# 2022–23 Summit League men's basketball season

The 2022–23 Summit League men's basketball season started non-conference play on November 7, 2022, and began conference play on December 19, 2022. The regular season ended on February 25, 2023, and the 2023 Summit League men's basketball tournament from March 3 to March 7, 2023.
Oral Roberts finished league play with a perfect 18–0 record, the second time that has happened in the Summit League's history and second year in a row a team has finished with a perfect league record (South Dakota State). In the postseason, Oral Roberts made the 2023 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament as a 12 seed. They lost to Duke in the first round.

## Conference Changes

Following last year's postseason tournament, the Summit League announced they would be expanding the tournament in future years to include all 10 teams. It will consist of an added day to the tournament with the 7 through 10 seeds competing for the typical 7 and 8 seed slots.

## Head Coaches
### Coaching Changes
#### South Dakota

On March 16, 2022, Eric Peterson was announced as the new head coach of the Coyotes, after former coach Todd Lee was let go.

#### Omaha

On March 18, 2022, Chris Crutchfield was named head coach of the Mavericks, after longtime coach Derrin Hansen was fired.

#### Kansas City

On April 21, 2022, three-year Roos coach Billy Donlon left the program to be an associate head coach at Clemson. Then on April 26, 2022, Marvin Menzies was announced to be the new head coach for Kansas City.

### 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) | 2 | 11–21 | 7–11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kansas City | Marvin Menzies | Grand Canyon (Associate HC) | 1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Omaha | Chris Crutchfield | Oregon (Assistant) | 1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| North Dakota | Paul Sather | Northern State (Assistant) | 4 | 30–60 | 17–33 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| North Dakota State | David Richman | North Dakota State (Assistant) | 9 | 159–97 | 82–46 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Oral Roberts | Paul Mills | Baylor (Assistant) | 6 | 76–79 | 43–36 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| St. Thomas | John Tauer | St. Thomas (Assistant) | 12 | 228–70^ | 4–14 | 0 | 0^^ | 0^^^ |
| South Dakota | Eric Peterson | Utah (Assistant) | 1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| South Dakota State | Eric Henderson | South Dakota State (Assistant) | 4 | 68–22 | 40–6 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Western Illinois | Rob Jeter | Minnesota (Assistant) | 3 | 23–31 | 12–20 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Notes:
* Year at school includes 2022-23 season.
* Overall and Summit League records are from the time at their current school and are through the end of the 2021-22.
* 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 11, 2022.

### Preseason men's basketball polls

First Place Votes in Parentheses
* Oral Roberts (28) - 731
* South Dakota State (11) - 668
* South Dakota (1) - 602
* North Dakota State - 549
* Denver - 432
* Kansas City - 310
* Western Illinois - 294
* St. Thomas - 289
* Omaha - 279
* North Dakota - 174

### Preseason Honors

| Honor | Recipient |
| Preseason Player of the Year | Max Abmas, Oral Roberts |
| Preseason All-Summit League First Team | Max Abmas, Oral Roberts |
| Preseason All-Summit League First Team | Luke Appel, South Dakota State |
| Preseason All-Summit League First Team | Frankie Fidler, Omaha |
| Preseason All-Summit League First Team | Trenton Massner, Western Illinois |
| Preseason All-Summit League First Team | Zeke Mayo, South Dakota State |
| Preseason All-Summit League First Team | Grant Nelson, North Dakota State |
| Preseason All-Summit League Second Team | Mason Archambault, South Dakota |
| Preseason All-Summit League Second Team | Issac McBride, Oral Roberts |
| Preseason All-Summit League Second Team | Kruz Perrott-Hunt, South Dakota |
| Preseason All-Summit League Second Team | A.J. Plitzuweit, South Dakota |
| Preseason All-Summit League Second Team | Tevin Smith, Denver |

## Regular season
### Conference standings

Current as of February 25, 2023
| | | Conference | Conference | Overall | Overall | |
| Rank | Team | Record | Percent | Record | Percent | Tiebreaker |
| 1 | Oral Roberts | 18–0 | 1.000 | 27–4 | 0.871 | |
| 2 | South Dakota State | 13–5 | 0.722 | 18–12 | 0.600 | |
| 3 | North Dakota State | 11–7 | 0.611 | 14–16 | 0.467 | |
| 4 | Western Illinois | 9–9 | 0.500 | 16–13 | 0.552 | 1–1 vs South Dakota |
| 5 | St. Thomas | 9–9 | 0.500 | 18–13 | 0.581 | 0–2 vs South Dakota |
| 7 | South Dakota | 7–11 | 0.389 | 12–18 | 0.400 | 2–0 vs St. Thomas |
| 6 | Kansas City | 7–11 | 0.389 | 11–20 | 0.355 | 1–1 vs St. Thomas |
| 8 | Denver | 6–12 | 0.333 | 15–16 | 0.484 | 1–1 vs Western Illinois |
| 9 | North Dakota | 6–12 | 0.333 | 12–19 | 0.387 | 0–2 vs Western Illinois |
| 10 | Omaha | 4–14 | 0.222 | 8–22 | 0.267 | |

### Conference Matrix

| | Denver | Kansas City | North Dakota | North Dakota State | Omaha | Oral Roberts | St. Thomas | South Dakota | South Dakota State | Western Illinois |
| vs. Denver | – | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| vs. Kansas City | 1–1 | – | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| vs. North Dakota | 1–1 | 0–2 | – | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 |
| vs. North Dakota State | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | – | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| vs. Omaha | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | – | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| vs. Oral Roberts | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | – | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 |
| vs. St. Thomas | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | – | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| vs. South Dakota | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | – | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| vs. South Dakota State | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | – | 1–1 |
| vs. Western Illinois | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | – |
| Total | 6–12 | 7–11 | 6–12 | 11–7 | 4–14 | 18–0 | 9–9 | 7–11 | 13–5 | 9–9 |
Through February 25, 2023

### Players of the Week

| Week | Player(s) of the Week | School |
| Nov. 14 | A.J. Plitzuweit | South Dakota |
| Nov. 21 | Riley Miller | St. Thomas |
| Nov. 28 | Rayquawndis Mitchell | Kansas City |
| Dec. 5 | Trenton Massner | Western Illinois |
| Dec. 12 | Boden Skunberg | North Dakota State |
| Dec. 19 | Max Abmas | Oral Roberts |
| Dec. 26 | Parker Bjorklund | St. Thomas (2) |
| Jan. 2 | Zeke Mayo | South Dakota State |
| Jan. 9 | Max Abmas (2) | Oral Roberts (2) |
| Jan. 16 | Max Abmas (3) | Oral Roberts (3) |
| Jan. 23 | Zeke Mayo (2) | South Dakota State (2) |
| Jan. 30 | Trenton Massner (2) | Western Illinois (2) |
| Feb. 6 | Zeke Mayo (3) | South Dakota State (3) |
| Feb. 13 | Max Abmas (4) | Oral Roberts (4) |
| Feb. 20 | Grant Nelson | North Dakota State (2) |
| Feb. 27 | Trenton Massner (3) | Western Illinois (3) |

### Records against other conferences

As of January 10, 2023:
| Major 7 Conferences | Record | Major 7 Conferences | Record |
| ACC | None | American | 1-2 |
| Big East | 0-3 | Big Ten | 0-4 |
| Big 12 | 0-4 | Pac-12 | 0-2 |
| SEC | 1-5 | Major 7 Total | 2-19 |
| Other Division I Conferences | Record | Other Division I Conferences | Record |
| Atlantic 10 | 1-0 | ASUN | 1-2 |
| America East | None | Big Sky | 3-6 |
| Big South | None | Big West | 1-0 |
| Colonial | 1-0 | Conference USA | 0-1 |
| Horizon League | 2-2 | Ivy League | None |
| MAAC | None | MAC | 1-4 |
| MEAC | None | MVC | 4-1 |
| MWC | 1-3 | NEC | 3-0 |
| OVC | 2-0 | Patriot League | None |
| SoCon | 1-0 | Southland | 4-0 |
| SWAC | 2-0 | Sun Belt | 2-2 |
| WAC | 3-3 | WCC | 2-3 |
| Other Division I Total | Other Division I Total | Other Division I Total | 34-26 |
| NCAA Division I Total | NCAA Division I Total | NCAA Division I Total | 36-45 |
| NCAA Division II Total | NCAA Division II Total | NCAA Division II Total | 4-1 |
| NCAA Division III Total | NCAA Division III Total | NCAA Division III Total | 7-0 |
| NAIA Total | NAIA Total | NAIA Total | 3-0 |
| NCCAA Total | NCCAA Total | NCCAA Total | 1-0 |
| Total Non-Conference Record | Total Non-Conference Record | Total Non-Conference Record | 50-46 |

### 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 | Gamename | Score | Conference record |
| Nov 7 | Omaha | No. 5 Kansas | Allen Fieldhouse • Lawrence, KS | | 64-89 | 0-1 |
| Nov 7 | St. Thomas | No. 9 Creighton | CHI Health Center Omaha • Omaha, NE | | 60-72 | 0-2 |
| Nov 7 | North Dakota State | No. 10 Arkansas | Bud Walton Arena • Fayetteville, AR | | 58-76 | 0-3 |
| Nov 10 | North Dakota | No. 9 Creighton | CHI Health Center Omaha • Omaha, NE | | 61-96 | 0-4 |
| Nov 10 | North Dakota State | No. 5 Kansas | Allen Fieldhouse • Lawrence, KS | | 59-82 | 0-5 |
| Nov 14 | Oral Roberts | No. 3 Houston | Fertitta Center • Houston, TX | Cougar Classic | 45-83 | 0-6 |
| Nov 16 | South Dakota State | No. 9 Arkansas | Bud Walton Arena • Fayetteville, AR | | 56-71 | 0-7 |
| Nov 21 | Omaha | No. 25 Iowa | Carver-Hawkeye Arena • Iowa City, IA | Emerald Coast Classic - Campus Game | 64-100 | 0-8 |
| Nov 30 | North Dakota | No. 23 Iowa State | James H. Hilton Coliseum • Ames, IA | | 44-63 | 0-9 |
| Dec 3 | South Dakota State | No. 11 Alabama | Coleman Coliseum • Tuscaloosa, AL | | 65-78 | 0-10 |
| Dec 10 | Denver | No. 19 UCLA | Pauley Pavilion • Los Angeles, CA | | 64-87 | 0-11 |
Team rankings are reflective of AP poll when the game was played, not current or final ranking
† denotes games was played on neutral site

### Points scored

| Team | For | Against | Difference |
| Denver | 2185 | 2258 | -73 |
| Kansas City | 1901 | 1971 | -70 |
| North Dakota | 2065 | 2119 | -54 |
| North Dakota State | 2043 | 2042 | +1 |
| Omaha | 2003 | 2242 | -239 |
| Oral Roberts | 2455 | 2046 | +409 |
| St. Thomas | 2177 | 2031 | +146 |
| South Dakota | 1929 | 2082 | -153 |
| South Dakota State | 1990 | 1970 | +20 |
| Western Illinois | 1981 | 1963 | +18 |
Through February 18, 2023

### Home attendance

| Team | Arena | Capacity | Total Games | Average Attendance | Attendance High | Total Attendance | % of Capacity |
| Denver | Hamilton Gymnasium | 2,500 | 14 | 1,001 | 1,335 Feb. 25 vs. Omaha | 14,024 | 40.1% |
| Kansas City | Swinney Recreation Center | 1,500 | 14 | 936 | 1,532 Feb. 18 vs. North Dakota | 13,108 | 62.4% |
| North Dakota | Betty Engelstad Sioux Center | 3,300 | 16 | 1,449 | 2,458 Dec. 30 vs. North Dakota St | 23,187 | 43.9% |
| North Dakota State | Scheels Center | 5,460 | 13 | 1,952 | 3,867 Jan. 27 vs. North Dakota | 25,388 | 35.8% |
| Omaha | Baxter Arena | 7,898 | 12 | 2,227 | 4,316 Dec. 13 vs. Midland | 26,734 | 28.2% |
| Oral Roberts | Mabee Center | 10,154 | 16 | 5,314 | 8,012 Feb. 18 vs. North Dakota St | 85,030 | 52.3% |
| St. Thomas | Schoenecker Arena | 1,800 | 14 | 1,264 | 2,013 Feb. 9 vs. Oral Roberts | 17,696 | 70.2% |
| South Dakota | Sanford Coyote Sports Center | 6,000 | 13 | 2,024 | 4,605 Jan. 14 vs. South Dakota St | 26,324 | 33.7% |
| South Dakota State | Frost Arena | 6,500 | 12 | 2,288 | 4,421 Feb. 11 vs. South Dakota | 27,464 | 35.2% |
| Western Illinois | Western Hall | 5,139 | 14 | 716 | 1,681 Feb. 11 vs. Oral Roberts | 10,036 | 13.9% |
Bold - Exceed capacity As of February 25, 2023 Does not include exhibition games

### All-League Honors

| Honor | Recipient |
| Player of the Year | Max Abmas, Oral Roberts |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Connor Vanover, Oral Roberts |
| Sixth Man of the Year | Matt Norman, North Dakota |
| Freshman of the Year | Andrew Rohde, St. Thomas |
| Newcomer of the Year | Connor Vanover, Oral Roberts |
| Coach of the Year | Paul Mills, Oral Roberts |
| All-Summit League First Team | Max Abmas, Oral Roberts |
| All-Summit League First Team | Trenton Massner, Western Illinois |
| All-Summit League First Team | Zeke Mayo, South Dakota State |
| All-Summit League First Team | Grant Nelson, North Dakota State |
| All-Summit League First Team | Andrew Rohde, St. Thomas |
| All-Summit League First Team | Connor Vanover, Oral Roberts |
| All-Summit League Second Team | Shemarri Allen, Kansas City |
| All-Summit League Second Team | Parker Byorklund, St. Thomas |
| All-Summit League Second Team | Matt Dentlinger, South Dakota State |
| All-Summit League Second Team | Issac McBride, Oral Roberts |
| All-Summit League Second Team | Rayquawndis Mitchell, Kansas City |
| All-Summit League Honorable Mention | Tommy Bruner, Denver |
| All-Summit League Honorable Mention | Frankie Fidler, Omaha |
| All-Summit League Honorable Mention | Tasos Kamateros, South Dakota |
| All-Summit League Honorable Mention | Kruz Perrott-Hunt, South Dakota |
| All-Summit League Honorable Mention | Boden Skunberg, North Dakota State |
| All-Defensive Team | Shemarri Allen, Kansas City |
| All-Defensive Team | Matt Mims, South Dakota State |
| All-Defensive Team | Grant Nelson, North Dakota State |
| All-Defensive Team | Connor Vanover, Oral Roberts |
| All-Defensive Team | Jesiah West, Western Illinois |
| All-Newcomer Team | Tommy Bruner, Denver |
| All-Newcomer Team | William Kyle III, South Dakota State |
| All-Newcomer Team | Rayquawndis Mitchell, Kansas City |
| All-Newcomer Team | Andrew Rohde, St. Thomas |
| All-Newcomer Team | Connor Vanover, Oral Roberts |
Source:

## Postseason
### Conference Tournament

All 10 teams qualify for the Summit League tournament. The tournament is held at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It will be held this season from March 3 to March 7, 2023.
| First Round March 3 ESPN+ | First Round March 3 ESPN+ | First Round March 3 ESPN+ | Quarterfinals March 4 & 5 ESPN+ | Quarterfinals March 4 & 5 ESPN+ | Quarterfinals March 4 & 5 ESPN+ | Semifinals March 6 ESPN+ | Semifinals March 6 ESPN+ | Semifinals March 6 ESPN+ | Championship March 7 ESPN2 | Championship March 7 ESPN2 | Championship March 7 ESPN2 |
| | | | 1 | Oral Roberts | 96 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Denver | 68 | 9 | North Dakota | 80 | | | | | | |
| 9 | North Dakota | 83 | | | | 1 | Oral Roberts | 70 | | | |
| | | | | | | 5 | St. Thomas | 65 | | | |
| | | | 4 | Western Illinois | 60 | | | | | | |
| | | | 5 | St. Thomas | 67 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | 1 | Oral Roberts | 92 |
| | | | | | | | | | 3 | North Dakota State | 58 |
| | | | 2 | South Dakota State | 63 | | | | | | |
| 7 | Kansas City | 61 | 10 | Omaha | 55 | | | | | | |
| 10 | Omaha | 73 | | | | 2 | South Dakota State | 79 | | | |
| | | | | | | 3 | North Dakota State | 89 | | | |
| | | | 3 | North Dakota State | 70 | | | | | | |
| | | | 6 | South Dakota | 68 | | | | | | |

### NCAA tournament

| Seed | Region | School | First Round | Second Round | Sweet Sixteen | Elite Eight | Final Four | Championship |
| No. 12 | Orlando Regional | Oral Roberts | lost to No. 5 Duke 51–74 | — | — | — | — | — |
| | 1 Bid | W-L (%): | 0–1 (.000) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | TOTAL: 0–1 (.000) |