History: While South Dakota State (6 titles) and North Dakota State (4) have dominated this tournament since 2012, Oral Roberts has taken home the crown two of the past three years.
In 2021, Oral Roberts rode the wave of winning this tournament to make it to the Sweet 16 as a #15 seed (where they lost to Alabama by two).
Returning Champion: Oral Roberts. The Golden Eagles went 15-0 in conference play and 30-5 overall. As a #12 seed, they were a popular pick to beat Duke but didn’t show up in a 74-51 loss.
Format: All nine teams make the field (the #8 and #9 seeds play in the opening round). St. Thomas is eligible to win the tournament but not for the NCAA Tournament (transition period).
Favorite: South Dakota State (19-12, 12-4)
The Jackrabbits are back at the top. They have been one of the most consistent mid-major winners going back a decade, though they have yet to get over the hump in the NCAA Tournament (0-6).
Their balanced attack (four players average between 11.5 and 19.3 points) is led by junior guard Zeke Mayo, who averages 19.3 points/5.9 rebounds/3.6 assists. In the non-conference, they played tough against UCF (83-80 loss) and George Mason (73-71). They enter the tournament on a five-game winning streak.
Contenders: Kansas City (16-15, 10-6), North Dakota (18-13, 10-6), St. Thomas (19-12, 9-7)
Live Long Shot: Denver (15-16, 6-10)
Preview:
As you can tell, this league is highly competitive. While South Dakota State ran away with the league title late, the teams are bunched up with several squads having a legitimate chance to cut down the nets.
Kansas City has never made it to the NCAA Tournament. The Roos enter this tournament on a 6-game winning streak that includes a win over South Dakota State. They didn’t do much winning in the non-conference, but they did challenge themselves with games against Baylor, Kansas, and Colorado State. Losing senior guard Anderson Kopp (13.1 PPG) was a major blow in December, but they seem to have adjusted to his loss.
North Dakota has one NCAA Tournament appearance (2017). The Fighting Hawks played Nebraska within eight on the road. They are boosted by the return of Tyree Ihenacho, who averages 14.8 points. They aren’t a high-tempo or efficient squad, but they score (75.4) and crash the offensive boards (11.6; 80th in the country). They take on Omaha in the 3-vs-6 contest.
St. Thomas can create some havoc if they win the tournament. The Tommies rise in the conference has been remarkable, given it is only their third year in Division I. Two years ago, they finished 10-20. They are 38-26 since and are a decent 143rd in the KenPom rankings this year (155th in the NET). They split with their first-round opponent (North Dakota State, who finished 15-16). They played a tough game at Marquette earlier this season, losing by an 84-79 margin. They are one of the slowest-paced teams in the country, allowing them to hold opponents to 65.3 points.
Denver plays Kansas City in the first round. Like Kansas City, the Pioneers have never played in the NCAA Tournament. They are an exciting team that scores 82.6 points (while allowing 81.9, 359th in the nation). As you may suspect, they play at a high pace (and having home games in Denver likely makes it tough on their opponents). Tommy Bruner is a college basketball star, who leads the nation in scoring (24.5) while dishing out 4.4 assists. They showed off their scoring chops in the non-conference, where they lost to Colorado State 90-80 and BYU 90-74. Despite their accolades, they enter this tournament on a 3-game losing streak, where they are averaging only 65.7 points.
Bottom Line:
This is a wide-open field, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see any team winning it. That said, the team that wins this tournament is typically a team close to the top of the league.
Winner: Why not go with some chaos and pick St. Thomas to cut down the nets?