To be sure, tournament bids are not punched nor are titles won in late December. Nonetheless, there was a point deep into South Dakota State’s trip to Fargo last week where the Jackrabbits looked to be making a resounding early statement in the Summit race, at least when it came to the Bison. 
 
Then the script flipped. 
 
By this point, you’re likely well aware that North Dakota State used a guard-heavy lineup to erase a 20-point deficit – and 10-point deficit with five minutes left – to nearly topple the high-flying Jacks. It was ultimately a tight win for SDSU, mirroring the tense recent series between the rivals that’s seen their last five league games decided by a combined 11 points. 
 
Understandably, the just-short comeback didn’t completely satisfy Dave Richman, but he did acknowledge the silver lining of that final, furious stretch.
 
“I don’t know if excited is the right word after a loss, but I saw some encouraging things I should say that we can build on,” he said in the post-game press conference. “I do feel like in our locker room we have an opportunity to really grow in the next few months.” 
 
That potential should be a storyline coming out of an early marquee Summit clash. That’s not to overlook the Jacks, as the preseason league favorite has brought its sizzling offense into league play, averaging 87 points per game en route to a 3-0 league record that already includes wins over the teams pegged to finish in second and third place in the preseason poll (the latter two without Noah Freidel). But the Bison’s late-game spark may well have been a sign of a team on the way to reaching its own high ceiling.
 
Sam Griesel is the most obvious calling card of a recent upward swing by NDSU. 
 
The senior playmaker missed nearly a month after needing surgery due to complications from a stomach ulcer during a three-game West coast road trip in November. The team went 4-3 while he was out, and has since gone 4-2 since he made an inspirational return on Dec. 7, though he really announced himself to the 2021-22 season with a 25-point effort in a big win over Indiana State six days later. 
 
With Griesel back in the fold alongside fellow senior forward Rocky Kreuser, NDSU is able to field a pair of experienced, versatile half court players that have proved so pivotal in Richman’s methodical half court offense. But more, they can do what few in the Summit likely can: play effectively with either big or small lineups. 
 
Freshman big man Grant Nelson stepped into some of the minutes vacated by Griesel’s absence, and the reigning league Sixth Man of the Year took full advantage. The Devils Lake, N.D. native has big strides scoring the ball (13.1 ppg), and was the star of the Bison’s league-opening win over North Dakota with 24 points. His versatility at 6’11 gives Richman the luxury of rolling out size-heavy lineups that include himself, Kreuser (6’10), Griesel (6’6) and Tyree Eady (6’5) without sacrificing much zip from the perimeter. 
 
The comeback last week, however, had a slightly different flavor. 
 
The Bison went small for stretches of the second half, leaning on guards Jarius Cook (14 points) and Boden Skunberg (9 points) to take the fight back to the Jacks. It was a pair of Cook three’s that initially started the rally, while Skunberg played a career-high 29 minutes against Baylor Scheierman and the SDSU backcourt. The pair of guards could give NDSU long distance shooting depth the team has not had on the perimeter since Vinnie Shahid and Tyson Ward were wearing green and yellow. 
 
Richman talked about that lineup decision after the game.
 
“It’s just a feel thing for us, I think we feel pretty comfortable with six, seven of those guys in different time and score situations and who gives us the best fit,” he said. “To be honest with you I was coming for Jarius with Rocky and getting him back in and he really got going and you just ride someone that’s hot. That’s the beauty of Grant and all our guys, that selfless attitude.”
 
In general the Bison have started conference play on a tear shooting the ball. Through two games they lead the league in three-point shooting (43.8%), while sitting second in two-point shooting (59.7 percent). That rate makes them especially dangerous since per Synergy Sports, they average the seventh-most possessions ending in a jump shot in the country through Monday’s games. There also may be room for further improvement as Eady has yet to shoot the ball as well as he usually has over his accomplished career in Fargo. 
 
All that adds up to an offense that should live up to its preseason expectations and make NDSU a threat both throughout the regular season and in Sioux Falls. This group of players, several of whom used the extra year of eligibility to return, have been through big games before, with a pair of Summit League Tournament titles and another furious comeback in last year’s event that nearly upended Oral Roberts’ ultimately magical run.
 
“We’re a resilient group, a veteran group,” Griesel said after the SDSU game. “In the back of our minds and with the leadership we have we knew we were never out of the game.”