# 2023–24 Summit League men's basketball season

The 2023–24 Summit League men's basketball season started non-conference play on November 6, 2023, and began conference play on December 29, 2023. The regular season ended on March 2, 2024, and set up the 2024 Summit League men's basketball tournament from March 8 to March 12, 2024. South Dakota State finished league play with a 12-4 record as the regular season champion. In the postseason, after winning the Summit League tournament, South Dakota State was slotted as a 15 seed in the 2024 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. They lost to Iowa State in the first round.

## Conference Changes

Following the end of the 2023 Spring sports regular season, Western Illinois announced they would be leaving the Summit League effective July 1, 2023 for the Ohio Valley Conference in all sports except men's soccer.

## Head Coaches
### Coaching changes
#### Oral Roberts

On March 23, 2023, sixth-year coach Paul Mills left Oral Roberts for the head coaching job at Wichita State. Then, on March 24, 2023, Russell Springmann was announced as the next head coach for the Golden Eagles. Springmann was previously an assistant at Oral Roberts under Mills.

### Coaches

| Team | Head Coach | Previous Job | Years At School | Record at School | Summit League Record | Summit League Titles | NCAA tournaments | NCAA Sweet 16's |
| Denver | Jeff Wulbrun | Stanford (Assistant) | 3 | 26–38 | 13–23 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kansas City | Marvin Menzies | Grand Canyon (Associate HC) | 2 | 11–21 | 7–1 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| North Dakota | Paul Sather | Northern State | 5 | 43–80 | 23–45 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| North Dakota State | David Richman | North Dakota State (Assistant) | 10 | 172–114 | 89–54 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Omaha | Chris Crutchfield | Oregon (Assistant) | 2 | 8–22 | 4–14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oral Roberts | Russell Springmann | Oral Roberts (Assistant) | 1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| St. Thomas | John Tauer | St. Thomas (Assistant) | 12 | 246–87^ | 13–23 | 0 | 0^^ | 0^^^ |
| South Dakota | Eric Peterson | Utah (Assistant) | 2 | 12–18 | 7–11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| South Dakota State | Eric Henderson | South Dakota State (Assistant) | 5 | 87–35 | 53–11 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Notes:
* Year at school includes 2023–24 season.
* Overall and Summit League records are from the time at their current school and are through the end of the 2022–23.
* NCAA tournament appearances are from the time at current school only.
^218 wins and 50 losses at the Division III level
^^8 NCAA Division III Tournaments
^^^4 NCAA Division III Sweet 16s, 2 NCAA Division III Final Fours, and 1 NCAA Division III National Championship

## Preseason awards

The preseason Summit League men's basketball polls were released on October 10, 2023.

### Preseason poll

First place votes in parentheses
* South Dakota State (27) – 600
* Oral Roberts (7) – 510
* North Dakota State (2) – 482
* St. Thomas – 386
* North Dakota – 374
* South Dakota – 274
* Omaha – 252
* Kansas City – 201
* Denver – 161

### Preseason honors

| Honor | Recipient |
| Preseason Player of the Year | Zeke Mayo, South Dakota State |
| Preseason All-Summit League First Team | Luke Appel, South Dakota State |
| Preseason All-Summit League First Team | Parker Bjorklund, St. Thomas |
| Preseason All-Summit League First Team | Frankie Fidler, Omaha |
| Preseason All-Summit League First Team | Zeke Mayo, South Dakota State |
| Preseason All-Summit League First Team | Isaac McBride, Oral Roberts |
| Preseason All-Summit League First Team | Boden Skunberg, North Dakota State |
| Preseason All-Summit League Second Team | Tommy Bruner, Denver |
| Preseason All-Summit League Second Team | William Kyle III, South Dakota State |
| Preseason All-Summit League Second Team | Andrew Morgan, North Dakota State |
| Preseason All-Summit League Second Team | B.J. Omot, North Dakota |
| Preseason All-Summit League Second Team | Kareem Thompson, Oral Roberts |

## Regular season
### Conference standings

Current as of March 30, 2024
| | | Conference | Conference | Overall | Overall | |
| Rank | Team | Record | Percent | Record | Percent | Tiebreaker |
| 1 | South Dakota State | 12–4 | .750 | 22–13 | .629 | |
| 2 | Kansas City | 10–6 | .625 | 16–16 | .500 | 1–1 vs. South Dakota State |
| 3 | North Dakota | 10–6 | .625 | 18–14 | .562 | 0–2 vs. South Dakota State |
| 4 | St. Thomas | 9–7 | .563 | 20–13 | .606 | |
| 5 | North Dakota State | 8–8 | .500 | 15–17 | .469 | |
| 6 | Omaha | 7–9 | .438 | 15–18 | .455 | |
| 7 | Denver | 6–10 | .375 | 17–17 | .500 | |
| 8 | Oral Roberts | 5–11 | .313 | 12–19 | .387 | 1–1 vs. South Dakota State |
| 9 | South Dakota | 5–11 | .313 | 12–20 | .375 | 0–2 vs. South Dakota State |

### Conference Matrix

| | Denver | Kansas City | North Dakota | North Dakota State | Omaha | Oral Roberts | St. Thomas | South Dakota | South Dakota State |
| vs. Denver | – | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| vs. Kansas City | 0–2 | – | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 |
| vs. North Dakota | 0–2 | 1–1 | – | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 |
| vs. North Dakota State | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | – | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| vs. Omaha | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | – | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 |
| vs. Oral Roberts | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | – | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| vs. St. Thomas | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | – | 1–1 | 2–0 |
| vs. South Dakota | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | – | 2–0 |
| vs. South Dakota State | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | – |
| Total | 6–10 | 10–6 | 10–6 | 8–8 | 7–9 | 5–11 | 9–7 | 5–11 | 12–4 |
Through March 3, 2024

### Players of the Week

| Week | Player(s) of the Week | School |
| Nov. 13 | Tommy Bruner | Denver |
| Nov. 20 | Isaac McBride | Oral Roberts |
| Nov. 27 | Treysen Eaglestaff | North Dakota |
| Dec. 4 | Isaac McBride (2) | Oral Roberts (2) |
| Dec. 11 | Tommy Bruner (2) | Denver (2) |
| Dec. 18 | Treysen Eaglestaff (2) | North Dakota (2) |
| Dec. 27 | B.J. Omot | North Dakota (3) |
| Jan. 2 | Tommy Bruner (3) | Denver (3) |
| Jan. 2 | Frankie Fidler | Omaha |
| Jan. 8 | Tommy Bruner (4) | Denver (4) |
| Jan. 15 | Frankie Fidler (2) | Omaha (2) |
| Jan. 22 | Zeke Mayo | South Dakota State |
| Jan. 29 | Tommy Bruner (5) | Denver (5) |
| Jan. 29 | Isaac McBride (3) | Oral Roberts (3) |
| Feb. 5 | Amar Kuljuhovic | North Dakota (4) |
| Feb. 12 | Andrew Morgan | North Dakota State |
| Feb. 19 | Treysen Eaglestaff (3) | North Dakota (5) |
| Feb. 26 | Jamar Brown | Kansas City |
| Mar. 4 | Zeke Mayo (2) | South Dakota State (2) |

### Records against other conferences

As of January 6, 2024:
| Major 7 Conferences | Record | Major 7 Conferences | Record |
| ACC | None | American | 2–2 |
| Big East | 0–3 | Big Ten | 0–2 |
| Big 12 | 0–9 | Pac-12 | 0–1 |
| SEC | 0–1 | Major 7 Total | 2–19 |
| Other Division I Conferences | Record | Other Division I Conferences | Record |
| Atlantic 10 | 0–1 | ASUN | 1–0 |
| America East | None | Big Sky | 11–12 |
| Big South | None | Big West | 2–7 |
| CAA | 3–0 | Conference USA | 0–1 |
| Horizon League | 1–2 | Ivy League | 0–1 |
| Independents | 1–0 | MAAC | None |
| MAC | 4–2 | MEAC | 0–1 |
| MVC | 0–3 | MWC | 1–6 |
| NEC | None | OVC | 3–2 |
| Patriot League | None | SoCon | 1–2 |
| Southland | 3–1 | SWAC | 1–0 |
| Sun Belt | 1–1 | WAC | 2–3 |
| WCC | 2–2 |
| Other Division I Total | Other Division I Total | Other Division I Total | 37–47 |
| NCAA Division I Total | NCAA Division I Total | NCAA Division I Total | 39–66 |
| NCAA Division II Total | NCAA Division II Total | NCAA Division II Total | 4–0 |
| NCAA Division III Total | NCAA Division III Total | NCAA Division III Total | 6–0 |
| NAIA Total | NAIA Total | NAIA Total | 15–0 |
| NCCAA Total | NCCAA Total | NCCAA Total | 4–0 |
| Total Non-Conference Record | Total Non-Conference Record | Total Non-Conference Record | 68–66 |

### Record against ranked non-conference opponents

Summit League record against ranked teams (rankings from AP Poll): Summit League teams in Bold
| Date | Visitor | Home | Site | Score | Conference record |
| November 11 | North Dakota State | No. 8 Creighton | CHI Health Center Omaha Omaha, NE | L 60–89 | 0–1 |
| November 14 | Kansas City | No. 15 Baylor | Ferrell Center Waco, TX | L 61–99 | 0–2 |
| November 17 | Oral Roberts | No. 13 Texas A&M | Reed Arena College Station, TX | L 66–74 | 0–3 |
| December 5 | Kansas City | No. 2 Kansas | Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, KS | L 69–88 | 0–4 |
| December 6 | Denver | No. 13 Colorado State | Moby Arena Fort Collins, CO | L 80–90 | 0–4 |
| December 13 | Denver | No. 18 BYU | Marriott Center Provo, UT | L 74–90 | 0–5 |
| December 14 | St. Thomas | No. 7 Marquette | Fiserv Forum Milwaukee, WI | L 79–84 | 0–6 |

### Points Scored

| Team | For | Against | Difference |
| Denver | 2755 | 2737 | +18 |
| Kansas City | 2300 | 2217 | +83 |
| North Dakota | 2408 | 2300 | +108 |
| North Dakota State | 2388 | 2366 | +22 |
| Omaha | 2441 | 2404 | +37 |
| Oral Roberts | 2275 | 2334 | –59 |
| St. Thomas | 2402 | 2140 | +262 |
| South Dakota | 2434 | 2535 | –101 |
| South Dakota State | 2675 | 2490 | +185 |
Through March 30, 2024

### Home attendance

| Team | Arena | Capacity | Total Games | Average Attendance | Attendance High | Total Attendance | % of Capacity |
| Denver | Hamilton Gymnasium | 2,500 | 14 | 894 | 1,278 Jan 25 vs. South Dakota | 12,521 | 35.8% |
| Kansas City | Swinney Recreation Center | 1,500 | 13 | 1,130 | 1,507 Feb 15 vs. South Dakota St | 14,690 | 75.3% |
| North Dakota | Betty Engelstad Sioux Center | 3,300 | 14 | 1,704 | 3,065 Feb 3 vs. North Dakota St | 23,860 | 51.6% |
| North Dakota State | Scheels Center | 5,460 | 14 | 1,935 | 5,058 Feb 24 vs. North Dakota | 27,103 | 35.5% |
| Omaha | Baxter Arena | 7,898 | 14 | 2,079 | 5,094 Nov 30 vs. Bellevue | 29,111 | 26.3% |
| Oral Roberts | Mabee Center | 10,154 | 13 | 5,221 | 6,949 Dec 2 vs. Tulsa | 67,882 | 51.4% |
| St. Thomas | Schoenecker Arena | 1,800 | 14 | 1,306 | 1,614 Jan 25 vs. North Dakota St | 18,294 | 72.6% |
| South Dakota | Sanford Coyote Sports Center | 6,000 | 14 | 1,845 | 3,892 Jan 20 vs. South Dakota St | 25,838 | 30.8% |
| South Dakota State | Frost Arena | 6,500 | 14 | 2,587 | 3,781 Feb 4 vs. South Dakota | 36,225 | 39.8% |
Bold - Exceed capacity As of March 2, 2024 Does not include exhibition games

### National Television Games

Before the 2023-24 season began, the Summit League announced a new media deal with CBS Sports Network that would show up to 12 regular season games (6 guaranteed men's games) on the network, as well as moving the league's tournament final games to CBSSN. On October 18, 2023, the Summit League and CBS Sports Network announced the league's 2023-24 slate of games to appear on the network throughout the conference season. Those games and any others that league members played are listed here.
Summit League members in bold
| Date Time (CT) | Road Team | Home Team | Final Score | Network |
| November 11, 2023 1 PM | North Dakota State | No. 8 Creighton | 60–89 | FS2 |
| November 14, 2023 8 PM | South Dakota | DePaul | 60–72 | FS2 |
| December 14, 2023 7 PM | St. Thomas | No. 7 Marquette | 79–84 | FS1 |
| December 29, 2023 7 PM | St. Thomas | North Dakota | UST 70–45 | CBSSN |
| December 31, 2023 2 PM | Omaha | South Dakota | OMAHA 67–51 | CBSSN |
| January 6, 2024 7 PM | Weber State | Oral Roberts | 83–78 | CBSSN |
| January 25, 2024 6 PM | Kansas City | South Dakota State | SDSU 75–66 | CBSSN |
| February 4, 2024 4 PM | South Dakota | South Dakota State | SDSU 70–67 | CBSSN |
| February 10, 2024 3 PM | Oral Roberts | South Dakota State | SDSU 83–72 | CBSSN |
| February 24, 2024 1 PM | North Dakota | North Dakota State | NDSU 73–68 | CBSSN |

### All-League Honors

| Honor | Recipient |
| Player of the Year | Zeke Mayo, South Dakota State |
| Defensive Player of the Year | William Kyle III, South Dakota State |
| Sixth Man of the Year | Khristion Courseault, Kansas City |
| Freshman of the Year | Jayson Petty, Kansas City |
| Newcomer of the Year | Jamar Brown, Kansas City |
| Coach of the Year | Marvin Menzies, Kansas City |
| All-Summit League First Team | Zeke Mayo, South Dakota State |
| All-Summit League First Team | Jamar Brown, Kansas City |
| All-Summit League First Team | Tommy Bruner, Denver |
| All-Summit League First Team | Frankie Fidler, Omaha |
| All-Summit League First Team | William Kyle III, South Dakota State |
| All-Summit League First Team | B.J. Omot, North Dakota |
| All-Summit League Second Team | Raheem Anthony, St. Thomas |
| All-Summit League Second Team | Parker Bjorklund, St. Thomas |
| All-Summit League Second Team | Tyree Ihenacho, North Dakota |
| All-Summit League Second Team | Issac McBride, Oral Roberts |
| All-Summit League Second Team | Andrew Morgan, North Dakota State |
| All-Summit League Honorable Mention | Charlie Easley, South Dakota State |
| All-Summit League Honorable Mention | Boden Skunberg, North Dakota State |
| All-Summit League Honorable Mention | Kaleb Stewart, South Dakota |
| All-Summit League Honorable Mention | Touko Tainamo, Denver |
| All-Summit League Honorable Mention | Lahat Thioune, South Dakota |
| All-Defensive Team | Babacar Diallo, Kansas City |
| All-Defensive Team | Charlie Easley, South Dakota State |
| All-Defensive Team | Eli King, North Dakota |
| All-Defensive Team | William Kyle III, South Dakota State |
| All-Defensive Team | Jacari White, North Dakota State |
| All-Newcomer Team | Raheem Anthony, St. Thomas |
| All-Newcomer Team | Jamar Brown, Kansas City |
| All-Newcomer Team | Amar Kuljuhovic, North Dakota |
| All-Newcomer Team | Kaleb Stewart, South Dakota |
| All-Newcomer Team | Lahat Thioune, South Dakota |
Source:

## Postseason
### Conference Tournament

All 9 teams qualify for the Summit League tournament. The tournament is held at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It was held from March 8 to March 12, 2024.
| First Round March 8 Summit League Network | First Round March 8 Summit League Network | First Round March 8 Summit League Network | Quarterfinals March 9 & 10 Summit League Network | Quarterfinals March 9 & 10 Summit League Network | Quarterfinals March 9 & 10 Summit League Network | Semifinals March 11 Summit League Network | Semifinals March 11 Summit League Network | Semifinals March 11 Summit League Network | Championship March 12 CBS Sports Network | Championship March 12 CBS Sports Network | Championship March 12 CBS Sports Network |
| | | | 1 | South Dakota State | 79 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Oral Roberts | 77 | 8 | Oral Roberts | 63 | | | | | | |
| 9 | South Dakota | 61 | | | | 1 | South Dakota State | 59 | | | |
| | | | | | | 4 | St. Thomas | 49 | | | |
| | | | 4 | St. Thomas | 68 | | | | | | |
| | | | 5 | North Dakota State | 58 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | 1 | South Dakota State | 76 |
| | | | | | | | | | 7 | Denver | 68 |
| | | | 2 | Kansas City | 60 | | | | | | |
| | | | 7 | Denver | 61 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 7 | Denver | 66 | | | |
| | | | | | | 6 | Omaha | 63 | | | |
| | | | 3 | North Dakota | 72 | | | | | | |
| | | | 6 | Omaha | 73 | | | | | | |

### NCAA tournament

| Seed | Region | School | First Round | Second Round | Sweet Sixteen | Elite Eight | Final Four | Championship |
| No. 15 | Omaha Regional | South Dakota State | lost to No. 2 Iowa State 82–65 | — | — | — | — | |
| | 1 Bid | W-L (%): | 0–1 (.000) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | TOTAL: 0–1 (.000) |