2025–26 Summit League men's basketball season
| 2025–26 Summit League men's basketball season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| League | NCAA Division I |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Teams | 9 |
| TV partner(s) | Summit League Network, CBS Sports Network |
| Regular season | |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Dakota State | 12 | – | 1 | .923 | 22 | – | 6 | .786 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| St. Thomas | 10 | – | 3 | .769 | 21 | – | 7 | .750 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Dakota | 9 | – | 4 | .692 | 15 | – | 14 | .517 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Omaha | 8 | – | 6 | .571 | 15 | – | 14 | .517 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Dakota | 6 | – | 6 | .500 | 14 | – | 13 | .519 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Denver | 6 | – | 7 | .462 | 13 | – | 15 | .464 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Dakota State | 5 | – | 8 | .385 | 12 | – | 16 | .429 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kansas City | 1 | – | 11 | .083 | 4 | – | 22 | .154 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oral Roberts | 1 | – | 12 | .077 | 6 | – | 22 | .214 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2026 Summit League tournament winner As of February 18, 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2025–26 Summit League men's basketball season started non-conference play on November 3, 2025, and conference play started on December 31, 2025. The regular season will end on February 28, 2026, and set up the 2026 Summit League men's basketball tournament which will take place from March 4 to 8, 2026.
This will be the last season in the conference for Denver, as the Pioneers will join the West Coast Conference on July 1, 2026.[1]
Head coaches
Coaching changes
Denver
On March 20, 2025, fourth-year coach Jeff Wulbrun and the Pioneers parted ways.[2] Then, on April 14, 2025, Tim Bergstraser was announced as the next head coach for the Pioneers.[3] Bergstraser was previously a head coach for NCAA Division II Minnesota State–Moorhead.
Oral Roberts
On March 7, 2025, second-year coach Russell Springmann was let go by the Golden Eagles.[4] Then, on March 28, 2025, Kory Barnett was named the next head coach.[5]
South Dakota State
On March 28, 2025, sixth-year coach Eric Henderson left South Dakota State for the head coaching job at Drake.[6] Then, on March 29, 2025, it was announced that Jackrabbits assistant Bryan Petersen would be the next head coach.[7]
Coaches
| Team | Head Coach | Previous Job | Years At School[a] | Record at School[b] | Summit League Record | Summit League Titles | NCAA tournaments[c] | NCAA Sweet 16's |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver | Tim Bergstraser | Minnesota State–Moorhead | 1 | 0–0[d] | 0–0 | 0 | 0[e] | 0[f] |
| Kansas City | Marvin Menzies | Grand Canyon (Associate HC) | 4 | 40–57 | 21–29 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| North Dakota | Paul Sather | Northern State | 7 | 73–115 | 38–62 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| North Dakota State | David Richman | North Dakota State (Assistant) | 12 | 208–142 | 107–68 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Omaha | Chris Crutchfield | Oregon (Assistant) | 4 | 45–53 | 24–26 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Oral Roberts | Kory Barnett | West Virginia (Assistant) | 1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| St. Thomas | John Tauer | St. Thomas (Assistant) | 14 | 290–110[g] | 34–34 | 0 | 0[h] | 0[i] |
| South Dakota | Eric Peterson | Utah (Assistant) | 4 | 43–52 | 21–29 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| South Dakota State | Bryan Petersen | South Dakota State (Assistant) | 1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
- ^ Year at school includes 2025–26 season.
- ^ Overall and Summit League records are from the time at their current school and are through the end of the 2023–24 season.
- ^ NCAA tournament appearances are from the time at current school only.
- ^ 75 wins and 22 losses at the Division II level
- ^ 3 NCAA Division II Tournaments
- ^ 1 NCAA Division II Sweet 16
- ^ 218 wins and 50 losses at the Division III level
- ^ 8 NCAA Division III Tournaments
- ^ 4 NCAA Division III Sweet 16s, 2 NCAA Division III Final Fours, and 1 NCAA Division III National Championship
Preseason awards
The preseason Summit League men's basketball polls were released on October 7, 2025.[8]
Preseason Poll
First place votes in parenthesis
- St. Thomas (17) – 501
- Omaha (13) – 495
- South Dakota State (5) – 450
- North Dakota State – 358
- South Dakota (1) – 342
- Kansas City – 187
- Denver – 169
- North Dakota – 168
- Oral Roberts – 165
Preseason honors
| Honor | Recipient |
|---|---|
| Preseason Player of the Year | Nolan Minessale, St. Thomas |
| Preseason All-Summit League First Team | Carter Bjerke, St. Thomas |
| Isaac Bruns, South Dakota | |
| Kalen Garry, South Dakota State | |
| Nolan Minessale, St. Thomas | |
| Tony Osburn, Omaha | |
| Jayson Petty, Kansas City | |
| Preseason All-Summit League Second Team | Noah Feddersen, North Dakota State |
| Ja'Sean Glover, Omaha | |
| Carson Johnson, Denver | |
| Eli King, North Dakota | |
| Markhi Strickland, North Dakota State |
Regular season
Conference standings
Current as of February 15, 2026[9]
| Conference | Overall | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team | Record | Percent | Record | Percent | Tiebreaker |
| 1 | North Dakota State | 11–1 | .917 | 21–6 | .778 | |
| 2 | St. Thomas | 10–3 | .769 | 21–7 | .750 | |
| 3 | North Dakota | 9–4 | .692 | 15–14 | .517 | |
| 4 | Omaha | 7–6 | .538 | 14–14 | .500 | |
| 5 | South Dakota | 6–6 | .500 | 14–13 | .519 | |
| 6 | Denver | 6–7 | .462 | 13–15 | .464 | |
| 7 | South Dakota State | 5–7 | .417 | 12–15 | .444 | |
| 8 | Oral Roberts | 1–11 | .083 | 6–21 | .222 | |
| 9 | Kansas City | 1–11 | .083 | 4–22 | .154 | |
Conference matrix
| Denver | Kansas City | North Dakota | North Dakota State | Omaha | Oral Roberts | St. Thomas | South Dakota | South Dakota State | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs. Denver | – | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 |
| vs. Kansas City | 2–0 | – | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 |
| vs. North Dakota | 1–1 | 0–1 | – | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 |
| vs. North Dakota State | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | – | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 |
| vs. Omaha | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | – | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 |
| vs. Oral Roberts | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | – | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 |
| vs. St. Thomas | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 | – | 0–2 | 0–2 |
| vs. South Dakota | 0–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | – | 0–1 |
| vs. South Dakota State | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–0 | – |
| Total | 6–7 | 1–11 | 9–4 | 11–1 | 7–6 | 1–11 | 10–3 | 6–6 | 5–7 |
Through February 15, 2026
Players of the Week
| Week[10] | Player(s) of the Week | School |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 11[11] | Jeremiah Burke | Denver |
| Nov. 18[12] | Nolan Minessale | St. Thomas |
| Nov. 25[13] | Nolan Minessale (2) | St. Thomas (2) |
| Dec. 2[14] | Isaac Bruns | South Dakota |
| Dec. 9[15] | Nolan Minessale (3) | St. Thomas (3) |
| Dec. 16[16] | Nolan Minessale (4) | St. Thomas (4) |
| Dec. 23[17] | Lance Waddles | Omaha |
| Dec. 30[18] | Trevian Carson | North Dakota State |
| Jan. 6[19] | Nick Janowski | St. Thomas (5) |
| Jan. 13[20] | Treyson Anderson | North Dakota State (2) |
| Jan. 20[21] | Carson Johnson | Denver (2) |
| Jan. 27[22] | Greyson Uelmen | North Dakota |
| Feb. 3[23] | Paul Djobet | Omaha (2) |
| Feb. 10[24] | Carson Johnson (2) | Denver (3) |
| Feb. 17[25] | Valentino Simon | Omaha (3) |
Records against other conferences
As of December 29, 2025:
| Major 6 Conferences | Record | Major 6 Conferences | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACC | None | American | 0–4 |
| Big East | 0–2 | Big Ten | 0–4 |
| Big 12 | 0–7 | SEC | 0–6 |
| Major 6 Total | 0–23 | ||
| Other Division I Conferences | Record | Other Division I Conferences | Record |
| Atlantic 10 | None | ASUN | 0–1 |
| America East | None | Big Sky | 10–13 |
| Big South | 2–0 | Big West | 4–7 |
| CAA | None | Conference USA | 2–3 |
| Horizon League | 1–1 | Ivy League | None |
| Independents | None | MAAC | 1–1 |
| MAC | 2–0 | MEAC | 1–0 |
| MVC | 2–4 | MWC | 2–5 |
| NEC | None | OVC | 3–2 |
| Patriot League | 1–0 | SoCon | None |
| Southland | 1–0 | SWAC | 1–0 |
| Sun Belt | 1–3 | WAC | 1–4 |
| WCC | 1–4 | ||
| Other Division I Total | 36–48 | ||
| NCAA Division I Total | 36–71 | ||
| NCAA Division II Total | 5–0 | ||
| NCAA Division III Total | 4–0 | ||
| NAIA Total | 17–0 | ||
| NCCAA Total | 3–0 | ||
| Total Non-Conference Record | 65–71 | ||
Record against ranked non-conference opponents
Summit League records against ranked teams (rankings from AP Poll, Summit teams in Bold):
| Date | Visitor | Home | Site | Score | Conference record | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 3 | North Dakota | No. 15 Alabama | Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL |
L 62–91 | 0–1 | [26] |
| November 24 | Denver | No. 2 Arizona | McKale Center Tucson, AZ |
L 73–103 | 0–2 | [27] |
| December 21 | North Dakota | No. 15 Nebraska | Pinnacle Bank Arena Lincoln, NE |
L 55–78 | 0–3 | [28] |
| December 29 | South Dakota State | No. 1 Arizona | McKale Center Tucson, AZ |
L 71–99 | 0–4 | [29] |
Points scored
| Team | For | Against | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denver | 2176 | 2171 | +5 |
| Kansas City | 1705 | 1996 | –291 |
| North Dakota | 2099 | 2091 | +8 |
| North Dakota State | 2115 | 1851 | +264 |
| Omaha | 1995 | 1988 | +7 |
| Oral Roberts | 1799 | 1981 | –182 |
| St. Thomas | 2152 | 1873 | +279 |
| South Dakota | 2118 | 2119 | –1 |
| South Dakota State | 1898 | 1812 | +86 |
Through February 7, 2026[30]
Home attendance
| Team | Arena | Capacity | Total Games | Average Attendance | Attendance High | Total Attendance | % of Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver | Hamilton Gymnasium | 2,500 | 12 | 959 | 1,839 Jan 22 vs. North Dakota St |
11,509 | 38.4% |
| Kansas City | Swinney Recreation Center | 1,500 | 12 | 640 | 840 Feb 4 vs. South Dakota |
7,682 | 42.7% |
| North Dakota | Betty Engelstad Sioux Center | 3,300 | 15 | 1,746 | 2,918 Feb 14 vs. North Dakota St |
26,191 | 52.9% |
| North Dakota State | Scheels Center | 5,460 | 12 | 1,688 | 3,313 Jan 14 vs. South Dakota St |
20,266 | 30.9% |
| Omaha | Baxter Arena | 7,898 | 13 | 2,833 | 3,669 Jan 10 vs. North Dakota St |
36,839 | 35.9% |
| Oral Roberts | Mabee Center | 10,154 | 12 | 3,419 | 5,467 Nov 12 vs. Tulsa |
41,029 | 33.7% |
| St. Thomas | Lee and Penny Anderson Arena | 5,300 | 12 | 2,729 | 5,325 Nov 8 vs. Army Dec 11 vs. St. John's (MN) |
32,751 | 51.5% |
| South Dakota | Sanford Coyote Sports Center | 6,000 | 14 | 1,417 | 1,847 Jan 24 vs. St. Thomas |
19,851 | 23.6% |
| South Dakota State | First Bank and Trust Arena | 6,500 | 11 | 2,679 | 4,451 Jan 18 vs. Kansas City |
29,473 | 41.2% |
Bold - Exceed capacity
As of February 15, 2026
Does not include exhibition games
National Television Games
Any games that league members will play on National Television, including the Summit League's media contract with CBS Sports Network, are listed here.[31]
Summit League members in bold
| Date Time (CT) |
Road Team | Home team | Final Score | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 24, 2025 9:30 PM |
Denver | No. 2 Arizona | L 73–103 | CBSSN |
| January 3, 2026 3 PM |
Oral Roberts | North Dakota State | NDSU 79–772OT | CBSSN |
| February 1, 2026 1 PM |
Kansas City | St. Thomas | UST 99–64 | CBSSN |
| February 4, 2026 6 PM |
St. Thomas | South Dakota State | UST 77–62 | CBSSN |
| February 7, 2026 5 PM |
South Dakota | South Dakota State | USD 68–67 | CBSSN |
| February 14, 2026 1 PM |
North Dakota State | North Dakota | NDSU 83–66 | CBSSN |
| February 15, 2026 12 PM |
Denver | Omaha | UNO 83–76 | CBSSN |
| February 25, 2026 6 PM |
Omaha | South Dakota | – | CBSSN |
Postseason
Conference tournament
All 9 teams will qualify for the 2026 Summit League men's basketball tournament. The tournament will be held at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota from March 4 to 8, 2026.
| First Round March 4 MidcoSN/SLN | Quarterfinals March 5 & 6 MidcoSN/SLN | Semifinals March 7 CBSSN | Final March 8 CBSSN | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | |||||||||||||||||||
References
- ^ "West Coast Conference Expands Footprint With Addition of the University of Denver" (Press release). West Coast Conference. October 31, 2025. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
- ^ "Denver Athletics and Wulbrun Mutually Agree to Part Ways". denverpioneers.com. Denver Pioneers. March 20, 2025. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
- ^ "Denver Hires Proven Winner in Bergstraser as Men's Basketball Coach". denverpioneers.com. Denver Pioneers. April 14, 2025. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
- ^ "ORU Athletics Announces Change in Leadership of Men's Basketball Program". oruathletics.com. Oral Roberts Golden Eagles. March 7, 2025. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
- ^ "ORU Athletics Announces Kory Barnett as New Head Men's Basketball Coach". oruathletics.com. Oral Roberts Golden Eagles. March 28, 2025. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
- ^ "Henderson resigns to assume head role at Drake". gojacks.com. South Dakota State Jackrabbits. March 28, 2025. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
- ^ "Bryan Petersen selected as next SDSU Head Coach". gojacks.com. South Dakota State Jackrabbits. March 29, 2025. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
- ^ "Tommies Top #SummitMBB Preseason Poll For First Time". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. October 7, 2025. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
- ^ "2025-26 Men's Basketball Standings". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
- ^ "2025-26 Men's Basketball Peak Performers of the Week". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
- ^ "DU's Burke snags first Kwik Star #SummitMBB weekly honor". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. November 11, 2025. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
- ^ "UST's Minessale claims Kwik Star #SummitMBB weekly honor". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. November 18, 2025. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
- ^ "UST's Minessale garners back-to-back Kwik Star #SummitMBB weekly honors". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. November 25, 2025. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
- ^ "USD's Bruns claims Kwik Star #SummitMBB weekly honors". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. December 2, 2025. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
- ^ "UST's Minessale garners third Kwik Star #SummitMBB weekly honors". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. December 9, 2025. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
- ^ "UST's Minessale repeats as Kwik Star #SummitMBB Peak Performer of the Week". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. December 16, 2025. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
- ^ "OMA's Waddles nets Kwik Star #SummitMBB weekly honor". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. December 23, 2025. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
- ^ "NDSU's Carson claims Kwik Star #SummitMBB weekly honor". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. December 30, 2025. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
- ^ "UST's Janowski garners Kwik Star #SummitMBB weekly honor". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. January 6, 2026. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
- ^ "NDSU's Anderson secures #SummitMBB Kwik Star weekly award". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. January 13, 2026. Retrieved January 13, 2026.
- ^ "DU's Johnson corrals Kwik Star #SummitMBB weekly honor". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. January 20, 2026. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
- ^ "UND's Uelmen nets Kwik Star #SummitMBB weekly honor". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. January 27, 2026. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
- ^ "Omaha's Djobet garners Kwik Star #SummitMBB weekly honor". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. February 3, 2026. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
- ^ "DU's Johnson claims Kwik Star #SummitMBB weekly honor". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. February 10, 2026. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
- ^ "OMA's Simon snags Kwik Star #SummitMBB weekly honor". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. February 17, 2026. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
- ^ "North Dakota Fighting Hawks vs. Alabama Crimson Tide". ESPN. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
- ^ "Denver Pioneers vs. Arizona Wildcats". ESPN. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
- ^ "North Dakota Fighting Hawks vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers". ESPN. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
- ^ "South Dakota State Jackrabbits vs. Arizona Wildcats". ESPN. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
- ^ "2025-2026 Men's Basketball Overall Statistics". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
- ^ "Summit League sets 2025-26 national basketball television schedule". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. October 20, 2025. Retrieved October 20, 2025.