Last year's champ: South Dakota State
What matters: North Dakota State won the Summit by two games while Saul Phillips and Taylor Braun took Coach of the Year and Player of the Year honors. So this is the Bison's tournament (and automatic bid) to lose. They're 59 spots better than any other Summit team, and they're entering this event on a seven-game winning streak thanks, in part, to one of the most efficient offenses in the country.
Who matters: Braun is the star of the league, undeniably. The 6-foot-7 senior is averaging 18.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists while shooting 48.9 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from 3-point range. He's scored at least 30 points four different times this season, meaning he's precisely the type of guy who could give a high-major fits in the NCAA Tournament. Keep an eye on that, if it comes to that.
Fun fact: Among the reasons North Dakota State has an efficient offense is the fact that the Bison shoot 56.3 percent on 2-pointers and only get 5.0 percent of their shots blocked. Those numbers rank second and first. And I don't mean second and first in the Summit League. I mean second and first in the nation.
--- Anything can happen in a 40-minute basketball game, I guess. But picking somebody besides North Dakota State to win the Summit's automatic bid seems silly. The Bison are the league's best team, according to every measuring device ... The No. 2 seed in this tournament is IPFW. North Dakota State beat Tony Jasick's Mastodons by double-digits four Saturdays ago, for what it's worth.
What matters: North Dakota State won the Summit by two games while Saul Phillips and Taylor Braun took Coach of the Year and Player of the Year honors. So this is the Bison's tournament (and automatic bid) to lose. They're 59 spots better than any other Summit team, and they're entering this event on a seven-game winning streak thanks, in part, to one of the most efficient offenses in the country.
Who matters: Braun is the star of the league, undeniably. The 6-foot-7 senior is averaging 18.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists while shooting 48.9 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from 3-point range. He's scored at least 30 points four different times this season, meaning he's precisely the type of guy who could give a high-major fits in the NCAA Tournament. Keep an eye on that, if it comes to that.
Fun fact: Among the reasons North Dakota State has an efficient offense is the fact that the Bison shoot 56.3 percent on 2-pointers and only get 5.0 percent of their shots blocked. Those numbers rank second and first. And I don't mean second and first in the Summit League. I mean second and first in the nation.
--- Anything can happen in a 40-minute basketball game, I guess. But picking somebody besides North Dakota State to win the Summit's automatic bid seems silly. The Bison are the league's best team, according to every measuring device ... The No. 2 seed in this tournament is IPFW. North Dakota State beat Tony Jasick's Mastodons by double-digits four Saturdays ago, for what it's worth.
