Summit League Basketball: Power ranking the conference (v.2)

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DURHAM, NC – DECEMBER 02: Head coach Craig Smith of the South Dakota Coyotes reacts during their game against the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium on December 2, 2017 in Durham, North Carolina. Duke won 96-80. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

The Summit League basketball flames are just beginning to be stoked in 2018 and it is time again to give our weekly power rankings.

This week was a little clunky for most Summit League teams. Some began conference play, but then had one more non-conference game left to play afterward. It seems weird that teams would not schedule their conference games in the block format, as is customary. Nonetheless, Summit League play is set to hit its stride in the coming week. These early games will be a testament as to where teams are truly at on the floor.

We saw a few shake-ups in our rankings compared to last week. Oral Roberts scored a big win and Denver lost its opener despite being competitive with South Dakota. All in all, some teams are making moves and some are lagging behind. Let’s get right to the rankings:

In their Summit League opener against Oral Roberts, the Mavericks were utterly drubbed on the road. Their star player, Zach Jackson, who averaged 17 points per game coming into the contest, scored 15 points on 5-for-14 shooting. Jackson did bring down nine rebounds, but his inefficient shooting night hindered Omaha greatly. One positive to take away from the loss was the performance of Daniel Norl. The senior guard dropped in a game-high 23 points on 9-for-13 shooting from the field.

The loss was also due in large part to the Mavericks’ shooting woes. Omaha only posted a 38% clip from the field and 31% from deep. A lack of 3-point shooting may prove to be the biggest Omaha weakness offensively as Summit League play rolls on.

Omaha followed up this loss with a 100-60 pounding of NAIA opponent Doane University. The Mavericks shot an astounding 60% from the field and had six players in double figures. While that result is in no way shocking, it does provide a little boost as they hit the Summit League gauntlet.

The Mavericks now turn their attention to a tough home game against South Dakota State. Given their play against Oral Roberts, the bout with the Jackrabbits may turn ugly.