North Dakota State: 2026 Summit League Men's Basketball Champions

 

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The North Dakota State men's basketball team won the Summit League Tournament title with a 70-62 victory over No. 3 seed North Dakota on Sunday night.

 

Omaha: 2024-25 Summit League Men's Basketball Champions

 

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Usually mid-major college basketball programs need to win their conference tournament in order to reach March Madness, but that won’t be the case in Sunday’s Summit League Championship Game.

Omaha men’s basketball will play in the title game having already punched their ticket to their first Div. I NCAA Tournament, thanks to a little-known technicality.

The Mavericks opponent, St. Thomas, is still in its probationary period since elevating to a Division One program in 2021 and is ineligible for the NCAA Tournament. If the Tommies were to win the Summit League Tournament, the conferences automatic bid would go to its regular season champion.

Omaha secured its first Summit League regular season title in last weekend’s win over Oral Roberts.

So when the Mavs tip off against the Tommies at 8:00pm on Sunday, there will still be a Summit League Tournament title on the line—but not a trip to the Big Dance.

South Dakota State: 2023-24 Summit Men's Basketball Champions

 

A last-minute comeback for Denver was unsuccessful as SDSU beat Denver in the Summit League Championship 76-68.

In this battle, five South Dakota State basketball players scored at least ten points: Zeke Mayo (16 points), Luke Appel (16 points), William Kyle III (15 points), Kalen Garry (11 points) and Matt Mims (11 points).

“We got incredible players,” said head coach Eric Henderson. “I’m so proud of our guys and as an educator and a teacher, there is really nothing better than watching young people grow and believe in each other.”

In Mayo’s 16-point game, he shot 5-7 from three (5-9 on field goals), tying his season-high three-point makes. The guard from Kansas also added six rebounds and three assists to his resume.

Earning his fifth double-double of the season was Kyle III, adding 11 boards to his stat line, leading both teams. The sophomore’s performance this tournament earned him Summit League MVP of the tournament.

Off the bench, Garry added four assists and four rebounds to his 11 points. Five of his 11 came from the free throw line.

That kid [Garry] is a ‘dawg’,” stated Appel regarding Garry in the postgame press conference.

Overall, the Jacks shot 46.4% on total shots, 39.1% from three and 68.2% from the line. Mims, Garry and Kyle III all shot from the charity stripe six times a piece, with Mims hitting 100% percent of his free throws.

Throughout the game, South Dakota State led the entire time.

Mayo, Kyle III and Appel all made the Summit League All-Tournament team.

For Denver, it was Jaxo Brenchley who led the team in points with 20 on the night followed by Tommy Bruner with 17. Bruner joins Mayo, Kyle III and Appel on the All-Tournament team.

Deandre Craig led the Pioneers in assists with eight while Brenchley led the team in rebounds with nine, a board short of a double-double himself.

Denver’s late-stage comeback came from down 23 points with just 8:33 to go in the second half and the closest score was within five.

South Dakota State punched their ticket to the big dance and will find out their opponent for the first round of March Madness on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET.

Oral Roberts: 2022-23 Summit Men's Basketball Champions

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Max Abmas had 26 points and 11 assists and Oral Roberts overwhelmed North Dakota State 92-58 in the Summit League tournament championship game Tuesday night to clinch an automatic berth into the NCAA tournament.

Reserve Patrick Mwamba scored 17 of his 20 points in the first half and Issac McBride, Connor Vanover and reserve DeShang Weaver each scored 10 points for Oral Roberts.

Oral Roberts (30-4) finished 18-0 in league play and won twice in the league's postseason tournament. It's the program's seventh NCAA tournament berth.

The Golden Eagles failed to make the NCAA tournament last year following their 2021 run to the Sweet 16, which ended with a 72-70 loss to Arkansas.

When asked what it would take to duplicate the 2021 run after beating the Bison, Abmas said, "We've got to continue the intensity that we've had in this (Summit) tournament."

Boden Skunberg scored 18 points, Andrew Morgan 13 and Damari Wheeler-Thomas 10 for the Bison (16-17).

South Dakota State: 2021-22 Summit Men's Basketball Champions

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- — Douglas Wilson had 21 points and 11 rebounds and South Dakota State beat North Dakota State 73-69 on Tuesday night to win the Summit League tournament and earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

South Dakota State (30-4) added to the program's single-season record for wins. The Jackrabbits, who became the first team in Summit League history to go undefeated in conference play, have won 21 game in a row — the longest active streak in Division I.

North Dakota State (23-9) trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half and didn't take its first lead until Sam Griesel hit a 3-pointer with 3:05 left to put the Bison up 61-60. Charlie Easley answered with a jumper for the Jackrabbits 16 seconds later, Baylor Scheierman followed with 3 to make it 65-61 with 1:54 left and SDSU made 8 of 10 from the free-throw line the rest of the way to seal it.

Easley had 15 points, Zeke Mayo scored 12 and Scheierman 11 for South Dakota State.

Griesel made 10 of 16 from the field and finished with 24 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Bison. Jarius Cook scored 13 points and Grant Nelson 11.

Either the Jackrabbits or North Dakota State has played in each of the last 11 Summit League title games. SDSU has won six championships, including finals wins over the Bison in 2013, 2016 and 2022. NDSU beat South Dakota State for the 2015 crown, one of its four in that span.

Oral Roberts: 2021 Summit Men's Basketball Champions

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Of course it went to the wire. Of course it was a grinder. It had to, because it was a Dave Richman-coached North Dakota State.

The only difference was this time the Bison came out on the wrong end.

Oral Roberts (16-10) won the Summit League men's basketball championship with an improbable 75-72 victory at the Sanford Pentagon, hanging on by the thinnest of threads after the Bison nearly rallied from a 25-point halftime deficit.

The Bison looked dead after a first-half flurry by the Golden Eagles left them staggered and trailing 45-20 after the first 20 minutes.

But somehow the game was tied 72-72 after NDSU's Rocky Kreuser muscled in a bank shot with 40 seconds left in the game.

ORU scored the final three points of the game, though, on a free throw by Max Abmas and two by D'Mauria Jones and the Golden Eagles snatched the Summit's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament that begins later this month.

After Abmas made one free throw for a 73-72 lead with 14.6 seconds left, NDSU's Sam Griesel backed down ORU's Francis Lacis and tried to muscle up a shot in the lane. Lacis, though, bodied up Griesel and blocked the shot. Jones got the loose ball, was fouled and made two free throws with 2.2 seconds left.

NDSU didn't get off a final shot.

Tournament MVP Abmas led the Golden Eagles with 23 points.

Kreuser scored a career-high 34 points. Tyree Eady added 15.

Given the firepower ORU possesses, including Division I's leading scorer in Abmas, it seemed unlikely it would be close late in the game.

Led by a 17-point outburst by Kevin Obanor the Golden Eagles overwhelmed the Bison in the first half. The Bison led 10-9 with 12:25 left before ORU began draining 3-pointers and NDSU continued to miss almost everything. Obanor scored 13 points in a five-minute stretch that stretched ORU's lead from 12-10 to 25-12.

Abmas got in the act with a couple of baskets, including a traditional three-point play with 4 minutes left that gave the Golden Eagles a 37-16 lead.

By the time Carlos Jurgens drained a 3-pointer from the corner as time was winding down in the half, ORU had a 45-20 lead.

The game looked over.

It wasn't. Not even close.

Aided by ORU's decision to take quick shots, fewer of which went in than the first half, the Bison chipped away. By the time Kreuser made a leaner in the lane with 7:30 remaining, the Bison had their deficit to single digits at 58-49. A Grant Nelson dunk with 5:30 left pulled the Bison within 63-56.

ORU stretched the lead back to 10 on a pair of three throws and a three-point play by Abmas. But Kreuser's three-point play made it 68-66.

ORU again padded the lead to make it 72-68 with 56 seconds left, but Grant Nelson scored a layup with 45 seconds and was fouled, missed the free throw, but it was rebounded by NDSU. Kreuser scored off the glass with 40 seconds left to tie it 72-72.

It was the end of a surprising season for the Bison (15-12). They lost their top two players, Tyson Ward and Vinnie Shahid, after winning last year's Summit championship. But getting unexpected support from true freshmen Grant Nelson and Dezmond McKinney to help veterans Kreuser, Griesel and Eady

The Bison were seeking their fourth NCAA berth under Richman, including their third straight.

ORU (16-10): Obanor 8-13 2-3 21, Jurgens 3-9 1-1 8, Thompson 5-11 1-1 12, Lacis 1-5 0-0 3, Abmas 7-17 8-10 23, Weaver 2-6 0-0 6, Stevens 2-6 0-0 6, Jones 0-0 2-2 2. Totals 26-62 14-17 75.

NDSU (15-12): Cook 2-8 0-1 5, Harden-Hayes 0-1 0-0 0, Eady 6-9 3-3 15, Kreuser 11-20 9-10 34, Griesel 1-12 3-4 6, McKinney 1-3 0-0 3, Knotek 1-2 0-0 3, Skunberg 0-0 0-0 0, Wilson 1-2 0-0 2, Nelson 2-7 0-1 4. Totals 25-64 15-19 72.

Half: ORU 45, NDSU 20. 3-point goals: ORU 9-29 (Obanor 3-4, Jurgens 1-3, Thompson 1-5, Lacis 1-4, Abmas 1-6, Weaver 2-6, Stevens 0-1), NDSU 7-16 (Cook 1-2, Eady 0-1, Kreuser 3-7, Griesel 1-1, McKinney 1-2, Knotek 1-2, Nelson 0-1). Total fouls: ORU 16, NDSU 18. Fouled out: Obanor. Rebounds: ORU 37 (Obanor 9, Jurgens 9), NDSU 42 (Griesel 11). Assists: ORU 14 (Abmas 7), NDSU 16 (Griesel 7). Turnovers: ORU 9 (Lacis 2, Abmas 2), NDSU 11 (three players with 3).

North Dakota State: 2018-19 Summit Men's Basketball Champions

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Vinnie Shahid heeded his teammates' advice after a rough first half, and helped lead North Dakota State back to the NCAA Tournament.

Shahid scored 20 of his 22 points after halftime, and the Bison beat Omaha 73-63 on Tuesday night in the Summit League Tournament title game to earn their first NCAA Tournament bid since 2015.

"My teammates did a good job of giving me confidence," said Shahid, who was 1-of-4 shooting before the half. "They told me, `Keep being aggressive, keep being aggressive. It's going to fall when we need it to."

The No. 4-seeded Bison (17-15) also got 15 points and seven rebounds from Tyson Ward.

North Dakota State saw a 14-point second-half lead evaporate before securing the win with a late run. Omaha (21-10) tied it at 51 with 8:37 to play and had a chance at the lead, but Matt Pile missed a free throw on a potential three-point play. From there, the Bison went on a 9-0 run and were never threatened again, sealing the win with free throws down the stretch.

"This is a really good, talented Omaha team," North Dakota State coach David Richman said. "We knew they were going to make a push and that push happened. But this group has really grown."

Mitch Hahn scored 16 points and Zach Jackson had 15 for Omaha. Pile finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds while KJ Robinson scored 11 points.

Ward got back on track after scoring a season-low three points in North Dakota State's semifinal win over Western Illinois. He had 25 points in a quarterfinal win over Oral Roberts.

Ward had 11 against Omaha at halftime, and then Shahid took over. Shahid's 3-pointer as the shot clock expired with 2:10 remaining lifted the lead back to 10.

The No. 2-seeded Mavericks had gone the final 6:44 of the first half without a field goal. North Dakota State built a 41-27 halftime lead.

"You can't play uphill all night," Omaha coach Derrin Hansen said. "They had the lead for 36 minutes of the game. When you play uphill all night, it takes a lot of energy to overcome that."

BIG PICTURE

North Dakota State: Has a 1/3 record in the NCAA Tournament, including an 80-75, overtime upset of No. 5 seed Oklahoma in 2014. This was the Bison's fifth title game appearance in seven years.

Omaha: This is the second time Omaha has played in the Summit League title game. The program has never played in the NCAA Tournament.

BENCH PLAY

NDSU's Cameron Hunter scored 12 points off the bench and hit all three of his attempts both from 3-point range and from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Omaha got just six bench points, all from Ayo Akinwole.

UP NEXT

North Dakota State: The Bison will find out their NCAA Tournament opponent on Sunday.

Omaha: The 21 wins are the most in the Mavericks' Division I history. They lose one senior in Jackson.

South Dakota State: 2017-18 Summit Men's Basketball Champions

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- The Jackrabbits are tourney bound again.

David Jenkins Jr. scored 29 points, Mike Daum had 25 points and 11 rebounds, and South Dakota State beat South Dakota 97-87 on Tuesday night to win the Summit League Tournament championship, clinching the Jackrabbits a third straight NCAA Tournament berth.

Daum was the Summit League Player of the Year, but was limited to 27 minutes because of foul trouble. Jenkins stepped up in his place in the first half with 16 points -- he came in averaging 15.8 points per game.

"I made sure I stayed aggressive at all times," Jenkins Jr. said. "I just took what the defense gave me."

The Jackrabbits went on a 30-17 run with Daum on the bench. The first half featured 11 lead changes before SDSU opened things up.

SDSU took a 47-35 lead into halftime, with Daum getting just six points in seven minutes. He entered the game averaging 23.8 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.

"We're not often times forced to play that many minutes in a half without Mike," SDSU coach T.J. Otzelberger said. "If you look at our team night in and night out, different guys step up. If you're a great team, that's what you do."

Reed Tellinghuisen added 18 points and 11 rebounds for SDSU (28-6), which has won 11 straight. The Jackrabbits shot 48 percent from the field, including 14 for 28 from the 3-point line.

SDSU built the lead to 20 in the second half before South Dakota mounted a challenge midway through the half. Brandon Key's basket for the Jackrabbits made it 57-37 with just under 16 minutes to play. At that point, South Dakota was just 2 for 12 from the field in the second half.

"We really struggled guarding them, and they were cooking on all cylinders," South Dakota coach Craig Smith said. "I just didn't put our guys in a good enough position to win, especially during that run in the first half."

The Coyotes chipped away at the lead. Nate Fuller came off the bench and scored five straight to cut it to 40-28 with 13:07 to play. It was the first time South Dakota had been within 12 since 40-28 late in the second half.

Tyler Hagedorn scored 11 of his 15 points in the second half for the Coyotes (26-8) to help fuel the run, which dwindled SDSU's lead to six with just under three minutes to play.

Jenkins' 3-pointer with 1:38 to play pushed the lead back to 11 at 90-79.

South Dakota's leading scorer, Matt Mooney, led the Coyotes with 30 points but was 9 for 26 from the field, including 3 for 11 from the 3-point line.

Tyler Peterson had 15 points and six rebounds for South Dakota.

BIG PICTURE

South Dakota State: The 28 wins is an SDSU team record.


South Dakota: The Coyotes are hoping to finally edge SDSU next year, with Mooney returning for his senior season after averaging 18.3 points per game as a junior.

HE SAID IT

"To Coyotes fans: I know it doesn't help, but I'm sorry. I played really bad and I'm sorry I didn't come through," Mooney said.

DEFENSIVE EFFORT

The 97 points allowed by South Dakota is the most this season for the Coyotes.

ATTENDANCE

Attendance at the championship game was 11,114, the largest ever for a Summit League championship game.

UP NEXT

South Dakota State: The Jackrabbits head to the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year and for the fifth time in seven years. They've never won an NCAA Tournament game.