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SUMMIT LEAGUE MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:
- South Dakota State
- Oral Roberts
- North Dakota State
- Saint Thomas
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Omaha
- Kansas City
- Denver
PRESEASON ALL SUMMIT LEAGUE 1ST TEAM:
-Luke Appel – SR, F – South Dakota State
-Parker Bjorklund – SR, F – Saint Thomas
-Frankie Fidler – JR, F – Omaha
-Zeke Mayo, JR, G – South Dakota State
-Isaac McBride – SR, G – Oral Roberts
-Boden Skunberg – SR, G – North Dakota State
PRESEASON ALL SUMMIT LEAGUE 2ND TEAM:
-Tommy Bruner – SR, G – Denver
-William Kyle III – SO, F – South Dakota State
-Andrew Morgan – JR, F – North Dakota State
-BJ Omot – SO, F – North Dakota
-Kareem Thompson – SR, G – Oral Roberts
COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
-South Dakota State has been the alpha program in this league for the past decade or so. Last year was the first time since the 2013-2014 season where they failed to either finish in first place or win the conference tournament. Still, they were good and finished second overall. Six of their top eight players are back including Zeke Mayo, who is one of the best players in the conference. Of all the teams in this league that have a shot at landing inside the bubble, South Dakota State appears to have the best shot. For their out-of-conference schedule they are going to Kansas State, as well as to the Jacksonville Classic where they will face a decent UCF team, but like a lot of top Under the Radar teams it is hard for them to put together an ideal schedule that gives them the opportunities to impress the selection committee. Eric Henderson is a fantastic coach and they have a roster that’s talented/experienced/deep.
-Oral Roberts was perfect in league play last year, going 18-0 in the regular season and then winning the conference tournament before losing to Duke in the NCAA Tournament. They also have a new coach in Russell Springmann so there could be an adjustment period before we see them back at the top of the conference. Expectations are still reasonably high, though, and they will once again have some guys who can really light it up from the outside.
-I like this North Dakota State team…a lot. They were a very modest 14-17 against D1 competition last year, but during the last four weeks of the season they were really on fire, winning seven of eight before losing in the conference tournament championship game. Four starters are back, and while their top player is not returning they still have a lot of talent/depth/experience including Boden Skunberg, who averaged over 15ppg last year and is a good outside shooter.
-Saint Thomas is entering year three of what is a five-year transition, and they actually managed a winning record last year with 17 D1 wins. The stated reason for the transitional period is to help teams become assimilated to D1…but that is crap. If you win 17 D1 games then YOU ARE ALREADY ASSIMILATED!!! They are picked to finish in the middle of the league, which is actually pretty incredible for a team that is in the third and arguably most difficult period of transition.
-North Dakota was noticeably improved last year, and with three starters back (including BJ Omot) we may see that improvement continue into this season. They won just 11 D1 games but did win six of their last eight before falling to Oral Roberts in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.
-THE YOTES!!! As a fan I will always have a huge soft spot for the Yotes of South Dakota! As an analyst…well…it is gonna be a rough year. All five starters are gone from a team that won just ten D1 games and was absolutely pitiful in the second half of conference play. Perhaps a roster overhaul was what they needed, but when you look at what they added to this year’s roster it just does not seem like this is going to be their year.
-Omaha won just eight D1 games a year ago so it is no surprise that they are not getting a lot of love from the media. Four starters are back, and with that experience we may see some improvement, but for a team that lost 12 of their last 14 it is hard to get your expectations up all that high.
-I do not think Kansas City will finish near the top, but I am a little surprised the Roos are picked to finish this low. Three starters are back along with Anderson Kopp, who was a double-digit scorer before having to take a medical redshirt last season. They are also adding some decent-looking JUCO transfers. They are picked 8th but I do not see them as the league’s doormat this year.
-Every year I seem to overvalue Denver, but having said that I do not quite understand why they are picked last. Tommy Bruner averaged just under 16ppg and is one of the best guards in the conference. With him and the addition of some decent looking JUCO players I cannot quite see them as the doormat of the league this year either.