SIOUX FALLS, S.D. --  Thanksgiving Weekend will provide plenty of opportunities for Summit League men's basketball fans to consume their favorite teams in action, but before we get to Turkey Day, Kansas City and South Dakota have positioned themselves for a chance to hoist a trophy in multi-team events that conclude Wednesday.

The Roos have dealt losses to two teams ranked in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 at the Gulf Coast Showcase and will look to capture the team title in a matchup against Florida Gulf Coast at 7:30 p.m. ET on FloSports. The Coyotes are gunning for the Palms Division title at the Fort Myers Tip-Off after knocking off Long Island in semifinal action Tuesday.

Summit League teams are currently 6-0 on neutral courts to start the season, which bodes well for the Roos and Coyotes.  Two of those victories came in Missoula, Mont., where St. Thomas knocked off Troy at the buzzer and Merrimack to cap the three-day event hosted by Montana.

FanMaker
Be on the lookout in the PDF weekly notebook for a promo code offer to earn 200 reward points within the Fan Rewards section of the Summit League app! If you don't have the free app, download now at thesummitleague.org/app.

TEAM TRACKER
DENVER PIONEERS (3-1; 0-0 SL) | @DU_MensHoops
Next Up:  vs. IUPUI (11/23; 2 p.m. CT, New Orleans, La.); vs. The Citadel (11/24; 4 p.m. CT); at New Orleans (11/25; 2 p.m. CT)
Previous Games:  Sacramento State (L, 73-69), at Idaho State (W, 70-69) 
The Pioneers’ take the momentum of a buzzer-beating win over Idaho State into the Big Easy MTE over Thanksgiving Weekend ... Tommy Bruner delivered the game-winning triple in DU’s 70-69 win at Idaho State ... Bruner finished with 10 points, while Tevin Smith added a game-high 21 in the victory that provided the Pios with their first 3-1 start since the 2015-16 season ... DU is now 2-1 against the Big Sky to start the season ... Next up will be a clash with former Summit League  member IUPUI in New Orleans to start a stretch of three games in three days in the Big Easy ... Smith is averaging a team-best 14.5 ppg, while teammates Tyree Corbett (8.5 rpg) and Touko Tainamo (8.3 rpg) rank one-two in the League in rebounding.

KANSAS CITY ROOS (3-4, 0-0 SL) | @KCRoosMBB
Next Up: vs. Florida Gulf Coast (11/23; 7:30 p.m. ET, Estero, Fla.); SIUE (11/26; 7 p.m. CT)
Previous Games: vs. Toledo (W, 83-71); vs. Indiana State (W, 63-61) 
The Roos reached the title game of the Gulf Coast Showcase thanks to a pair of victories over teams ranked in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 ... After going scoreless against Kansas State, graduate student RayQuawndis Mitchell erupted for a career-high 35 points to lead the Roos past fifth-ranked Toledo, 83-71 in a quarterfinal matchup ... The Illinois-Chicago transfer then added 18 points and Shemarri Allen tacked on a game-high 22 points in a 63-61 victory over 24th-ranked Indiana State ... Allen (16.7 ppg; 1st) and Mitchell (14.9 ppg; 5th) are both among the top five scorers in the League through the opening two-plus weeks of the season ...   Kansas City will look to secure a trophy against Florida Gulf Coast. 

NORTH DAKOTA FIGHTING HAWKS (3-3; 0-0 SL) | @UNDMBasketball
Next Up: Utah Tech (11/25; 1 p.m. CT); Cal State Fullerton (11/27; 1 p.m. CT)
Previous Games: Montana State (L, 81-71); Wisconsin-Stout (W, 92-61)
The Fighting Hawks moved to 3-3 on the season with a 92-61 victory over Wisconsin-Stout ... Freshman B.J. Omot paced a group of 10 Fighting Hawks that found the score column with his best outing of his first colleigate season, finishing with 18 points ... Omot was not the only rookie pouring in a season-high point total as  classmates Treysen Eaglestaff (17) and A’jahni Levias (15) also turned that trick in the win over the Blue Devils ... Omot is the lone Fighting Hawk averaging double figures through six games (12.3 ppg), while Eaglestaff has reached double figures in three straight off the bench to push his season average to 8.3 ppg ... UND finishes off a four-game homestand after Thanksgiving with clashes against Utah Tech and Cal-State Fullerton.
 
NORTH DAKOTA STATE BISON (1-4; 0-0 SL) | @NDSUMBB 
Next Up: vs. Northern Colorado (11/25; 7:30 p.m. MT, Albuquerque, N.M.); at New Mexico (11/26; 5 p.m. MT);  vs. Jacksonville State (11/27; 3 p.m. MT)
Previous Game: at Indiana State (L, 101-75); Crown College (W, 76-55)   
The Bison snapped a four-game skid to open the season by defeating Crown 76-55 at home this past Sunday ... NDSU will take the momentum from that victory to Alburquerque where the squad will play three games in three days starting with a tilt against Northern Colorado on Nov. 25 ... Andrew Miller scored a season-high 23 points and pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds to register the first double-double of his career ... Through five games, Miller leads the team in scoring (13.2 ppg) and rebounding (8.2 rpg), while Grant Nelson is second in both of those categores (12.8 ppg/8.0 rpg) ... Besides the Bears, the Bison will take on host New Mexico and Jacksonville State at the Lobo Classic.

OMAHA MAVERICKS (1-4; 0-14 SL) | @OmahaMBB 
Next Up: vs. Louisiana-Monroe (11/25; 1:30 p.m., Niceville, Fla.); vs. TBA (11/26; TBA, Niceville, Fla.) 
Previous Games: Ball State (L, 71-61); at Iowa (L, 100-64) 
Jaeden Marshall led a group of 11 different Mavericks that scored with nine points in a 100-64 loss at Iowa ... Omaha went 25-for-49 inside the arc, but connected on just 3-of-14 from deep against the Hawkeyes ... Marshall, a JUCO-transfer from Bosier Parish Community College, has started all five games in his first season at Omah and is averaging 9.4 ppg ... The Mavericks will look to rebound against Louisiana Monroe in the opening game of the Emerald Coast Classic on Friday, Nov. 25, which also features a Southern vs. Loyola (Md.) matchup ... The winners of those two games will play in Saturday’s title game.

ORAL ROBERTS GOLDEN EAGLES (3-3; 0-0 SL) | @ORUMBB 
Next Up: Rogers State (11/27; 4 p.m. CT); Ozark Christian (11/29; 7 p.m. CT)  
Previous Game: Oklahoma Baptist (W, 98-86); at Utah State (L, 95-85)
The Golden Eagles took unbeaten Utah State down to the wire Tuesday, but the Aggies closed the game on an 18-8 run over the final 2:57 after ORU squared things up at 77-77 ... Isaac McBride paced five Golden Eagle starters in double figures with 19 points, while Connor Vanover registered a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds ... Vanover has reached double figures in his first six tilts for ORU since transferring from Arkansas ... The 7-foot-3 forward tops the team in scoring at 14.2 ppg and his 27 total blocks are the most in Division I (next closest player has 20) ... McBride and Max Abmas share the team lead with 15 made triples as ORU ranks third nationally with 70 total as a team.

ST. THOMAS TOMMIES (4-2; 0-0 SL) | @TommieMBBall
Next Up: at Milwaukee (11/23; 2 p.m. CT);  at Utah (11/26; 7 p.m. CT)
Previous Games: at Montana (L, 78-59); vs. Troy (W, 78-76); vs. Merrimack (W, 72-61) 
The Tommies finished the Zootown Classic with a pair of wins after dropping their opening game to host Montana ... Graduate student Riley Miller was named to All-Tournament Team after averaging 16.7 ppg and making 13 triples in the three games in Missoula ... He buried a career-high nine and dropped 28 points in the Merrimack win ...  The first victory in the Treasure State was a thrilling one as freshman Andrew Rohde beat the buzzer with a floater in the paint that lifted the Tommies to a 78-76 win over Troy ... Rohde saw a stretch of five straight double-digit scoring games end against Merrimack, but the rookie is averaging 13.5 ppg, which is tops among all League freshmen.

SOUTH DAKOTA COYOTES (3-2; 0-0 SL) | @SDCoyotesMBB 
Next Up:  vs. Sam Houston (11/23; 2:30 p.m. ET); at Coastal Carolina (11/26; 12 p.m. ET)  
Previous Game: at Mississippi State (L, 79-42); vs. LIU (W, 68-58)  
The Coyotes advanced to the Palms Division title game at the Rocket Mortage Fort Myers Tip-Off with a 68-58 victory over LIU ... USD used a 14-0 run late in the second half to rally past the Sharks and win its third game of the season ... Mason Archambault led the way with a season-high 19 points after combining for just 16 points in the Coyotes’ first four games of the season ... He averaged 14.5 ppg en route to second team All-Summit League honors in 2021-22 ... Damani Hayes pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds, eclipsing double digits in that category for the first time in his career ... The Coyotes will take on a Sam Houston club that is off to a 5-0 start and ranked No. 10 in the latest College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 poll.

SOUTH DAKOTA STATE JACKRABBITS (2-3; 0-0 SL) | @GoJacksMBB 
Next Up: vs. Valparaiso (11/25; 2:30 p.m. ET, Savannah, Ga.); vs. James Madison (11/26; 12 p.m. ET, Savannah, Ga.)
Previous Games: at Arkansas (L, 71-56); Stephen F. Austin (L, 93-82)   
The Jackrabbits head to Georgia to face Valparaiso and James Madison as part of the Hostillo Community Classic ... Sophomore Zeke Mayo put together his best scoring game of the season against Stephen F. Austin, but his 24 points were not enough to push the Jackrabbits past the Lumberjacks ... Mayo’s 24 points matched his total from SDSU’s previous three games ... Charley  Easley added a career-high 22 points as the Jackrabbits found their range from beyond the arc, making 15-of-28 in their first action at Frost Arena this season ... SDSU topped the DI charts in 3-point percentage a year ago, but started the season just 17-for-65 (26.2) ... Matt Mims is doing his part from distance, making 7-of-15 (46.7 percent) and scoring 6.8 ppg off the bench.

WESTERN ILLINOIS LEATHERNECKS (2-3; 0-0 SL) | @WIU_MensHoops 
Next Up: Youngstown State (11/26; 2 p.m. CT); Southern Indiana (11/30; 7:30 p.m. CT)
Previous Games:  at DePaul (L, 86-74); at UCF (L, 70-37); at UTRGV (L, 78-77) 
The Leathernecks battled all the way back from a nine-point, second-half deficit to take a late lead against UTRGV, but the Vaqueros made a last-second lay up to escape with a 78-77 victory ... Alec Rossner bounced back from a one-point showing at UCF to eclipse the 20-point barrier for the second time this season, finishing with 23 against the Vaqueros ... Rosner is pacing WIU in scoring through five games at 15.4 ppg, which ranks second among League players ... Point guard Trenton Massner returned to the line up after missing the tilt vs. the Golden Knights ... Massner had 12 points and continues to pace the League in assists (6.0/g) ... Newcomers Jesiah West (10.4 ppg) and Quinlan Bennett (10.2 ppg) are both averaging double figures and have started all five games for head coach Rob Jeter.

#SUMMITMBB