Summit League Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)

6. Lawrence Alexander

Alexander is a 6’3 guard from Peoria, Illinois who had quite the four-year ride at North Dakota State. He joined the Bison back in 2011 and was Summit Rookie of the Year as a freshman, wasting no time playing a major role with this program. He’d start all but one of the 131 games he played at North Dakota State, though we’re just able to focus on his upperclassman seasons today.

During his junior season, Alexander averaged 11.1 points and 4.3 rebounds, comparable numbers to his first two years, but it was all about the end of the year. Not only did he help lead the Bison to regular season and tournament titles in the Summit, but he scored 28 points in an NCAA Tournament upset win over 5-seed Oklahoma. As a senior, his numbers were significantly more impressive, averaging 18.9 points and 4.5 rebounds a game, while also leading the Bison back to the Big Dance. Alexander also made 44% of his 3-pointers, with this success coming under new head coach David Richman.

His performance against the Sooners during the 2014 NCAA Tournament was outstanding, but Alexander wasn’t done there. He was named Summit Player of the Year as a senior and was a fantastic scorer and leader for the Bison. He led this conference in a number of figures such as scoring and 3-point shooting and was also the Tournament MVP; not a bad way to finish a collegiate career. North Dakota State has had a lot of talented players in recent years, but nobody else neared 30 in a Tourney upset.