SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The North Dakota State men’s basketball team is headed back to play in the Big Dance for the first time since the 2019 season, while St. Thomas is making its first NCAA Division I postseason appearance in the National Invitational Tournament. The Bison were destined for back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2020 before the postseason was cancelled due to Covid 19.
This marks the first season since 2022 that a pair of Summit League men’s programs will be playing in the postseason. NDSU earned a No. 14 seed and will play No. 3 seed Michigan State in an East Region first round tilt in Buffalo on Thursday. The Tommies travel to Seattle U Tuesday to face the Redhawks in what will be the first NIT appearance for a league squad since South Dakota State dropped an opening-round game at Texas.
The Bison and Tommies were the top two teams in the Summit League regular season. NDSU won its fifth regular season title and a program single-season record 27 games, while UST reeled off its second straight 24-win season to match its best output since transitioning to the DI level.
POSTSEASON AROUND THE LEAGUE
TEAM TRACKER (NCAA TOURNAMENT)
NO. 14 SEED NORTH DAKOTA STATE (27-7; 14-2 SL) | @NDSUMBB
Next Up: vs. No. 3 seed Michigan State 3/19; 4:05 p.m. CT, TNT)
Previous Games: vs. (8) Oral Roberts, 76-65; (5) Omaha, 74-50; (3) North Dakota, 70-62
NCAA Division I Tournament History: 2-4
NCAA Tournament (Best Finish): Round of 32 (2014)
Summit League Championship History: 28-12
Summit League Tournament Titles: 6 (2009, 2014, 2015, 2019, 2020, 2026)
NOTING THE BISON
• The Bison won the program’s fifth regular season title, finishing the campaign 14-2 in Summit play after being picked to finish fourth in the preseason poll voted on by coaches and media. NDSU enters the NCAA Tournament with a program single-season record of 27 overall wins.
• NDSU opened the league slate with nine straight victories and won five of its last seven.
• With three Summit League Tournament victories, the Bison bring a four-game winning streak into their NCAA Tournament first-round tilt with Michigan State, who they will be playing for the first time in program history.
• As for Summit League teams, this will be the third time the Spartans will be an opening-round opponent. Michigan State defeated Green Bay 60-58 during the 1991 Tournament in a 5-12 matchup and also beat Valparaiso 65-38 when the Spartans were a No. 1 seed and went onto win the national championship.
• This will be the second time NDSU has been a 14 seed (2009) and Summit League teams are 3-9 all-time from this seed line -- the 1986 Cleveland State squad made a run to the Sweet 16 as a No. 14 seed. The 1990 Northern Iowa team also won a first-round game as a No. 14 seed.
• Junior Damari Wheeler-Thomas earned all-league second team honors after returning to the court follwing a 2024-25 that he missed due to injury. He led a Bison team in scoring at 14.4 ppg that featured six players scoring at 9.0 ppg clip or better.
• Wheeler-Thomas claimed Championship MVP honors in Sioux Falls after averaging 17.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg and 2.7 apg. He led the Bison with 19 in the title-game victory over in-state rival North Dakota, eclipsing the 1,000-point plateau during the victory.
• Classmate Noah Feddersen joined Wheeler-Thomas on the all-tournament team after recording the first two double-doubles of his season in quarterfinal and semifinal victories. The 2026 Summit League Sixth Man of the Year also hit a key 3-pointer during the final minute in the win over the Fighting Hawks.
• Junior Trevian Carson earned a Summit League trifecta when he was named to the all-league first, all-newcomer and all-defensive team during his first season with the Bison.
• David Richman earned his second Summit League Coach of the Year nod and first since his debut season leading the Bison in 2014-15. This will be fourth NCAA Tournament berth under Richman’s guidance but just third time participating after the 2020 event was cancelled to Covid-19.
• The Bison were the only Summit League defense to hold opponents below a 70.0 ppg average, while ranking third offensively, putting up 80.7 ppg. They led all teams with an 11.1 scoring margin and won the three tournament games by an average of 14.3 ppg.
TEAM TRACKER (NIT TOURNAMENT)
ST. THOMAS (24-9; 12-4 SL) | @TOMMIEMBBall
Next Up: vs. No. 4 seed Seattle 3/17; 7:05 p.m. PT, ESPN+)
Previous Games: vs. (7) SDSU, 80-67; (3) North Dakota, 67-66
NIT Tournament History: First Appearance
NIT Tournament (Best Finish): N/A
Summit League Championship History: 5-4
Summit League Tournament Titles: 0
NOTING THE TOMMIES
• The Tommies will be making their first NCAA Division I postseason appearance after earning an at-large bid to the NIT. St. Thomas finished up its four-year transition to the DI level a season ago and was eligible for postseason play for the first time in 2025-26.
• St. Thomas matched its single-season DI record for wins with 24 after earning an 80-67 victory over South Dakota State in the Summit League Tournament quarterfinals.
• Sophomore Nolan Minessale was named to the All-Tournament Team after averaging 22.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg and 4.5 apg over two games in Sioux Falls.
• Minessale also eclipsed the 1,000-career point plateau during the victory over the Jackrabbits in Sioux Falls. Minessale was named a finalist for the Lou Henson Award, which is given annually to the nation’s top Mid-Major Player. The All-League First Team and All-League Defensive Team honoree was the only player from a Summit League team to make the list of 30.
• Minessale was joined on the all-league first team by teammate Nick Janowski, giving the Tommies the only duo on the squad. Janowski was second among league scorers in Summit play with a 19.1 ppg average. The redshirt freshman averaged 16.3 ppg overall and led the Tommies on the glass with a 5.1 rpg average.
• The Tommies shot 51.o percent from the field as a team to rank among the top 10 nationally in that category and have held a lead during the second half in all 33 of their contests so far in 2025-26.
•St. Thomas will play Seattle for the second time after dropping its first tilt with the Redhawks 81-64 during the first season of DI transition. South Dakota State was the last Summit team to compete in the NIT in 2019.
UPCOMING
2026 NCAA TOURNAMENT | EAST REGION
Key Bank Center | Buffalo, N.Y.
Thursday, March 19 | First Round | TNT
(11) South Florida vs. (6) Louisville 1:35 p.m. ET
(14) NDSU vs. (3) Michigan State 4:05 p.m. ET
NIT TOURNAMENT
Tuesday, March 17 | First Round | ESPN+
St. Thomas at (4) Seattle 7:05 p.m. PT
Key: ESPN+ (ESPN Plus); TNT (Turner Network Television)
2026 #SUMMITMBB CHAMPIONSHIP
Wednesday, Mar. 4 | First Round
G1: (8) Oral Roberts 84, (9) Kansas City 62
Thursday, Mar. 5 | Quarterfinals
G2: (1) NDSU 76, (8) Oral Roberts 65
G3: (2) St. Thomas 80, (7) SDSU 67
Friday, Mar. 6 | Quarterfinals
G4: (5) Omaha 76, (4) South Dakota 62
G5: (3) North Dakota 83, (6) Denver 67
Saturday, Mar. 7 | Semifinals
G6: (1) NDSU 74, (5) Omaha 50
G7: (3) North Dakota 67, (2) St. Thomas 66
Sunday, Mar. 8 | Championship
G8: (1) NDSU 70, (2) North Dakota 62
#SUMMITMBB
