# 2020–21 North Dakota State Bison men's basketball team

The 2020–21 North Dakota State Bison men's basketball team represented North Dakota State University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bison, led by 7th-year head coach David Richman, played their home games at the Scheels Center in Fargo, North Dakota, as members of the Summit League.

## Previous season

The Bison finished the 2019–20 season 25–8, 13–3 in Summit League play to finish in a tie for the Summit League regular season championship. They defeated Denver, Oral Roberts, and North Dakota to become champions of the 2020 Summit League tournament. They earned the Summit League's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, however, the tournament was cancelled amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non-conference regular season ||||||
| November 25, 2020* 2:00 pm | | vs. Nevada Golden Window Classic | L 48–62 | 0–1 | Pinnacle Bank Arena Lincoln, NE |
| November 28, 2020* 11:00 am, BTN | | at Nebraska Golden Window Classic | L 57–79 | 0–2 | Pinnacle Bank Arena Lincoln, NE |
| November 29, 2020* 3:30 pm, FS1 | | at No. 11 Creighton | L 58–69 | 0–3 | CHI Health Center Omaha (252) Omaha, NE |
| December 5, 2020* 3:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at No. 7 Kansas | L 61–65 | 0–4 | Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, KS |
| December 10, 2020* 8:00 pm, MidcoSN | | vs. South Dakota State Dakota Showcase | L 75–77 | 0–5 | Sanford Pentagon Sioux Falls, SD |
| December 11, 2020* 8:00 pm, MidcoSN | | vs. South Dakota Dakota Showcase | W 74–67 | 1–5 | Sanford Pentagon Sioux Falls, SD |
| December 12, 2020* 5:30 pm, MidcoSN | | vs. North Dakota Dakota Showcase | W 53–52 | 2–5 | Sanford Pentagon Sioux Falls, SD |
| December 22, 2020* 8:00 pm, ESPNU | | at TCU | L 82–89 | 2–6 | Schollmaier Arena (1,669) Fort Worth, TX |
| Summit League regular season ||||||
| January 2, 2021 7:00 pm | | at Western Illinois | W 68–50 | 3–6 (1–0) | Western Hall Macomb, IL |
| January 3, 2021 7:00 pm | | at Western Illinois | W 78–67 | 4–6 (2–0) | Western Hall Macomb, IL |
| January 8, 2021 7:30 pm, ESPN+ | | Omaha | W 71–69 | 5–6 (3–0) | Scheels Center (954) Fargo, ND |
| January 9, 2021 7:30 pm, ESPN+ | | Omaha | W 80–66 | 6–6 (4–0) | Scheels Center (1,245) Fargo, ND |
| January 15, 2021 7:30 pm, MidcoSN | | at North Dakota | W 62–45 | 7–6 (5–0) | Betty Engelstad Sioux Center (650) Grand Forks, ND |
| January 16, 2021 7:30 pm, MidcoSN | | at North Dakota | L 78–82 $^{OT}$ | 7–7 (5–1) | Betty Engelstad Sioux Center (650) Grand Forks, ND |
| January 22, 2021 7:30 pm | | Denver | W 70–58 | 8–7 (6–1) | Scheels Center (1,277) Fargo, ND |
| January 23, 2021 7:30 pm, MidcoSN | | Denver | W 84–58 | 9–7 (7–1) | Scheels Center (1,568) Fargo, ND |
| January 29, 2021 7:00 pm | | at Kansas City | W 71–67 | 10–7 (8–1) | Swinney Recreation Center Kansas City, MO |
| January 30, 2021 7:00 pm | | at Kansas City | L 47–49 | 10–8 (8–2) | Swinney Recreation Center Kansas City, MO |
| February 5, 2021 7:30 pm | | Oral Roberts | W 61–54 | 11–8 (9–2) | Scheels Center (1,072) Fargo, ND |
| February 6, 2021 7:30 pm | | Oral Roberts | L 74–80 | 11–9 (9–3) | Scheels Center (1,547) Fargo, ND |
| February 19, 2021 7:30 pm, MidcoSN | | South Dakota State | L 67–68 | 11–10 (9–4) | Scheels Center (1,734) Fargo, ND |
| February 20, 2021 7:30 pm, MidcoSN | | South Dakota State | W 84–82 | 12–10 (10–4) | Scheels Center (2,754) Fargo, ND |
| February 27, 2021 4:00 pm | | at South Dakota | L 71–80 | 12–11 (10–5) | Sanford Coyote Sports Center Vermillion, SD |
| February 28, 2021 4:00 pm, MidcoSN2 | | at South Dakota | W 89–77 | 13–11 (11–5) | Sanford Coyote Sports Center Vermillion, SD |
| Summit League tournament ||||||
| March 7, 2021 8:45 pm, MidcoSN/ESPN+ | (3) | vs. (6) Kansas City Quarterfinals | W 69–65 | 14–11 | Sanford Pentagon Sioux Falls, SD |
| March 8, 2021 8:45 pm, MidcoSN/ESPN+ | (3) | vs. (2) South Dakota Semifinals | W 79–75 | 15–11 | Sanford Pentagon Sioux Falls, SD |
| March 9, 2021 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | (3) | vs. (4) Oral Roberts Championship | L 72–75 | 15–12 | Sanford Pentagon Sioux Falls, SD |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central. ||||||
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