# 2021–22 Summit League men's basketball season

The 2021–22 Summit League Conference men's basketball season started non-conference play on November 9, 2021, and began conference play on December 20, 2021. The regular season ended on February 26, 2022, setting up the 2022 Summit League men's basketball tournament from March 5 to March 8. South Dakota State was the regular season champion, finishing with a perfect 18-0 conference record for the first time in conference and team history. The Jacks would go on to win the Summit League tournament as well, beating North Dakota State to reach their first NCAA tournament berth in four years.

## Conference Changes

Due to the addition of St. Thomas (MN), the conference schedule was expanded to 18 games. Each team played every team twice, once at home and once on the road.

## Head Coaches
### Coaching Changes

Denver hired Jeff Wulbrun after Rodney Billups was let go.

### 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) | 1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kansas City | Billy Donlon | Northwestern (Assistant) | 3 | 27-27 | 7-7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Omaha | Derrin Hansen | Omaha (Assistant) | 17 | 246-233* | 64-74 | 0 | 0** | 0*** |
| North Dakota | Paul Sather | Northern State (Assistant) | 3 | 24-35 | 15-17 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| North Dakota State | David Richman | North Dakota State (Assistant) | 8 | 136-87 | 69-41 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Oral Roberts | Paul Mills | Baylor (Assistant) | 5 | 57-66 | 31-30 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| St. Thomas | John Tauer | St. Thomas (Assistant) | 11 | 224-57^ | 0-0 | 0 | 0^^ | 0^^^ |
| South Dakota | Todd Lee | Grand Canyon (Assistant) | 4 | 47-40 | 28-19 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| South Dakota State | Eric Henderson | South Dakota State (Assistant) | 3 | 38-17 | 22-6 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Western Illinois | Rob Jeter | Minnesota (Assistant) | 2 | 7-15 | 5-9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Notes:
* Year at school includes 2021–22 season.
* Overall and Summit League records are from the time at current school and are through the end of the 2020–21 season.
* NCAA Tournament appearances are from the time at current school only.
*110 Wins and 68 Losses at Division II level
**2 NCAA Division II Tournaments
***1 NCAA Division II Sweet 16's and 1 NCAA Division II Elite 8
^All wins and losses at Division III level
^^8 NCAA Division III Tournaments
^^^4 NCAA Division III Sweet 16, 2 NCAA Division III Final Fours, and 1 NCAA Division III National Championship

## Preseason Awards

The Preseason Summit League men's basketball polls was released on October 12, 2021.

### Preseason men's basketball polls

First Place Votes in Parentheses
* South Dakota State (23) - 636
* North Dakota State (7) - 606
* Oral Roberts (6) - 545
* South Dakota - 480
* Western Illinois - 356
* Kansas City - 341
* North Dakota - 279
* Omaha - 255
* Denver - 217
* St. Thomas 120

### 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 | Josiah Allick, Kansas City |
| Preseason All-Summit League First Team | Sam Griesel, North Dakota State |
| Preseason All-Summit League First Team | Rocky Kreuser, North Dakota State |
| Preseason All-Summit League First Team | Baylor Scheierman, South Dakota State |
| Preseason All-Summit League First Team | Douglas Wilson, South Dakota State |
| Preseason All-Summit League Second Team | Will Carius, Western Illinois |
| Preseason All-Summit League Second Team | Tyree Eady, North Dakota State |
| Preseason All-Summit League Second Team | Noah Freidel, South Dakota State |
| Preseason All-Summit League Second Team | Xavier Fuller, South Dakota |
| Preseason All-Summit League Second Team | Tasos Kamateros, South Dakota |

## Regular season
### Conference standings

| | | Conference | Conference | Overall | Overall | |
| Rank | Team | Record | Percent | Record | Percent | Tiebreaker |
| 1 | South Dakota State | 18–0 | 1.000 | 30–5 | .857 | |
| 2 | North Dakota State | 13–5 | .722 | 23–10 | .697 | |
| 3 | Kansas City | 12–6 | .667 | 19–12 | .613 | |
| 4 | Oral Roberts | 12–6 | .667 | 19–12 | .613 | |
| 5 | South Dakota | 11–7 | .611 | 19–12 | .613 | |
| 6 | Western Illinois | 7–11 | .389 | 16–16 | .500 | |
| 7 | Denver | 7–11 | .389 | 11–21 | .344 | |
| 8 | St. Thomas | 4–14 | .222 | 10–20 | .333 | |
| 9 | Omaha | 4–14 | .222 | 5–25 | .167 | |
| 10 | North Dakota | 2–16 | .111 | 6–25 | .194 | |

### Conference Matrix

| | Denver | Kansas City | Omaha | North Dakota | North Dakota State | Oral Roberts | St. Thomas | South Dakota | South Dakota State | Western Illinois |
| vs. Denver | – | 1-1 | 1-1 | 0-2 | 2-0 | 2-0 | 0-2 | 2-0 | 2-0 | 1-1 |
| vs. Kansas City | 1-1 | – | 1-1 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 2-0 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 2-0 | 2-0 |
| vs. Omaha | 1-1 | 1-1 | – | 1-1 | 2-0 | 2-0 | 2-0 | 2-0 | 2-0 | 1-1 |
| vs. North Dakota | 2-0 | 2-0 | 1-1 | – | 2-0 | 2-0 | 1-1 | 2-0 | 2-0 | 2-0 |
| vs. North Dakota State | 0-2 | 2-0 | 0-2 | 0-2 | – | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 2-0 | 1-1 |
| vs. Oral Roberts | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 2-0 | – | 0-2 | 1-1 | 2-0 | 1-1 |
| vs. St. Thomas | 2-0 | 2-0 | 0-2 | 1-1 | 2-0 | 2-0 | – | 2-0 | 2-0 | 1-1 |
| vs. South Dakota | 0-2 | 2-0 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 2-0 | 1-1 | 0-2 | – | 2-0 | 0-2 |
| vs. South Dakota State | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0-2 | – | 0-2 |
| vs. Western Illinois | 1-1 | 2-0 | 1-1 | 0-2 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 2-0 | 1-0 | – |

### Players of the Week

| Week | Player(s) of the Week | School |
| Nov. 15 | Baylor Scheierman | South Dakota State |
| Nov. 22 | Evan Gilyard II | Kansas City |
| Nov. 29 | Noah Freidel | South Dakota State (2) |
| Dec. 6 | Colton Sandage | Western Illinois |
| Dec. 13 | Baylor Scheierman (2) | South Dakota State (3) |
| Dec. 20 | Francis Lacis | Oral Roberts |
| Dec. 27 | Trent Massner | Western Illinois (2) |
| Jan. 3 | Max Abmas | Oral Roberts (2) |
| Jan. 10 | Max Abmas (2) | Oral Roberts (3) |
| Jan. 17 | Trent Massner (2) | Western Illinois (3) |
| Jan. 24 | Tevin Smith | Denver |
| Jan. 31 | Max Abmas (3) | Oral Roberts (3) |
| Feb. 7 | Marvin Nesbitt Jr. Baylor Scheierman (3) | Kansas City (2) South Dakota State (4) |
| Feb. 14 | Sam Griesel | North Dakota State |
| Feb. 21 | Evan Gilyard II (2) | Kansas City (3) |
| Feb. 28 | Luke Appel | South Dakota State (5) |

### Records against other conferences

| Power 7 Conferences | Record | Power 7 Conferences | Record |
| ACC | None | American | 1-0 |
| Big East | 0-2 | Big Ten | 1-5 |
| Big 12 | 0-5 | Pac-12 | 1-2 |
| SEC | 1-1 | Power 7 Total | 4-15 |
| Other Division I Conferences | Record | Other Division I Conferences | Record |
| Atlantic 10 | 1-1 | ASUN | 1-1 |
| America East | None | Big Sky | 5-7 |
| Big South | None | Big West | 3-0 |
| Colonial | None | Conference USA | 0-3 |
| Horizon League | 3-2 | Ivy League | None |
| MAAC | 1-0 | MAC | 3-0 |
| MEAC | None | MVC | 2-5 |
| MWC | 2-8 | NEC | 1-0 |
| OVC | 3-4 | Patriot League | None |
| SoCon | None | Southland | 2-2 |
| SWAC | 2-0 | Sun Belt | 3-2 |
| WAC | 2-6 | WCC | 2-0 |
| Other Division I Total | Other Division I Total | Other Division I Total | 40-41 |
| NCAA Division I Total | NCAA Division I Total | NCAA Division I Total | 40-56 |
| NCAA Division II Total | NCAA Division II Total | NCAA Division II Total | 2-0 |
| NCAA Division III Total | NCAA Division III Total | NCAA Division III Total | 7-0 |
| NAIA Total | NAIA Total | NAIA Total | 9-1 |
| NCCAA Total | NCCAA Total | NCCAA Total | 4-0 |
| Total Non-Conference Record | Total Non-Conference Record | Total Non-Conference Record | 62-57 |

### Points scored

| Team | For | Against | Difference |
| Denver | 2257 | 2380 | -123 |
| Kansas City | 2311 | 2085 | +226 |
| North Dakota | 2178 | 2444 | -266 |
| North Dakota State | 2469 | 2267 | +202 |
| Omaha | 2088 | 2505 | -417 |
| Oral Roberts | 2582 | 2306 | +276 |
| St. Thomas | 2241 | 2260 | -19 |
| South Dakota | 2329 | 2198 | +131 |
| South Dakota State | 3005 | 2561 | +444 |
| Western Illinois | 2493 | 2470 | +23 |
Through March 8, 2022

### Home attendance

| Team | Arena | Capacity | Total Games | Average Attendance | Attendance High | Total Attendance | % of Capacity |
| Denver | Hamilton Gymnasium | 2,500 | 13 | 792 | 1,607 Nov. 7 vs. Regis | 10,305 | 31.7% |
| Kansas City | Swinney Recreation Center | 1,500 | 13† | 749 | 1,558 Feb. 26 vs. South Dakota St | 9,738 | 50.0% |
| North Dakota | Betty Engelstad Sioux Center | 3,300 | 15 | 1,380 | 2,541 Feb. 26 vs. North Dakota St | 20,712 | 41.8% |
| North Dakota State | Scheels Center | 5,460 | 15 | 1,913 | 3,510 Dec. 22 vs. North Dakota | 28,700 | 35.0% |
| Omaha | Baxter Arena | 7,898 | 10† | 1,348 | 1,957 Jan. 29 vs. Kansas City | 13,480 | 17.0% |
| Oral Roberts | Mabee Center | 10,154 | 15 | 4,047 | 6,094 Nov. 26 vs. Oklahoma St | 60,714 | 39.9% |
| St. Thomas | Schoenecker Arena | 1,800 | 13 | 947 | 1,405 Feb. 12 vs. North Dakota St | 12,323 | 52.7% |
| South Dakota | Sanford Coyote Sports Center | 6,000 | 15 | 1,658 | 4,224 Feb. 5 vs. South Dakota St | 24,883 | 27.6% |
| South Dakota State | Frost Arena | 6,500 | 14 | 2,298 | 3,821 Jan. 29 vs. North Dakota St | 32,180 | 35.4% |
| Western Illinois | Western Hall | 5,139 | 12† | 886 | 1,500 Nov. 16 vs. Iowa Wesleyan | 10,635 | 17.2% |
Bold - Exceed capacity † - Does not include games where an attendance figure was not given As of February 27, 2022 Does not include exhibition games

### All-League Honors

| Honor | Recipient |
| Player of the Year | Baylor Scheierman, South Dakota State |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Marvin Nesbitt Jr., Kansas City |
| Sixth Man of the Year | Luke Appel, South Dakota State |
| Freshman of the Year | Paul Bruns, North Dakota |
| Newcomer of the Year | Evan Gilyard II, Kansas City |
| Coach of the Year | Eric Henderson, South Dakota State |
| All-Summit League First Team | Max Abmas, Oral Roberts |
| All-Summit League First Team | Evan Gilyard II, Kansas City |
| All-Summit League First Team | Sam Griesel, North Dakota State |
| All-Summit League First Team | Rocky Kreuser, North Dakota State |
| All-Summit League First Team | Baylor Scheierman, South Dakota State |
| All-Summit League First Team | Douglas Wilson, South Dakota State |
| All-Summit League Second Team | Mason Archambault, South Dakota |
| All-Summit League Second Team | Trenton Massner, Western Illinois |
| All-Summit League Second Team | Marvin Nesbitt Jr., Kansas City |
| All-Summit League Second Team | Kruz Perrott-Hunt, South Dakota |
| All-Summit League Second Team | Arkel Lamar, Kansas City |
| All-Summit League Honorable Mention | Luke Barisic, Western Illinois |
| All-Summit League Honorable Mention | Paul Bruns, North Dakota |
| All-Summit League Honorable Mention | K.J. Hunt, Denver |
| All-Summit League Honorable Mention | Tasos Kamateros, South Dakota |
| All-Summit League Honorable Mention | Issac McBride, Oral Roberts |
| All-Defensive Team | Boogie Anderson, South Dakota |
| All-Defensive Team | Tyree Eady, North Dakota State |
| All-Defensive Team | Trenton Massner, Western Illinois |
| All-Defensive Team | Marvin Nesbitt Jr., Kansas City |
| All-Defensive Team | Douglas Wilson, South Dakota State |
| All-Newcomer Team | Luka Barisic, Western Illinois |
| All-Newcomer Team | Evan Gilyard II, Kansas City |
| All-Newcomer Team | K.J. Hunt, Denver |
| All-Newcomer Team | Trenton Massner, Western Illinois |
| All-Newcomer Team | Zeke Mayo, South Dakota State |
Source:

## Postseason
### Conference Tournament

The top 8 teams from the Summit League qualify for the conference tournament. The tournament is at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
| Quarterfinals March 5 & 6 ESPN+ | Quarterfinals March 5 & 6 ESPN+ | Quarterfinals March 5 & 6 ESPN+ | Semifinals March 7 ESPN+ | Semifinals March 7 ESPN+ | Semifinals March 7 ESPN+ | Championship March 8 ESPN2 | Championship March 8 ESPN2 | Championship March 8 ESPN2 |
| 1 | South Dakota State | 87 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Omaha | 79 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Omaha | 79 | 1 | South Dakota State | 83 | | | |
| | | | 5 | South Dakota | 60 | | | |
| 4 | Kansas City | 61 | 5 | South Dakota | 60 | | | |
| 5 | South Dakota | 74 | | | | | | |
| 5 | South Dakota | 74 | | | | 1 | South Dakota State | 75 |
| | | | | | | 2 | North Dakota State | 69 |
| 2 | North Dakota State | 82 | | | | | | | 2 | North Dakota State | 69 |
| 7 | Denver | 62 | | | | | | |
| 7 | Denver | 62 | 2 | North Dakota State | 92 | | | |
| | | | 3 | Oral Roberts | 72 | | | |
| 3 | Oral Roberts | 80 | 3 | Oral Roberts | 72 | | | |
| 6 | Western Illinois | 68 | | | | | | |

### NCAA tournament

Only South Dakota State was selected to participate in the tournament as the conference's automatic bid.
| Seed | Region | School | First Round | Second Round | Sweet Sixteen | Elite Eight | Final Four | Championship |
| No. 13 | Buffalo Regional | South Dakota State | No. 4 Providence | — | — | — | — | — |
| | 1 Bid | W-L (%): | 0–1 (.000) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | TOTAL: 0–1 (.000) |