SelectionSunday
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Tommie Talk and the NET/Torvik Gospel
St. Thomas (15-4, 8-8 ATS)
NET: Tommies move up 1 spot to #116
Torvik (T-Rank): Tommies drop 2 spots to #110
St. Thomas 91, North Dakota 80 (in Grand Forks)
Nick Janowski (32) and Nolan Minessale (27) combined for 59 points as the Tommies pulled away midway through the second half to record their ninth straight win. UST uncharacteristically turned the ball over 15 times (13 in the first half) and made only 19-of-34 (55.9%) free throws but were a sizzling 16-of-24 (66.7%) from three-point territory. Janowski, whose point total was a program Division I-era record-tying performance, was 7-of-9 from three. Carter Bjerke was 3-for-3, Austin Herro 2-for-2, and Minessale 4-of-8 from long distance.
The Tommies head to Fargo on Saturday to play North Dakota State (15-5, 5-0), as the league's only two unbeatens meet to determine who gets the early leg up on a regular season championship. The Bison, winners over South Dakota State on Wednesday, will have an extra day's rest for the 1 p.m. CT showdown at the Scheels Center.
(all rankings NET, all times Central)
Thursday Summit League Results/Highlights
#116 St. Thomas 91, #304 North Dakota 80 -- Herro had an all-around floor game with 9 points, 10 assists, 7 steals, and 4 rebounds. Anthony Smith III and Greyson Uelmen led the Fighting Sioux (9-12, 3-2 Summit) with 19 points apiece.
#258 South Dakota 99, #337 Kansas City 83 -- Coyotes center Cameron Fens had a monster game for the Coyotes (10-9, 2-2) with a 31-point, 15-rebound double-double. Guard Isaac Bruns was his usual rock-solid self with 22 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. Kasheem Grady II led the 'Roos (4-15, 1-4) with 21 points and 7 boards.
Friday Summit League Slate
No games
Friday Reach the Summit Selections (14-4, 77.8%, 0 exactas)
No games
Expected Top 5 (DU, NDSU, Omaha, SDSU, UST) Head-to-Head
Let's keep tabs on how the five teams expected to finish in the upper half/middle of the Summit fare head-to-head. The league's regular season champion(s) likely finishes with the best record in the head-to-head.
Head-to-Head
1. North Dakota State (2-0)
2. St. Thomas (1-0)
3. South Dakota State (2-1)
T4. Denver (0-2)
T4. Omaha (0-2)
Summit League Leader (North Dakota State) Resume Snapshot
Record vs. DI Opponents: 12-5, 5-0 Summit
Projected NCAA Tournament Seed: #15
True Road Record: 5-4
NET: #136
Torvik (T-Rank): #125
Strength of Record: #132
Wins Above Bubble: #139
Overall SOS: #359
Non-Conference SOS: #351
Record/Winning% vs. Quad 1: 0-0
Record/Winning% vs. Quads 1 & 2 Combined: 0-0
Record/Winning % vs. Quads 1-3 Combined: 3-4 (42.9%)
Quad 4 (Awful) Losses: 1 (@ #270 UTEP)
Record vs. Projected NCAA Qualifiers: 0-1
Dribbles & Scribbles
-- Gonzaga will be without star junior 6-10 big man Braden Huff for 4-8 weeks with a knee injury. Huff is averaging a team-high 17.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. The date range for Huff's return could be as early as Feb. 12, or if the full eight weeks on March 12, after the WCC Tournament, but in time for the March 17 start of the NCAA Tournament.
-- Green Bay (11-8, 6-2 Horizon League) and head coach/radio host Doug Gottlieb continue to be a great story. The Phoenix beat Cleveland State 88-73 for their fifth straight win behind a near triple-double from senior PG Preston Ruedinger (23 points, 10 assists, 7 rebounds). Green Bay sits just one game back of Horizon leader Wright State.
-- While lotsa' talking heads/media types and other folks (me included) poo-pooed the inaugural College Basketball Crown last season, it's worth noting the Crown champion (Nebraska) and runner-up (UCF) both are having excellent 2025-26 seasons. Nebraska is undefeated, #10 in the NET, and the current holder of the nation's longest winning streak (21). Johnny Dawkins' UCF squad (#35 NET) is 14-2 and would be safely in the NCAA tourney field more than halfway through the season. As the late Denny Green once said, "If you wanna' crown their a*s, then crown 'em!"
Thursday Bubblicious Results (bubble teams underlined)
None
Friday Bubblicious Tracker
#52 Creighton @ Providence, 5:30 (FS1)
#44 Baylor @ Kansas, 7 (FOX)
Daily Bubblicious Snapshots (#41, #50, #52, #68)
A daily look at the bubble and watching it evolve & shrink leading up to Selection Sunday:
#41 (Seton Hall) NCAA Tournament Resume (best at-large NET# left out of 2025 field)
Record vs. DI Opponents: 14-3, 4-2 Big East
True Road Record: 4-0
NET: #41
Torvik (T-Rank): #43
Strength of Record: #28
Wins Above Bubble: #29
Overall SOS: #93
Non-Conference SOS: #234
Record/Winning% vs. Quad 1: 1-3 (25%)
Record/Winning% vs. Quads 1 & 2 Combined: 5-3 (62.5%)
Record/Winning% vs. Quads 1-3 Combined: 7-3 (70%)
Quad 4 (Awful) Losses: 0
Record vs. Projected NCAA Qualifiers: 1-3 (win over #29 NC State)
#50 (San Diego State) NCAA Tournament Resume (mythical Bubble cutline)
Record vs. DI Opponents: 11-4, 6-0 Mountain West
True Road Record: 3-0
NET: #50
Torvik (T-Rank): #41
Strength of Record: #51
Wins Above Bubble: #47
Overall SOS: #74
Non-Conference SOS: #39
Record/Winning% vs. Quad 1: 1-3 (25%)
Record/Winning% vs. Quads 1 & 2 Combined: 2-3 (40%)
Record/Winning% vs. Quads 1-3 Combined: 7-4 (63.6%)
Quad 4 (Awful) Losses: 0
Record vs. Projected NCAA Qualifiers: 1-2 (win over #82 Utah Valley)
#52 (Creighton) NCAA Tournament Resume (worst at-large NET# to make 2025 field)
Record vs. DI Opponents: 11-7, 5-2 Big East
True Road Record: 2-3
NET: #52
Torvik (T-Rank): #50
Strength of Record: #59
Wins Above Bubble: #57
Overall SOS: #18
Non-Conference SOS: #29
Record/Winning% vs. Quad 1: 1-6 (14.3%)
Record/Winning% vs. Quads 1 & 2 Combined: 3-6 (33.3%)
Record/Winning% vs. Quads 1-3 Combined: 6-7 (46.2%)
Quad 4 (Awful) Losses: 0
Record vs. Projected NCAA Qualifiers: 2-5 (wins over #25 Villanova, #190 Nicholls)
#68 (Cal) NCAA Tournament Resume (if the field was best 68 NET)
Record vs. DI Opponents: 12-5, 1-4 ACC
True Road Record: 0-3
NET: #68
Torvik (T-Rank): #85
Strength of Record: #60
Wins Above Bubble: #59
Overall SOS: #87
Non-Conference SOS: #322
Record/Winning% vs. Quad 1: 1-4 (20%)
Record/Winning% vs. Quads 1 & 2 Combined: 2-5 (28.6%)
Record/Winning% vs. Quads 1-3 Combined: 6-5 (54.5%)
Quad 4 (Awful) Losses: 0
Record vs. Projected NCAA Qualifiers: 1-4 (win over #119 Wright State)
Other Games to Watch
Toledo @ Kent State, 5:30 (CBSSN)
Friday Pick to Click (43-27, 61.4%, W-2 streak)
@ Providence +1.5 vs. Creighton
Thursday Outright +7 or More ‘Dog (14-56, 20%, W-2 streak)
Baylor (+7.5) outright @ Kansas
Deep Thoughts, by Buzz Studley
St. Thomas needs to keep stacking wins and get that win total up there. The goal is and ALWAYS WILL BE the NCAA Tournament. That said, if UST wins a regular season championship while racking up 24-25 wins but falls short of the Summit League NCAA automatic bid, a NIT bid would be very much in play. (in same scenario it's doubtful Tommies would get an invite to the College Basketball Crown)
St. Thomas (15-4, 8-8 ATS)
NET: Tommies move up 1 spot to #116
Torvik (T-Rank): Tommies drop 2 spots to #110
St. Thomas 91, North Dakota 80 (in Grand Forks)
Nick Janowski (32) and Nolan Minessale (27) combined for 59 points as the Tommies pulled away midway through the second half to record their ninth straight win. UST uncharacteristically turned the ball over 15 times (13 in the first half) and made only 19-of-34 (55.9%) free throws but were a sizzling 16-of-24 (66.7%) from three-point territory. Janowski, whose point total was a program Division I-era record-tying performance, was 7-of-9 from three. Carter Bjerke was 3-for-3, Austin Herro 2-for-2, and Minessale 4-of-8 from long distance.
The Tommies head to Fargo on Saturday to play North Dakota State (15-5, 5-0), as the league's only two unbeatens meet to determine who gets the early leg up on a regular season championship. The Bison, winners over South Dakota State on Wednesday, will have an extra day's rest for the 1 p.m. CT showdown at the Scheels Center.
(all rankings NET, all times Central)
Thursday Summit League Results/Highlights
#116 St. Thomas 91, #304 North Dakota 80 -- Herro had an all-around floor game with 9 points, 10 assists, 7 steals, and 4 rebounds. Anthony Smith III and Greyson Uelmen led the Fighting Sioux (9-12, 3-2 Summit) with 19 points apiece.
#258 South Dakota 99, #337 Kansas City 83 -- Coyotes center Cameron Fens had a monster game for the Coyotes (10-9, 2-2) with a 31-point, 15-rebound double-double. Guard Isaac Bruns was his usual rock-solid self with 22 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. Kasheem Grady II led the 'Roos (4-15, 1-4) with 21 points and 7 boards.
Friday Summit League Slate
No games
Friday Reach the Summit Selections (14-4, 77.8%, 0 exactas)
No games
Expected Top 5 (DU, NDSU, Omaha, SDSU, UST) Head-to-Head
Let's keep tabs on how the five teams expected to finish in the upper half/middle of the Summit fare head-to-head. The league's regular season champion(s) likely finishes with the best record in the head-to-head.
Head-to-Head
1. North Dakota State (2-0)
2. St. Thomas (1-0)
3. South Dakota State (2-1)
T4. Denver (0-2)
T4. Omaha (0-2)
Summit League Leader (North Dakota State) Resume Snapshot
Record vs. DI Opponents: 12-5, 5-0 Summit
Projected NCAA Tournament Seed: #15
True Road Record: 5-4
NET: #136
Torvik (T-Rank): #125
Strength of Record: #132
Wins Above Bubble: #139
Overall SOS: #359
Non-Conference SOS: #351
Record/Winning% vs. Quad 1: 0-0
Record/Winning% vs. Quads 1 & 2 Combined: 0-0
Record/Winning % vs. Quads 1-3 Combined: 3-4 (42.9%)
Quad 4 (Awful) Losses: 1 (@ #270 UTEP)
Record vs. Projected NCAA Qualifiers: 0-1
Dribbles & Scribbles
-- Gonzaga will be without star junior 6-10 big man Braden Huff for 4-8 weeks with a knee injury. Huff is averaging a team-high 17.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. The date range for Huff's return could be as early as Feb. 12, or if the full eight weeks on March 12, after the WCC Tournament, but in time for the March 17 start of the NCAA Tournament.
-- Green Bay (11-8, 6-2 Horizon League) and head coach/radio host Doug Gottlieb continue to be a great story. The Phoenix beat Cleveland State 88-73 for their fifth straight win behind a near triple-double from senior PG Preston Ruedinger (23 points, 10 assists, 7 rebounds). Green Bay sits just one game back of Horizon leader Wright State.
-- While lotsa' talking heads/media types and other folks (me included) poo-pooed the inaugural College Basketball Crown last season, it's worth noting the Crown champion (Nebraska) and runner-up (UCF) both are having excellent 2025-26 seasons. Nebraska is undefeated, #10 in the NET, and the current holder of the nation's longest winning streak (21). Johnny Dawkins' UCF squad (#35 NET) is 14-2 and would be safely in the NCAA tourney field more than halfway through the season. As the late Denny Green once said, "If you wanna' crown their a*s, then crown 'em!"
Thursday Bubblicious Results (bubble teams underlined)
None
Friday Bubblicious Tracker
#52 Creighton @ Providence, 5:30 (FS1)
#44 Baylor @ Kansas, 7 (FOX)
Daily Bubblicious Snapshots (#41, #50, #52, #68)
A daily look at the bubble and watching it evolve & shrink leading up to Selection Sunday:
#41 (Seton Hall) NCAA Tournament Resume (best at-large NET# left out of 2025 field)
Record vs. DI Opponents: 14-3, 4-2 Big East
True Road Record: 4-0
NET: #41
Torvik (T-Rank): #43
Strength of Record: #28
Wins Above Bubble: #29
Overall SOS: #93
Non-Conference SOS: #234
Record/Winning% vs. Quad 1: 1-3 (25%)
Record/Winning% vs. Quads 1 & 2 Combined: 5-3 (62.5%)
Record/Winning% vs. Quads 1-3 Combined: 7-3 (70%)
Quad 4 (Awful) Losses: 0
Record vs. Projected NCAA Qualifiers: 1-3 (win over #29 NC State)
#50 (San Diego State) NCAA Tournament Resume (mythical Bubble cutline)
Record vs. DI Opponents: 11-4, 6-0 Mountain West
True Road Record: 3-0
NET: #50
Torvik (T-Rank): #41
Strength of Record: #51
Wins Above Bubble: #47
Overall SOS: #74
Non-Conference SOS: #39
Record/Winning% vs. Quad 1: 1-3 (25%)
Record/Winning% vs. Quads 1 & 2 Combined: 2-3 (40%)
Record/Winning% vs. Quads 1-3 Combined: 7-4 (63.6%)
Quad 4 (Awful) Losses: 0
Record vs. Projected NCAA Qualifiers: 1-2 (win over #82 Utah Valley)
#52 (Creighton) NCAA Tournament Resume (worst at-large NET# to make 2025 field)
Record vs. DI Opponents: 11-7, 5-2 Big East
True Road Record: 2-3
NET: #52
Torvik (T-Rank): #50
Strength of Record: #59
Wins Above Bubble: #57
Overall SOS: #18
Non-Conference SOS: #29
Record/Winning% vs. Quad 1: 1-6 (14.3%)
Record/Winning% vs. Quads 1 & 2 Combined: 3-6 (33.3%)
Record/Winning% vs. Quads 1-3 Combined: 6-7 (46.2%)
Quad 4 (Awful) Losses: 0
Record vs. Projected NCAA Qualifiers: 2-5 (wins over #25 Villanova, #190 Nicholls)
#68 (Cal) NCAA Tournament Resume (if the field was best 68 NET)
Record vs. DI Opponents: 12-5, 1-4 ACC
True Road Record: 0-3
NET: #68
Torvik (T-Rank): #85
Strength of Record: #60
Wins Above Bubble: #59
Overall SOS: #87
Non-Conference SOS: #322
Record/Winning% vs. Quad 1: 1-4 (20%)
Record/Winning% vs. Quads 1 & 2 Combined: 2-5 (28.6%)
Record/Winning% vs. Quads 1-3 Combined: 6-5 (54.5%)
Quad 4 (Awful) Losses: 0
Record vs. Projected NCAA Qualifiers: 1-4 (win over #119 Wright State)
Other Games to Watch
Toledo @ Kent State, 5:30 (CBSSN)
Friday Pick to Click (43-27, 61.4%, W-2 streak)
@ Providence +1.5 vs. Creighton
Thursday Outright +7 or More ‘Dog (14-56, 20%, W-2 streak)
Baylor (+7.5) outright @ Kansas
Deep Thoughts, by Buzz Studley
St. Thomas needs to keep stacking wins and get that win total up there. The goal is and ALWAYS WILL BE the NCAA Tournament. That said, if UST wins a regular season championship while racking up 24-25 wins but falls short of the Summit League NCAA automatic bid, a NIT bid would be very much in play. (in same scenario it's doubtful Tommies would get an invite to the College Basketball Crown)
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