SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – North Dakota State found its way back to the top of the bracket compliments of a 14-2 run through the Summit League regular season. Selected fourth in the preseason poll, the Bison won nine straight to open league play and never looked back as head coach Dave Richman earned his second Summit League Coach of the Year honor.
Richman has led the Bison to a trio of Summit League Tournament titles and 18 postseason wins during a 12-year career at the helm but the program will be looking to cut down the nets for the first time since 2020.
St. Thomas, who was one of two teams to knock off NDSU during the regular season, heads to Sioux Falls as the No. 2 seed for the second season in a row. With a 12-4 record, the Tommies won back-to-back home games to bring some positive momentum as they look to win their first tournament title and go dancing in their first season of postseason eligibility.
North Dakota posted the top turnaround among Summit League teams, improving their win total by five games to finish 10-6 and earn the No. 3 seed. The Fighting Hawks were pegged eighth in the preseason poll but won double-digit league games for the second time in three seasons.
South Dakota owns its highest seed since 2021 at the No. 4 spot. The Coyotes were among a three-way tie for fourth at 8-8 but held the tiebreaker thanks to a 3-1 collective record against Omaha and Denver.
The Mavericks were the team that cut down the nets a season ago for the first time in program history and bring back several key players from that championship squad. They will have to repeat from as the No. 5 seed after being swept by the Coyotes and sweeping the Pioneers in the regular season.
The Pioneers turned in a top-four finish for the first time since the 2017-18 season and were paced by Player of the Year Carson Johnson, who led all Summit League scorers with 22.5 ppg. He scored 20-plus in 10 of his last 12 games as the Pioneers went 5-2 in their final seven after a 3-6 start to league play.
South Dakota State finds itself in the bottom half of the bracket for the first time since the 2009-10 season when the Jackrabbits were the No. 5 seed. As the No. 7 seed in 2026, the Jackrabbits are vying to become just the second team from that line to hoist a trophy.
Oral Roberts brings the longest winning streak among league teams to Sioux Falls. The Golden Eagles have rattled off three straight victories by an average margin of 17.0 ppg after just a 1-12 start to league play.
Wednesday’s opening round game will be a rematch from last Saturday when ORU picked up its third straight win with a 94-70 win over Kansas City, who is the tournament’s No. 9 seed. These two teams also met in the 2025 first-round game when the Roos took down the Golden Eagles, 73-56.
WHERE TO WATCH: Summit League Network and Midco Sports (First Round and Quarterfinals) & CBS Sports Network (Semifinals and Championship)
AROUND THE LEAGUE
No. 1 NORTH DAKOTA STATE
Last time as No. 1 -- cut down the nets in 2020 defeating No. 6 seed North Dakota by a tournament title-game record 36 points (89-53)
The Bison are coming off back-to-back quarterfinal exits after a run of five consecutive title-game appearances from 2019-23. Summit League Coach of the Year Dave Richman owns an 18-8 all-time record in SL Tournament games, including titles in 2015, 2019, and 2020. JUCO-transfer Trevian Carson racked up three all-league honors, earning first-team accolades, an all-newcomer team nod and an all-defensive team spot. He averaged 12.2 ppg, a team-high 6.5 rpg, and 2.8 apg to go along with a team-high 59 steals and 12 blocks. Junior Damari Wheeler-Thomas returned from missing all of 2024-25 to lead a quartet of double-figure scoring Bison with a 14.1 ppg clip. The fourth-seeded Bison fell 85-84 to South Dakota in last year’s quarterfinals.
No. 2 ST. THOMAS
Last time as No. 2 -- lost to top-seeded Omaha in the 2025 title game
St. Thomas is eligible for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since making the transition to the Division I level. The Tommies experienced a championshp game atmosphere a season ago, falling just short of a title. They have won at least one game and advanced to the semifinals in their first three SL postseason appearances. The Tommies led all Summit League teams with 306 made 3-pointers. Junior Carter Bjerke accounted for nearly 25 percent of those as the 6-foot-10 forward knocked down 75 during the regular season. UST was led in scoring by the dynamic underclassmen duo of redshirst freshman Nick Janowski (19.1; 2nd) and sophomore Nolan Minessale (17.4; 8th), who were both among the top 10 scorers in Summit play.
No. 3 NORTH DAKOTA
Last time as No. 3 -- lost to No. 6 seed Omaha in the 2023 quarterfinals
The Fighting Hawks have been in the same 3-6 quarterfinal matchup each of the last three seasons in Sioux Falls, alternating between the two seeds. They will look to win as No. 3 seed this season after upsetting SDSU in a quarterfinal last season that saw Treysen Eaglestaff set a tournament single-game scoring record with 51 points. Redshirt freshman Greyson Uelmen has tried his best to replace Eaglestaff’s scoring, doing so to the tune of 18.6 ppg, which was second among league rookies and fifth overall. Defensive Player of the Year Eli King has helped UND to a top-five turnover margin among DI programs and is currently the only Division I player with 70-plus steals and 25-plus blocks on the season.
No. 4 SOUTH DAKOTA
First time as No. 4 -- the Coyotes have been all other current available seeds at least once since 2013
The Coyotes own their highest seed since being the No. 2 seed back in 2021 and did so with an injury-depleted roster. South Dakota closed out the regular season at 8-8 with back-to-back home wins, including sweeping in-state rival SDSU for the first time since 1996-97. Junior Isaac Bruns was leading the Summit League in scoring at 20.2 ppg when he was lost for the season after just the team’s fifth conference game. Senior Cameron Fens was the only SL player to average a double-double in conference play with 17.6 ppg and 10.3 rpg. He also led all players with 25 blocks. Junior Jordan Crawford averaged 17.0 ppg and made a league-best 51 triples during Summit action. The Coyotes swept No. 5 seed Omaha in the regular season.
No. 5 OMAHA
Last time as No. 5 -- Lost to No. 4 Oral Roberts 79-52 in the 2020 quarterfinals
The Mavericks will defend their program’s first tournament title in 2026 as the No. 5 seed after cutting down the nets in Sioux Falls a season ago. Junior Paul Djobet led Omaha in scoring, averaging 18.9 ppg in 16 Summit tilts. He poured in a career-hgih 38 in a road loss at No. 1 seed NDSU. That was one of seven 20-plus games the Miami (Fla.) transfer recorded in his first season with the Mavericks. Senior Ja’Sean Glover landed on the all-defensive team for the second straight season after racking up 21 steals and six blocks. Omaha ousted its quarterfinal opponent in last year’s semifinals, defeating South Dakota 100-75 behind a career-night from Tony Osburn, who scored 30 after going 8-for-9 from deep.
No. 6 DENVER
Last time as No. 6 -- beat No. 3 Omaha 78-70 in the 2016 quarterfinals before losing to No. 2 SDSU 54-53
The Pioneers earned the program’s first top-four finish since 2017-18 after head coach Tim Bergstraser led DU to an 8-8 record in his first season leading the program. Sophomore Carson Johnson, who followed his head coach from Minnesota State-Moorhead, led all Summit League players with a 22.5 ppg clip in league play. He leads all Division I sophomores with 625 points heading into the tournament and is just the third DU player to eclipse 600 points in a single season. Johnson paces a quarter of Pioneers averaging double figures and the team is scoring a league-high 83.3 ppg (second among SL teams). Graduate student Jeremiah Burke, who transferred from NDSU, started all 31 games and chipped in 14.6 ppg in his first season as a Pio. Denver split its regular season series with quarterfinal opponent North Dakota. Both road teams earned double-digit victories.
No. 7 SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
Last and only other time as No. 7 -- lost in 2009 semifinals to Oakland after upsetting Oral Roberts 72-69 in overtime during a quarterfinal tilt
SDSU had been a top-four seed the previous 14 tournaments, winning a league-best seven titles along the way. Junior Kalen Garry is averaging 9.8 ppg in four previous Summit League Tournament games, including a pair of double-digit efforts off the bench during SDSU’s 2024 title run as the No. 1 seed. Sophomore Joe Sayler is the Jacks’ top scorer at 14.5 ppg and arrives in Sioux Falls with three straight 20-plus games and is averaging 23.0 ppg during that stretch. He averaged a team-best 20.0 ppg during SDSU’s two regular season tilts with the Tommies. These two teams have yet to meet in postseason play. Junior Damon Wilkinson averaged 15.5 ppg and was held to single digits only once in Summit play (9 vs. St. Thomas; Feb. 4).
No. 8 ORAL ROBERTS
Last time as No. 8 -- lost to top-seeded SDSU in the quarterfinals after beating South Dakota in the opening round
After an 0-10 start to conference play, the Golden Eagles three-game winning streak is the longest current among Summit teams heading into the postseason. Senior Ty Harper has scored 20-plus in five straight and is averaging 34.3 ppg during ORU’s winning streak, which is their longest of the season under first-year head coach Kory Barnett. The Golden Eagles defeated South Dakota (67-62) and Denver (102-80) at home before picking up their first road win of the season at Kansas City (94-70). The 102 points were a season-high as Harper erupted for a career-high 47 points and made all 21 of his Summit League single-game record free throws in the victory. His 47 points were the most by a Summit League player this season and tied for third most by a Division I player.
No. 9 KANSAS CITY
First time as No. 9
The Roos will look to win the 8-9 game for the second straight season in Sioux Falls after defeating Oral Roberts 73-56 in this contest a season ago. Junior Jayson Petty scored 18 in last year’s opening-round game and chipped in 15 during KC’s quarterfinal loss to Omaha. This season, Karmello Branch leads KC in scoring at 12.5 ppg, while Petty is averaging 11.0 ppg for the second consecutive year. Branch put up a team-high 22 in the regular season finale against an Oral Roberts team the Roos will play in the first round. It was his team-leading ninth double-digit scoring game for Branch in Summit action and fifth 20-plus point game during his first season as a Roo.
UPCOMING
#SUMMITMBB CHAMPIONSHIP
Denny Sanford PREMIER Center | Sioux Falls, S.D.
Wednesday, March 4
G1: (8) Oral Roberts vs. (9) Kansas City | SLN/MS | 7 p.m. CT
Thursday, March 5
G2: (1) NDSU vs. G1 Winner | SLN/MS | 6 p.m. CT
G3: (2) St. Thomas vs. (7) SDSU | SLN/MS | 8:30 p.m. CT
Friday, March 6
G4: (4) South Dakota vs. (5) Omaha | SLN/MS | 6 p.m. CT
G5: (3) North Dakota vs. (6) Denver | SLN/MS | 8:30 p.m. CT
Saturday, March 7
G6: G2 Winner vs. G4 Winner | CBSSN | 7 p.m. CT
G7: G3 Winner vs. G5 Winner | CBSSN | 9:30 p.m. CT
Sunday, March 8
G8: G6 Winner vs. G7 Winner | CBSSN | 8 p.m. CT
Key: CBSSN (CBS College Sports Network); MS (Midco Sports); SLN (Summit League Network)
2025 CHAMPIONSHIP REWIND
Wednesday, Mar. 5 | First Round
G1: (8) Kansas City 73, (9) Oral Roberts 56
Thursday, Mar. 6 | Quarterfinals
G2: (1) Omaha 70, (8) Kansas City 61
G3: (2) St. Thomas 80, (7) Denver 62
Friday, Mar. 7 | Quarterfinals
G4: (5) South Dakota 85, (4) NDSU 84
G5: (6) North Dakota 85, (3) SDSU 69
Saturday, Mar. 8 | Semifinals
G6: (1) Omaha 100, (5) South Dakota 75
G7: (2) St. Thomas 85, (6), North Dakota 69
Sunday, Mar. 9 | Championship
G8: (1) Omaha 85, (2) St. Thomas 75
RECENT RESULTS
Wednesday, Feb. 25
Omaha at South Dakota*
Thursday, Feb. 26
SDSU at Kansas City*
Denver at Oral Roberts*
NDSU at St. Thomas*
Saturday, Feb. 28
NDSU 96, North Dakota 63*
South Dakota 75, SDSU 70*
St. Thomas 68, Omaha 53*
Oral Roberts 94 Kansas City 70*
#SUMMITMBB
