2025–26 Summit League men's basketball season

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 ended on February 28, 2026.

This was the last season in the conference for Denver, as the Pioneers will join the West Coast Conference on July 1, 2026.

North Dakota State finished league play with a 14–2 record as the regular season champion. The 2026 Summit League men's basketball tournament took place from March 4 to 8, 2026. North Dakota State won the tournament, defeating North Dakota in the tournament final, and advanced to the NCAA tournament. In the NCAA tournament, the Bison were seeded 14th in the East region and played 3rd seeded Michigan State. They would fall to the Spartans, 67–92. St. Thomas received an at large bid to play in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). They lost to Seattle in the first round, 52–67.

Head coaches Coaching changes Offseason Denver On March 20, 2025, fourth-year coach Jeff Wulbrun and the Pioneers parted ways. Then, on April 14, 2025, Tim Bergstraser was announced as the next head coach for the Pioneers. 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. Then, on March 28, 2025, Kory Barnett was named the next head coach.

South Dakota State On March 28, 2025, sixth-year coach Eric Henderson left South Dakota State for the head coaching job at Drake. Then, on March 29, 2025, it was announced that Jackrabbits assistant Bryan Petersen would be the next head coach.

Mid-season Kansas City On January 12, 2026, fourth-year coach Marvin Menzies announced his intention to retire from coaching upon the conclusion of the 2025–26 season. Later, on February 1, 2026, Kansas City announced the hiring of Mark Turgeon as the next head coach of the Roos, and he will take over after the season ends.

Coaches TeamHead CoachPrevious JobYears At SchoolRecord at SchoolSummit League RecordSummit League TitlesNCAA tournamentsNCAA Sweet 16'sDenverTim BergstraserMinnesota State–Moorhead10–00–0000Kansas CityMarvin MenziesGrand Canyon (Associate HC)440–5721–29050North DakotaPaul SatherNorthern State773–11538–62000North Dakota StateDavid RichmanNorth Dakota State (Assistant)12208–142107–68320OmahaChris CrutchfieldOregon (Assistant)445–5324–26110Oral RobertsKory BarnettWest Virginia (Assistant)10–00–0000St. ThomasJohn TauerSt. Thomas (Assistant)14290–11034–34000South DakotaEric PetersonUtah (Assistant)443–5221–29000South Dakota StateBryan PetersenSouth Dakota State (Assistant)10–00–0000

Preseason awards The preseason Summit League men's basketball polls were released on October 7, 2025.

Preseason Poll First place votes in parentheses

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 HonorRecipientPreseason Player of the YearNolan Minessale, St. ThomasPreseason All-Summit League First TeamCarter Bjerke, St. ThomasIsaac Bruns, South DakotaKalen Garry, South Dakota StateNolan Minessale, St. ThomasTony Osburn, OmahaJayson Petty, Kansas CityPreseason All-Summit League Second TeamNoah Feddersen, North Dakota StateJa'Sean Glover, OmahaCarson Johnson, DenverEli King, North DakotaMarkhi Strickland, North Dakota State

Regular season Conference standings Current as of February 28, 2026 ConferenceOverallRankTeamRecordPercentRecordPercentTiebreaker1North Dakota State14–2.87524–7.7742St. Thomas12–4.75023–8.7423North Dakota10–6.62516–16.5004South Dakota8–8.50016–15.5163–1 vs. Omaha, Denver5Omaha8–8.50015–16.4842–2 vs. South Dakota, Denver6Denver8–8.50015–16.4841–3 vs. South Dakota, Omaha7South Dakota State7–9.43814–17 .4528Oral Roberts4–12.2509–22.2909Kansas City1–15.0634–26.133

Conference matrix   Denver Kansas City North DakotaNorth Dakota State Omaha Oral Roberts St. Thomas South Dakota South Dakota State vs. Denver – 0–2 1–1 1–1 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1vs. Kansas City 2–0 – 2–0 2–0 1–1 2–0 2–0 2–0 2–0 vs. North Dakota 1–1 0–2 – 2–0 1–1 0–2 1–1 0–2 1–1vs. North Dakota State 1–1 0–2 0–2 – 0–2 0–2 1–1 0–2 0–2vs. Omaha 0–2 1–1 1–1 2–0 – 0–2 1–1 2–0 1–1vs. Oral Roberts 1–1 0–2 2–0 2–0 2–0 – 2–0 1–1 2–0vs. St. Thomas 1–1 0–2 1–1 1–1 1–1 0–2 – 0–2 0–2vs. South Dakota 1–1 0–2 2–0 2–0 0–2 1–1 2–0 – 0–2vs. South Dakota State 1–1 0–2 1–1 2–0 1–1 0–2 2–0 2–0 –Total 8–8 1–15 10–6 14–2 8–8 4–12 12–4 8–8 7–9 Through February 28, 2026

Players of the Week WeekPlayer(s) of the WeekSchoolNov. 11Jeremiah BurkeDenverNov. 18Nolan MinessaleSt. ThomasNov. 25Nolan Minessale (2)St. Thomas (2)Dec. 2Isaac BrunsSouth DakotaDec. 9Nolan Minessale (3)St. Thomas (3)Dec. 16Nolan Minessale (4)St. Thomas (4)Dec. 23Lance WaddlesOmahaDec. 30Trevian CarsonNorth Dakota StateJan. 6Nick JanowskiSt. Thomas (5)Jan. 13Treyson AndersonNorth Dakota State (2)Jan. 20Carson JohnsonDenver (2)Jan. 27Greyson UelmenNorth DakotaFeb. 3Paul DjobetOmaha (2)Feb. 10Carson Johnson (2)Denver (3)Feb. 17Valentino SimonOmaha (3)Feb. 24Carson Johnson (3)Denver (4)Mar. 2Ty HarperOral Roberts

Records against other conferences As of December 29, 2025:

Major 6 ConferencesRecordMajor 6 ConferencesRecordACCNoneAmerican0–4Big East0–2Big Ten0–4Big 120–7SEC0–6Major 6 Total0–23Other Division I ConferencesRecordOther Division I ConferencesRecordAtlantic 10NoneASUN0–1America EastNoneBig Sky10–13Big South2–0Big West4–7CAANoneConference USA2–3Horizon League1–1Ivy LeagueNoneIndependentsNoneMAAC1–1MAC2–0MEAC1–0MVC2–4MWC2–5NECNoneOVC3–2Patriot League1–0SoConNoneSouthland1–0SWAC1–0Sun Belt1–3WAC1–4WCC1–4Other Division I Total36–48NCAA Division I Total36–71NCAA Division II Total5–0NCAA Division III Total4–0NAIA Total17–0NCCAA Total3–0Total Non-Conference Record65–71

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 ColiseumTuscaloosa, AL L 62–91 0–1 November 24 Denver No. 2 Arizona McKale CenterTucson, AZ L 73–103 0–2 December 21 North Dakota No. 15 Nebraska Pinnacle Bank ArenaLincoln, NE L 55–78 0–3 December 29 South Dakota State No. 1 Arizona McKale CenterTucson, AZ L 71–99 0–4

Points scored TeamForAgainstDifferenceDenver 2583 2567 +16Kansas City 2087 2516 –429North Dakota 2468 2502 –34North Dakota State 2525 2189 +336Omaha 2381 2386 –5Oral Roberts 2271 2420 –149St. Thomas 2582 2232 +350South Dakota 2485 2490 –5South Dakota State 2346 2251 +95 Through February 28, 2026

Home attendance TeamArenaCapacityTotal GamesAverage AttendanceAttendance HighTotal Attendance% of CapacityDenverHamilton Gymnasium2,500141,0191,839Jan 22 vs. North Dakota St14,27540.8%Kansas CitySwinney Recreation Center1,500147011,114Feb 28 vs. Oral Roberts9,82746.8%North DakotaBetty Engelstad Sioux Center3,300161,7532,918Feb 14 vs. North Dakota St28,05853.1%North Dakota StateScheels Center5,460141,9805,426Feb 28 vs. North Dakota27,72836.3%OmahaBaxter Arena7,898142,8723,669Jan 10 vs. North Dakota St40,21236.3%Oral RobertsMabee Center10,154143,2885,467Nov 12 vs. Tulsa46,03832.4%St. ThomasLee and Penny Anderson Arena5,300142,8835,325Nov 8 vs. ArmyDec 11 vs. St. John's (MN)40,37054.4%South DakotaSanford Coyote Sports Center6,000161,5613,569Feb 28 vs. South Dakota St24,99126.0%South Dakota StateFirst Bank and Trust Arena6,500132,8084,451Jan 18 vs. Kansas City36,50743.2% Bold - Exceed capacity As of February 28, 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.

Summit League members in bold DateTime (CT)Road TeamHome teamFinal ScoreNetworkNovember 24, 20259:30 PMDenverNo. 2 ArizonaL 73–103CBSSNJanuary 3, 20263 PMOral RobertsNorth Dakota StateNDSU 79–772OTCBSSNFebruary 1, 20261 PMKansas CitySt. ThomasUST 99–64CBSSNFebruary 4, 20266 PMSt. ThomasSouth Dakota StateUST 77–62CBSSNFebruary 7, 20265 PMSouth DakotaSouth Dakota StateUSD 68–67CBSSNFebruary 14, 20261 PMNorth Dakota StateNorth DakotaNDSU 83–66CBSSNFebruary 15, 202612 PMDenverOmahaUNO 83–76CBSSNFebruary 25, 20266 PMOmahaSouth DakotaUSD 89–72CBSSN

All–League Awards HonorRecipientPlayer of the YearCarson Johnson, DenverDefensive Player of the YearEli King, North DakotaSixth Man of the YearNoah Feddersen, North Dakota StateFreshman of the YearNick Janowski, St. ThomasCoach of the YearDavid Richman, North Dakota StateAll-Summit League First TeamTrevian Carson, North Dakota StatePaul Djobet, Omaha,Cameron Fens, South DakotaNick Janowski, St. ThomasCarson Johnson, DenverNolan Minessale, St. ThomasAll-Summit League Second TeamJordan Crawford, South DakotaEli King, North DakotaTy Harper, Oral RobertsGreyson Uelmen, North DakotaDamari Wheeler-Thomas, North Dakota StateAll-Summit League Honorable MentionCarter Bjerke, St. ThomasJeremiah Burke, DenverJoe Sayler, South Dakota StateAndy Stefonowicz, North Dakota StateDamon Wilkinson, South Dakota StateAll-Defensive TeamTrevian Carson, North Dakota StateCameron Fens, South DakotaJa'Sean Glover, OmahaEli King, North DakotaNolan Minessale, St. ThomasAll-Newcomer TeamTrevian Carson, North Dakota StatePaul Djobet, OmahaNick Janowski, St. ThomasCarter Johnson, DenverGreyson Uelmen, North Dakota Source:

Postseason Conference tournament

All 9 teams qualified for the 2026 Summit League men's basketball tournament. The tournament was held at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota from March 4 to 8, 2026.

NCAA tournament

Seed Region School First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four Championship No. 14 East North Dakota State lost to No. 3 Michigan State — — — — 1 BidW-L (%):TOTAL:

NIT

Region School First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Championship Auburn Region St. Thomas lost to No. 4 Seattle — — — 1 BidW-L (%):TOTAL:

References