournament titles in Sioux Falls. They won the 2019 event as the No. 4 seed and repeated a year ago as the No. 1 seed.
• NDSU had a chance at the No. 1 seed for the second straight year but wound up on the three-line after splitting with the Coyotes last weekend in Vermillion.
• The Bison won game two thanks to a career-high outing from their point guard Sam Griesel (26 points), who was an all-tournament team selection a year ago after averaging 9.0 ppg and 7.3 rpg in NDSU's three wins.
• Griesel earned all-league second-team honors this year, while senior Rocky Kreuser collected all-league first team honors. Kreuser led the Bison in scoring (14.8/g) and rebounding (6.9/g) during the regular season.
• Freshman Grant Nelson was named The Summit League Sixth Man of the Year and earned a spot on the all-newcomer team. He reached double figures eight times and averaged 6.4 ppg and 3.5 rpg, while blocking a team-high 23 shots.
NOTING THE MAVERICKS
• Omaha has won three of its last four after snapping a 14-game losing skid. The Mavericks had won just twice during the season's first 21 games, but arrive in Sioux Falls coming off back-to-back 80-76 wins over Denver.
• The Mavericks open The Summit League Championship against top-seed South Dakota State -- the only league team they have not seen yet after the regular-season series was cancelled due to Covid-19 protocols.
• Senior Ayo Akinwole has spearheaded the late-season charge, averaging 20.0 ppg over the Mavericks last four contests, and is 19-for-19 from the foul line during that stretch. He put up a career-high 32 in the first win at Denver on 6-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc.
• Junior Marlon Ruffin and senior Matt Pile earned all-league honorable mention honors. Ruffin garnered the distinction despite missing the last six Summit League games of the regular season. He averaged 15.5 ppg in eight league games. He is officially out for the year.
• Pile has reached double figures in four straight, which is his best stretch of the season. He has reached his season-high of 17 on four different occasions.
• He set a Summit League Tournament single-game record a year ago with 21 rebounds in a quarterfinal-loss to Oral Roberts.
NOTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES
• The Golden Eagles swept a home series vs. Western Illinois to earn a top-four seed, rallying for an 85-81 victory in game one before routing the Leathernecks 95-59 in game two.
• Sophomore Max Abmas was named The Summit League Player of the Year and enters the postseason tournament leading the nation in scoring at 24.7 ppg. • He is the only DI player with a pair of 40-plus point outings and ranks top five nationally in 3-pointers made (87; 3rd), 3-pointers made per game (3.95; 3rd), and 3-point field goal percentage (45.5; 5th).
• Abmas' latest 40-point outing was in the game-one victory over Western Illinois when he finished with 41 on 11-of-20 shooting.
• Abmas forms a one-two punch with fellow all-league first-teamer Kevin Obanor, who was the only player in The Summit League to average a double-double. He also shares the league lead with 12 rebounds.
• Obanor earned a spot on the 2020 All-Tournament Team after leading the Golden Eagles to the semifinals. In two games, he averaged 20.0 ppg and 10.5 rpg.
• Third-leading scorer RJ Glasper earned a spot on the all-newcomer team, but has missed the last five games and is not expected to return this season.
• Kareem Thompson is averaging 9.8 ppg in Glasper's absence.
NOTING THE COYOTES
• South Dakota head coach Todd Lee picked up his 200th career victory in the Coyotes' game-one win over NDSU, but it came at the expense of point guard A.J. Plitzuweit was lost for the season late in the contest.
• Lee was named the Coach of the Year after guiding the Coyotes to an 11-4 second-place finish after being picked fifth in the presason poll.
• Plitzuweit had 20 points against the Bison to reach that plateau for the sixth time in seven games. He was named The Summit League Newcomer of the Year and all-league first-team performer after averaging 19.0 ppg overall and upping to 22.1 ppg in league action.
• Senior Stanley Umude did his part in Plitzuweit's absence in game two, pouring in 39 points in the loss after going for 26 in the opener. He ranks 10th nationally in scoring at 21.4 ppg and joined Plitzuweit on the all-league first team.
• The last time Umude played in The Pentagon, he dropped a career-high 41 points in a win over SDSU.
• The Coyotes have not won a SL Tournament game since reaching the finals in 2018 -- the last time they were the No. 2 seed.
NOTING THE JACKRABBITS
• The Jacks won their fourth straight regular-season title after sweeping Kansas City to finish with the best winning percentage in the league (9-3; .750).
• Reigning Player of the Year Douglas Wilson is starting to play his best basketball after being up-and-down through league play. Wilson's on a stretch where he has scored 20-plus in every other game over a nine-game stretch.
• Wilson was named to the all-league second team, while sophomore Baylor Scheierman earned a first-team nod.
• In league play, he averaged 15.1 ppg (11th), 9.4 rpg (2nd), and led the way in assists (4.7/g) while also shooting 41.9 percent from 3-point range (49-for-117).
• Scheierman and his Jackrabbit teammates combined to make 40.2 percent of their 3-point attempts, which is the second-highest percentage in Division I.
• Alex Arians shot 43.6 percent (24-for-55) and Charlie Easley hit at a 45.2 percent clip (19-for-42) to lead the charge.
• The top-seeded Jackrabbits have not won a game in The Summit League Tournament since cutting down the nets in 2018.
NOTING THE FIGHTING LEATHERNECKS
• Western Illinois arrives in Sioux Falls having won five of its last seven games under the direction of first-year head coach Rob Jeter.
• Grad transfer Will Carius earned all-league second-team honors and a spot on the all-newcomer team after leading the Leathernecks in scoring at 14.9 ppg and shooting 40.6 percent from 3-point range. He upped his average to 16.4 ppg in league play.
• After reaching double figures just once in his first 12 games as a Leatherneck, Colton Sandage hit that plateau in eight of the last nine games. In the two-game set at ORU, he averaged 25.0 ppg and went 9-for-13 in a 30-point effort in game one. The nine 3-pointers were the most by a Summit League player in a game this season.
• UAB transfer Tamell Pearson posted three double-doubles in league play and was the only other Leatherneck to average double figures besides Carius. He chipped in 10.7 ppg to go with a team-high 7.1 rpg.
• In WIU's last Summit League Tournament appearance, the Leathernecks were the first No. 8 seed to ever beat the No. 1 seed, topping SDSU, 79-76 in the opening round. The 2018-19 nearly pulled off another upset in the semifinals before falling 76-73 to fourth-seeded NDSU.
SUMMIT POINTS (NEWS AND NOTES)
#BEATYPE1 GAMES RETURN FOR YEAR THREE
The 2020-21 Summit League basketball season marked the third consecutive that the league's nine men's and women's programs brought awareness to type 1 diabetes. All 18 programs 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 10 dates set aside by league members that ranged 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 |
ORU'S TAKES FINAL #SUMMIT MBB PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOR, EARNS SECOND STRAIGHT MONTHLY HONOR
It's was a busy week for Oral Roberts guard Max Abmas in terms of accolades. First, he earned his second #SummitMBB weekly award in the last three weeks after taking over the national-lead in scoring and leading the Golden Eagles to a sweep of Western Illinois, Summit League officials announced Monday.
Two days later he earned his second straight #ReachTheSummit Athlete of the Month honor after averaging 31.3 ppg in seven February tilts. To cap his week off, he was named The Summit Player of the Year on Thursday.
In the WIU series, Abmas became the first Division I player this season to notch a pair of 40-point games when he poured in 41 to rally ORU past the Leathernecks, 85-81, in game one. He went 11-for-20 from the field, including a 6-for-12 effort from 3-point range, and buried 13-of-15 free throws.
In game two, the sophomore scored all of his game-high 25 points in the first half as the Golden Eagles built a 23-point halftime lead. In the opening 20 minutes, he went 7-for-11 from the field, 3-for-6 from 3-point range and made all eight of his free throws.
He finished the weekend shooting 58 percent from the field, including a 50 percent clip from beyond the arc where he went 9-for-18 and ranks third nationally in making four 3-pointers per game.
The Rockwall, Texas native will take the nation's highest-scoring average of 24.7 ppg into this weekend's Summit League Men's Basketball Tournament.
HIGHEST-SCORING DUOS
The Summit League boasts the top two highest-scoring duos in NCAA DI this season entering the postseason tournament:
1. Oral Roberts (43.3)
Max Abmas (24.7) and Kevin Obanor (18.6)
2. South Dakota (40.4)
Stanley Umude (21.4) and A.J. Plitzuweit (19.0)
BUSHELS OF BUCKETS
South Dakota senior Stanley Umude, Oral Roberts sophomore Max Abmas and North Dakota junior Filip Rebraca rank among the top 15 DI players nationally in total field goals made. Umude and Abmas are tied for fifth nationally with 179 makes, while Rebraca ranks 15th with 170. For Abmas, nearly half of his overall makes have come from behind the arc. In total, he has made 87 triples which is the third most in DI.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE LEADERS
South Dakota State's Baylor Scheierman (12; t9) and Oral Roberts' Kevin Obanor (12; t9) rank in the top 10 nationally in double-doubles and share the Summit League lead with a dozen. Scheierman has seven in his 12 Summit League games, while Obanor has a league-high eight in 15 league contests. Scheierman also ranks among the top five in the country in defensive rebounds, holding down the No. 3 spot (8.6/g).
JACKS REMAIN AT NO. 21 IN MID-MAJOR POLL
South Dakota State was ranked No. 21 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll following a weekend sweep of Kansas City that helped them secure their fourth straight regular-season title.
TWO IN THE TOP 10
The Summit League is the only conference in Division I to have two players among the nation's top 10 scorers. Oral Roberts' Max Abmas is first at 24.7 ppg, while South Dakota's Stanley Umude is 10th at 21.4 ppg.
HIGHEST SCORERS BY CLASS
Senior: Stanley Umude, South Dakota (21.4/g)
Junior: Jase Townsend, Denver (19.2/g)
Sophomore: Max Abmas, Oral Roberts (24.7/g)
Freshman: Sam Hines, Denver (10.6/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 the 1k milestone this season. Since then, six more Summit League student-athletes have joined Umude, including the latest to join the club, Denver's Jase Townsend, who is the third junior to do so this season (Obanor and Rebraca).
Here's a rundown of the current DI career scoring leaders among league players:
Stanley Umude, South Dakota | 1,474
Kevin Obanor, Oral Roberts | 1,191
Matt Pile, Omaha | 1,173
Brandon McKissic, Kansas City | 1,165
Filip Rebraca, North Dakota | 1,121
Rocky Kreuser, North Dakota State | 1,089
Jase Townsend, Denver | 1,072
Grad transfer R.J. Glasper scored 1,549 career points in three seasons at Arkansas Tech (DII) before transferring to Oral Roberts to conclude his collegiate career. Glasper is averaging 11.0 ppg for the Golden Eagles, pushing his career total to 1,729, which is the 20th-highest among all NCAA scorers.
#SUMMITFOODFIGHT CHALLENGE UNDERWAY
The 13th annual #SummitFoodFight Challenge begins this month throughout the academic year. The friendly competition between league schools focuses on supporting local organizations in the fight against hunger and food insecurity through the donation of non-perishable food items. In the program's 12 completed years, over 972,000 lbs. of food has been collected.
The event, which marks the 13th year of its kind, is an extension of the nine-year league-wide drive. At the end of the Food Fight schedule, the school that raises the most amount of food, measured in pounds, is deemed the winner and awarded The Summit League Food Fight trophy.
Monetary donations can also be made online at:
YouGiveGoods.com/SummitLeagueFoodFight2021
#SUMMITMBB
