Summit League basketball is a lot of fun to watch, and it is even more fun to watch if you like high-powered offenses that run up and down the floor, take a bunch of threes, and don’t play much defense. Summit League basketball has, strangely, seen a string of dynasties over the past decade. First, it was Oral Roberts who made a Sweet 16; then it was South Dakota State with Baylor Schierman; now it looks like it could be the North Dakota State Bison who start another dynasty.
North Dakota State has been a sleeping giant in the Summit League for a while, but has lost all of its talent, like Sam Griesel to Nebraska, Grant Nelson to Alabama, and then Andrew Morgan to Nebraska. The Bison are back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2019 NCAA Tournament. It will be their fifth overall appearance in the event and the third under head coach David Richman. The likely 14 seed can win a game in the tournament with the right matchup. Here is what the Bison need to ensure happens to get a win.
Embrace the Challenge
Shouldn’t every team embrace the challenge? Yes, all 68 teams in the NCAA Tournament will have to embrace the challenge. The schedules are unlike anything else you have done throughout the year. There will be interviews, dinners, open practice sessions, and media days. It is the Super Bowl of college basketball; it just so happens there are 68 teams in the Super Bowl. So then what makes North Dakota State different?
The Bison come into the tournament having played 0 power-conference teams and beaten 0 NCAA Tournament teams to date. That doesn’t matter as the Bison have earned their right to be in the dance, but the name on the jersey can’t scare them. North Dakota State has won games in the event before; it has been a while, but they have won two games, and they did it by playing fearlessly.
Embracing the Challenge also has to do with the Bison realizing they have some players on their team who can play for a Power 5 school, and those are the players they will have to rely on, just like they have all season long. Don’t do anything different and play Bison basketball. At that point, whatever happens, happens, but shying away from the big-name teams will surely get you beaten.
The Guards
Teams that make a run in the NCAA Tournament all have one thing in common. The guard play is outstanding, and it is old. The Bison check both of those boxes. Coach David Richman has built this team with some older guards who all impact the game in different ways and force teams to guard them differently, which, as you all know, creates mismatches.
Damari Wheeler-Thomas is the team leader in points and is going to be the first option on offense. The short, quick guard can score at all three levels and also averages 3 assists per night. He is a volume scorer. Trevion Carson is usually the second option, an efficient scorer who gets to the rim, can hit threes, and can pull-up jump shots. Carson also leads the team in rebounding. Markhi Strickland shoots almost 60% from the floor and has not attempted a three-point shot all year. Andy Stefonowicz is the point guard who shoots 40% from deep and has 5 assists per night.
The guards do most of the heavy lifting on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor for the Bison, and the best part is that all of them contribute, all of them start, they don’t turn the ball over, and every single one of them defends—role acceptance at its finest. Wheeler-Thomas is the star, but without the other three, North Dakota State would not be nearly as successful. Whatever the results are in the NCAA Tournament for the Bison, these four players are going to have their hands all over it.
Depth
This one is underrated. Some will debate that this really doesn’t matter because teams like Kansas and Houston have played with notoriously short rotations. However, the more players you play a good chunk of minutes, the better off you will be if someone gets hurt or gets into foul trouble. There will be a point in the tournament when team depth is a factor, especially if a team plays fewer guys and wants to make a run.
North Dakota State plays 10 guys almost every night, which is an extremely deep rotation this late in the year. Will they shorten it up? No, all 10 guys will play in the NCAA Tournament because why change up what you have done to get to this point in the year?Â
Coach Richman doesn’t have the quality of talent that the big players in the NIL realm have, so by playing 10 guys for a good chunk of minutes, it is easier to keep teams on their toes, keep them honest, and not pick up on tendencies of the players you have on the floor. Preparing for 10 guys on a scouting report vs seven is always going to be an advantage for the team that plays more players. Depth will always be important in basketball, and you can’t tell me otherwise.