SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- There are only three of 31 Division I conferences that have two undefeated teams remaining in their respective conference play. The Summit League is one of those but that will not be the case after Thursday night's tilt between St. Thomas and Omaha.
In fact, by the end of the month, there will zero conferences that can make that claim as Miami (Ohio) plays at Akron this Saturday in a Mid-American clash between 6-0 foes, while Yale and Princeton, who are both 3-0 in Ivy League play, tangle on Friday, Jan. 31. It's a testament to the parity in college basketball.
After starting the season 4-9, the Mavericks have ripped off seven-consecutive wins, which is a Division I-program record, and have won their first five Summit League tilts, including three on the road, for the first time. Their last defeat was more than a month ago at No. 3 Iowa State on Dec. 15.
They will host an equally-hot squad on Thursday when St. Thomas brings the league's highest-scoring offense into Baxter Arena. The Tommies are averaging 86.0 ppg through 20 contests and have upped that to 88.6 ppg during their 5-0 start to Summit play.
North Dakota State moved into third in the league standings by pushing its winning streak to four straight. The Bison return to action Saturday when they host in-state rival North Dakota, who sits at 2-4 and will play a 2-3 South Dakota team that home Thursday.
South Dakota State won back-to-back games and moved into the top half of the standings. The Jackrabbits will travel to preseason favorite Kansas City Thursday, who has dropped three straight but all of those came on the road.
Oral Roberts and Denver are looking to climb the standings and will be squaring off in Tulsa against each other to start their respective weeks.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
• Omaha improved to 3-0 on the road in Summit play, 5-0 overall and pushed its winning streak to a DI-program record seven straight thanks to an 80-62 win at Denver.
• The Mavericks’ three conference road wins this season equal the program’s combined total from the past three years (0, 2021-22; 1, 2022-23; 2; 2023-24).
• The Mavericks will host the Summit’s only other remaining unbeaten Thursday when St. Thomas visits Baxter Arena.
• The Tommies improved to 5-0 in Summit play after also picking up a win over the Pioneers last week, defeating DU 74-62 at home.
• Both the Mavericks and Tommies are 5-0 in Summit action for the first time in their respective program’s history.
• NDSU pushed its winning streak to four consecutive with a 71-64 home win over Kansas City and road win at South Dakota and have now won 12 of 14 overall.
• Jacksen Moni registered his ninth 20-plus point outing with 24 in the win over KC. Moni shares the league-lead in that category with Omah’s Marquel Sutton.
• Senior Jacari White poured in a career-high 32 in NDSU’s 103-77 victory over the Coyotes, which was the second time the Bison hit the century mark in a Summit game this season.
• NDSU has two of the five 100-point team scoring efforts in Summit play so far, which are the most combined in the conference since six teams reached the century mark during the 2016-17 League play.
• Through three weeks, six teams are averaging 80-plus in Summit play with St. Thomas leading that charge at 88.6 ppg. The Tommies’ 119-point effort in a win over USD on Jan. 8 were the most by a Summit team in a conference game since the 2000-01 season when Western Illinois scored 121 against Youngstown State.
• SDSU moved over the .500 mark in League play compliments of back-to-back home wins. The Jacks scored a season-high 109 points in a win over UND that saw redshirt freshman Joe Sayler score all of his career-high 25 points in the first half.
• In the 84-72 win over SDSU, graduate transfer Oscar Cluff became the fourth Division I player this season to post a 20-20 game, scoring 21 points to go with a career-high 20 rebounds.
• North Dakota rebounded from the 36-point loss to the Jackrabbits to post a 76-72 home win over Kansas City. Point guard Mier Panoam registered his second double of the Summit season with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
• The Coyotes split a pair of home games last week, beating Oral Roberts 94-82 before falling to NDSU 103-79. The latter result was their first loss in 11 games at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center this year.
• Sophomore Issac Bruns continues to pace the team in scoring since being inserted into the starting lineup four games ago. He is averaging 17.8 ppg during that stretch.
• Denver’s Deandre Craig returned to action after missing the previous three games in the Pios’ 74-62 loss to St. Thomas. Craig started and has seven points on 3-of-7 shooting from the floor.
• Kansas City fell by single digits in back-to-back road games at NDSU (71-64) and UND (76-72) last week to drop to 2-3 in League play.
• Sophomore Jayson Petty led the way with 19 points at NDSU and he made five of the Roos’ season best 14 triples against a DI opponent.
• Senior Cameron Faas scored a career-high 20 to pace the Roos at UND. Faas has reached double figures in seven of KC’s last nine games after reaching that just three times in the first 10 games of the season.
• Oral Roberts dropped back-to-back road clashes in the Rushmore State but the Golden Eagles boast the highest-scoring duo in League play. Graduate student Issac McBride paces all scorers with a 26.6 ppg clip, while freshman JoJo Moore paces all rookies and ranks sixth overall with a 17.8 ppg clip.
• Moore is averaging 15.9 ppg over his last eight games after scoring just scoring at 6.3 ppg clip in his first eight.
UPCOMING
Date | Stream/TV Local Time
Thursday, Jan. 23
South Dakota at North Dakota* | MS/SLN | 7 p.m.
Denver at Oral Roberts* | SLN | 7 p.m.
SDSU at Kansas City* | SLN | 7 p.m.
St. Thomas at Omaha* | SLN | 7 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 25
North Dakota at NDSU* | WDAYX/SLN | 4 p.m.
South Dakota at SDSU* | MS/SLN | 5 p.m.
Omaha at Oral Roberts* | SLN | 7 p.m.
St. Thomas at Kansas City* | SLN | 7 p.m.
Rankings: (AP/Coaches) | * Summit League game
Key: ALT2 (Altitude TV); CBSSN (CBS College Sports Network); MS1/MS2 (Midco Sports); SLN (Summit League Network); WDAYX (WDAY Extra)
RESULTS
Wednesday, Jan. 15
Omaha 80, Denver 62*
Thursday, Jan. 16
SDSU 109, North Dakota 73*
South Dakota 92, Oral Roberts 82*
NDSU 71, Kansas City 64*
Saturday, Jan. 18
North Dakota 76, Kansas City 72*
NDSU 103, South Dakota 77*
SDSU 84, Oral Roberts 70*
St. Thomas 74, Denver 62*
* Summit League game
#SUMMITMBB
