SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- One of the more wide open Summit League men's basketball seasons in recent memory gets underway Monday with eight of the league's nine teams opening their campaigns.

South Dakota State, the reigning regular season and tournament champions, has to replace four starters from last year's NCAA Tournament squad and has one of the tougher challenges on opening day. The Jackrabbits, who were picked second in the preseason poll, will be just down the road in Sioux Falls at The Pentagon where they will place McNeese, who is ranked No. 10 in the CollegeInsider.com Preseason poll. The Racers were a No. 12 seed in the NCAA Tournament a season ago.

Preseason favorite Kansas City has all five starters back and is the only league team that can make that claim as Newcomer of the Year Jamar Brown and Freshman of the Year Jayson Petty headline that quintet. The Roos will be at home for their first two tests of the season against non-Division I foes. They are one of five league teams opening the 2024-25 on their home court.

North Dakota, who shared runner-up honors with Kansas City a year ago, has the toughest true road test on opening day as the Fighting Hawks travel to the Rocky Mountains to face Colorado State.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Monday, Nov. 4
Denver at Stanford (ACCN) | 5 p.m.
SDSU vs. McNeese State (F68) | 5 p.m.
Hannibal-LaGrange at Kansas City (SLN) | 6 p.m.
Jamestown at NDSU (SLN) | 7 p.m.
Mid-America Christian at Omaha (SLN) | 7 p.m.
North Dakota at Colorado State (MWN) | 7:30 p.m.
North Central (Minn.) at St. Thomas (SLN) | 8 p.m.
Southern at South Dakota (SLN) | 8 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 6
Texas A&M Commerce at South Dakota (SLN) | 7 p.m.
Oral Roberts at Minnesota (BTN) | 7 p.m.

Thursday, Nov. 7
Omaha at Stetson (ESPN+) | 7 p.m.
Illinois State at NDSU (SLN) | 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 8
Western Colorado at Denver (SLN) | 1 p.m.
St. Thomas at Green Bay (ESPN+) | 6 p.m.
Kansas Christian at Kansas City (SLN) | 7 p.m.
Ozark Christian at Oral Roberts (SLN) | 7 p.m.
Long Beach State at SDSU (SLN) | 8:15 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 9
Omaha at Minnesota (PEA) | 2:30 p.m.
North Dakota at UTSA | 6 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 10
Mount Marty at South Dakota (SLN) | 2 p.m.
St. Thomas at Oklahoma State (ESPN+) | 2 p.m.

Rankings: (AP/Coaches)
* Summit League game
Key:  ACCN (ACC Network); ESPN + (ESPN Plus); MWN (Mountain West Network); PEA (Peacock); SLN (Summit League Network)

AROUND THE LEAGUE
• For the first time in program history, Kansas City was tabbed as the Summit League preseason favorite by head coaches, SIDs and select media members.
• The Roos, who were ranked No. 22 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 preseason poll will look to unseat South Dakota State, who won both the regular season and tournament titles in 2024 and have captured at least a share of six of the last seven regular season titles.
• KC’s Jamar Brown and Oral Roberts’ Issac McBride were the only two on the preseason all-league team that earned similar honors a season ago. Brown was a first-team honoree, while McBride, who is the Summit’s top returning scorer, was a second team selection for the second straigth year.
• Kansas City finished tied for a second a season ago with North Dakota at 10-6. The Fighting Hawks were the only team with a pair of players on the presason all-league first team.
• Junior Treysen Eaglestaff, who averaged 12.8 against Summit foes last season, and senior Amar Kuljuhovic, who led all league players during Summit action in rebounding at 10.3 rpg, were the Fighting Hawks that garnered that distinction.
• UND opens the sixth season of the Paul Sather era at Colorado State.
• Reigning regular season and tournament champion South Dakota State is opening the campaign in Sioux Falls at the Field of 68 Opening Day Showcase. The Jackrabbits will play McNeese, who came in at the No. 10 in the CollegeInsider.com Preseason Top 25, in the third game of the day at 5 p.m. CT.
• The Jackrabbits were pegged to finish second in the preseason poll and received 10 votes in the mid-major poll.
• Denver, who made a run to the Summit League Tournament title game a season ago as the No. 7 seed, will open its campaign at Stanford where current head coach Jeff Wulbrun was an assistant before taking over the Pioneers in 2021-22.
• Kansas City (vs. Hannibal-LaGrange), North Dakota State (vs. Jamestown), Omaha (vs. Mid-America Christian), St. Thomas (vs. North Central) and South Dakota (vs. Southern) will all be at home on opening night of the season.
• Seven regular season games will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network starting with a non-conference tilt featuring (2/2) Alabama playing at North Dakota on Dec. 18. South Dakota State will appear in three games, hosting Denver on Jan. 2, traveling to South Dakota on Feb. 16 and hosting preseason favorite Kansas City on Feb. 23. The Roos will also play at Omaha on Jan. 8. North Dakota State will play at St. Thomas on Feb. 2 and host Oral Roberts on Feb. 13.

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