If anything can take the sting out of football-related thoughts for North Dakota State, perhaps it’s what’s happening on the hardwood. The Bison women’s big win at South Dakota on Saturday was the latest high point in a season that started on fire, went through a rough patch and is very much back on track. 
 
The Bison men, on the other hand, are finally riding some winning momentum. 
 
“We celebrate it when it’s time to celebrate it, but when it’s time to get back to work we get back to work,” sophomore Andrew Morgan said after NDSU’s home win over South Dakota State last Thursday. 
 
There’s been plenty of celebrating lately. The Bison (6-11, 3-2) completed their first home sweep of the South Dakota schools since 2019-20 with a win over the Coyotes on Saturday, and are on a three-game winning streak that has them right in the jumble of teams looking to challenge undefeated Oral Roberts. That run of success has put a very different feel around a team that opened league play with back-to-back double digits losses on the road at Western Illinois and St. Thomas. 
 
It was, however, always inevitable that this Bison team was going to be a late bloomer, especially in light of the lofty standards Dave Richman has set in Fargo. To put a young team in perspective, last week the Bison were without players that scored 85 percent of the points in their last meeting with the Jackrabbits, which came in the 2022 tournament final. 
 
NDSU now seems to be developing an identity as a sure-handed, gritty defensive team that can generate just enough offense to challenge teams throughout League play. 
 
Richman has gotten the contributions he likely expected from the three primary returners from the team that pushed SDSU in the title game a year ago. Forward Grant Nelson (16.2 ppg, 8.1 rpg) has been as dominant at times as his talent would suggest, and had no share of highlight reel moments over the past week. Similarly, Morgan had arguably the best game of his career in the win over SDSU (24 points, 13 rebounds), while Boden Skunberg has developed from role player to consistent threat on the wing (12.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg). 
 
Add in contributions from a pair of newcomers that shone over the past week, and that duo could hold the key to NDSU’s ultimate ceiling within the Summit race. 
 
Freshman Damari Wheeler-Thomas (4.7 ppg, 1.5 apg) has grabbed hold of the point guard position in a program that knows good point guards. He seems to have gained Richman’s full trust, averaging 32.5 minutes over the past four games and, critically, has become as sure-handed as any guard in the League during the three-game winning streak. 
 
Richman praised Wheeler-Thomas and his recent work handling the basketball after the SDSU win which, at the time, had amounted to Wheeler-Thomas committing one turnover in his past 64 minutes of action.
 
“Saying it out loud: 60 minutes, one turnover that’s pretty special for anyone, let alone a true freshman,” the Bison head coach said. 
 
After that, Wheeler-Thomas went and doubled down, playing 33 minutes and scoring a career-high 17 points against USD, as well as nabbing a couple of momentum-turning steals in what was a tight game down the stretch. But he also fit with the recent theme, not turning the ball over and running his run of steady ball-handling to one turnover over his past 97 minutes on the court. His defense has also been a boon to a Bison team that was in dire need of perimeter production with Sam Griesel, Jarius Cook and Tyree Eady all gone.
 
“He’s a dog on the ball defensively,” Richman said. “That young man has a bright future.” 
 
The same defensive label could be placed on JUCO-transfer Jacari White. The sophomore wing has emerged as the Bison’s best perimeter defender, and was as responsible as anyone in keeping Zeke Mayo largely in check (13 points, 5-17 FG) in the win over SDSU. 
 
Richman praised his effort in that win, made all the more impressive due to a rough offensive night for White. 
 
“What I’m most pleased with Jacari is he goes 1-9 and everybody wants to score,” he said. “It never affected who he was defensively. That’s the sign of maturity, that’s the sign of a good team.” 
 
White was back at it against USD, this time flipping the script on the offensive end (18 points, 5-9 3FG) and helping keep the Yotes’ potent backcourt for the most part silent, outside of a first half scoring burst from the white hot Kruz Perrott-Hunt. White and Wheeler-Thomas have been a part of an overall defensive uptick from NDSU, with the Bison registering two of their top three efforts against Division I opponents from an efficiency standpoint against North Dakota (0.77 points per possession) and USD (0.89 points per possession). 
 
That sort of development surrounding a burgeoning star in Nelson, who can take over games in spurts, is what the Bison will likely hang their hats on as Sioux Falls draws nearer. It seems nearly half the conference have looked the part of the Golden Eagles most formidable challenger this season, and the growing Bison are now in that mix.

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