3MW’s All Conference Team:
Player of the Year: Doug Wilson, Jr., South Dakota State
Coach of the Year: Eric Henderson, South Dakota State
Newcomer of the Year: Doug Wilson, Jr., South Dakota State
Freshman of the Year: Max Abmas, Oral Roberts
Season Storylines:
What can you say about the way South Dakota State’s season went? The Jackrabbits lost arguably the best player ever to put on a uniform in the Summit League in Mike Daum, plus three other starters to either transfer or graduation. On top of that, former head coach TJ Otzelberger took his talents to UNLV, leaving Eric Henderson essentially a cupboard full of unproven pieces and an unproven recruiting class. Despite all of this, the Jackrabbits split their third straight regular season Summit League title, ravaging the conference to the tune of a 13-3 record. Former NJCAA DII National Player of the Year Doug Wilson led the way, assuming the Daum role in spectacular fashion.
Preseason league favorites North Dakota State and South Dakota weren’t too shabby themselves, finishing tied-1st and 3rd, respectively. Both squads brought back nearly everyone from last season, which helped them beat up on the lesser half of the league.
Oral Roberts had a mini revitalization this year, finishing 150 spots better in KenPom than in 2018-19. As Summit League starting fives go, there aren’t much better than the Golden Eagles’, which features two of the best big men in the league, one of the best transfers, and the best freshman. Omaha on the other hand took a minor step back after losing Zach Jackson and Mitch Hahn to graduation. The Mavericks still managed to finish tied 4th in league play but ended the season over 70 spots behind Oral Bob in KenPom.
Western Illinois’s season is over, as the Leathernecks will miss the Summit tournament after finishing dead last in the league at 2-14. There’s really no excuse anymore for Billy Wright, who had three of the best guards in the league at his disposal. North Dakota was better than expected, riding the coattails of All-League guard Marlon Stewart and big man Filip Rebraca. The Fighting Hawks have several key seniors leaving this offseason, but have a promising young freshman in De’Sean Allen-Eikens waiting to take over. Denver repeated its 3-13 Summit finish, but at least this time it gets to play in the postseason tourney. Ade Murkey had a phenomenal year for the Pioneers, scoring 42 points against South Dakota State in a losing effort on Valentine’s Day. Purdue Fort Wayne couldn’t match SDSU’s brilliance after losing a generational Summit talent in John Konchar, but the Mastodons have a bright future with just two players graduating this spring.
Tournament Preview
The Summit Tourney is held in beautiful Sioux Falls, South Dakota, just 57 miles from Brookings (South Dakota State) and 116 miles from Vermillion (South Dakota). Only the top eight squads make this bracket, so the Leathernecks have been left out of the party.
The two top seeds have tough potential second round matchups in Oral Roberts and South Dakota, squads more than capable of cutting down the nets and punching auto-bids to the Dance. If NDSU or SDSU ends up winning, a 14 or 15-seed is the likely outcome. Everyone else is looking at a 16-seed unless other leagues get topsy-turvy. I’ve been high on the Bison all year, so I’ll stick with my guns and take them to represent the Summit League for the second straight season.
Tournament Predictions
(1) North Dakota State over (8) Denver
(4) Oral Roberts over (5) Omaha
(2) South Dakota State over (7) Purdue Fort Wayne
(3) South Dakota over (6) North Dakota
(1) North Dakota State over (4) Oral Roberts
(3) South Dakota over (2) South Dakota State
(1) North Dakota State over (3) South Dakota