2025 Summit League Tournament Preview & Conference Awards

CBB Review prepares you for every conference tournament leading up to Selection Sunday on Mar. 16. Up next: The Summit League Tournament.

Whoever is in charge of preseason voting might be on the hot seat. Kansas City was picked to win the conference, yet they finished in 7th. Meanwhile, the actual winner, Omaha, was picked 7th. Nothing like a good trade. Omaha shocked everyone, going 13-3 in conference play and ending on a three-game winning streak. They were closely followed by Saint Thomas and South Dakota State.

Last year, South Dakota State took the conference tournament crown, beating Denver in the final. They and Oral Roberts have traded conference tournament championships the last four years, and South Dakota State has won five of the last ten championships.

If you aren’t a one or four seed, good luck. Those two seeds have won the conference tournament each of the last eight years, meaning the winner of the quarterfinal game is pretty much the winner of the championship. The top four seeds all have pretty even odds to win this tournament, per Barttorvik, so make sure you get your Midco memberships before March 6th!

Saint Thomas is ineligible to make the tournament due to the NCAA transition rule. If they were to win the Summit league tournament, Omaha would make the NCAA Tournament as the regular season winner.

2025 Summit Conference Awards

Player of the Year: Marquel Sutton, Omaha

Freshman of the Year: Joe Taylor, South Dakota State

Transfer of the Year: Oscar Cluff, South Dakota State

Coach of the Year: Chris Crutchfield, Omaha

First Team:

• G: Miles Barnstable, Saint Thomas (14.7 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.1 APG, 1.0 SPG)
• G: Chase Forte, South Dakota (17.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.9 SPG)
• F: Marquel Sutton, Omaha (18.8 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.8 SPG)
• F: Jacksen Moni, North Dakota State (20.6 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 3.7 APG, 0.5 SPG)
• F: Oscar Cluff, South Dakota State (17.3 PPG, 12.2 RPG, 2.9 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.8 BPG)

Second Team:

• G: Isaac McBride, Oral Roberts (19.0 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.0 SPG)
• G: Jamar Brown, Kansas City (16.4 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 1.2 APG, 1.6 SPG)
• G: Treysen Eaglestaff, North Dakota State (18.3 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.0 SPG)
• G: Jacari White, North Dakota State (17.1 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.3 APG, 0.7 SPG)
• G: JJ White, Omaha (13.2 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 3.8 APG, 0.8 SPG)

2025 Summit Tournament Simulation

First Round – Wed., Mar. 5

8. Kansas City (13-19, 4-12) vs. 9. Oral Roberts (7-23, 3-13) – 6:30 p.m. CT on Midco Sports

Hand up, we unfortunately weren’t able to get this out before the game, so we’re not going to pretend otherwise. Jamar Brown had a big 24 point outing, and Kansas City dominated Oral Roberts to start out Summit League tournament play.

Winner: 8. Kansas City

Quarterfinals – Thu., Mar. 6

1. Omaha (19-12, 13-3) vs. 8. Kansas City – 6:00 p.m. CT on Midco Sports

This is a fun game between the preseason #1 and the regular season #1. If a one seed is going to lose in the quarterfinals, it would be Omaha here, but Kansas City’s offense isn’t strong enough for them to pull out the win. Plus, Omaha beat them by 19 and 12 in their two matchups. Bang those trash cans!

Ariel’s pick: 1. Omaha

2. Saint Thomas (22-9, 12-4) vs. 7. North Dakota (11-20, 5-11) – 8:30 p.m. CT on Midco Sports

No one loves playing North Dakota more than Miles Barnstable. Two of his top three scoring performances of the season came against this team, including a 30-pointer in the first matchup. Treysen Eaglestaff, one of the best scorers in the conference, was held scoreless the last time they played. He’ll need at least 30 if they want to pull off the upset.

Ariel’s pick: 2. St. Thomas

Quarterfinals – Fri., Mar. 7

4. North Dakota State (21-10, 10-6) vs. 5. South Dakota (18-13, 9-7) – 6:00 p.m. CT on Midco Sports

The first time these two teams played, North Dakota State scored 103 points and won by 26. Jacari White went for 32 points on 10-13 shooting. The second time, which was eight days from this game, North Dakota State won by just four. That was without Jacksen Moni, though, who missed the game with a wrist injury.

This game comes down to his availability. If he plays, NDSU wins by 10+. If he doesn’t, South Dakota takes care of business with the home crowd behind them.

Ariel’s pick: 4. North Dakota State

3. South Dakota State (20-11, 11-5) vs. 6. Denver (11-20, 5-11) – 8:30 p.m. CT on Midco Sports

Like the previous matchup, these two teams played in the last game of the season, and Denver actually crushed them, 78-62. Cluff dealt with foul trouble, playing just 24 minutes and only grabbing 4 rebounds. These two teams played right after New Year’s, and South Dakota crushed them, winning by 21.

That win in the final game was Denver’s only win against a team not in the bottom three, and Denver only won two games away from home in conference play.

Ariel’s pick: 3. South Dakota State

Semifinals – Sat., Mar. 8

1. Omaha vs. 4. North Dakota State – 6:00 p.m. CT on CBS Sports

Once again, this comes down to if Jacksen Moni plays. Omaha can still win easily with or without him, but North Dakota State needs him on the court. North Dakota State is 51st in offensive efficiency per Kenpom. Omaha is 282 in defensive efficiency. That screams trouble, and unfortunately for Omaha, they’ll have to sit back and root for Saint Thomas now.

Ariel’s pick: 4. Omaha

2. Saint Thomas vs. 3. South Dakota State – 8:30 p.m. CT on CBS Sports

Saint Thomas went undefeated at home this season, but 7-8 on the road. This is much better than South Dakota State though, who went 4-8 on the road. This game will come down to the last possession and easily be the best of the entire tournament. South Dakota State handed Saint Thomas one of those four losses, and their worst one at that, beating them 102-86.

Saint Thomas plays such a high level of offense, and they don’t turn over the ball. South Dakota State doesn’t force turnovers, and that difference might be enough to give Saint Thomas a window to win.

Ariel’s pick: 2. Saint Thomas

Finals – Sun., Mar. 9

2. Saint Thomas vs. 4. North Dakota State – 8:30 p.m. CT on CBS Sports

Can North Dakota State recapture of the glory days of Vinnie Shahid and win their six Summit League conference tournament, or will Saint Thomas play spoiler and win to send Omaha to their first ever D1 NCAA Tournament?

Saint Thomas swept the season series, but as many know, it’s hard to beat a team three times. North Dakota State was the only team in the Summit to finish with a winning record away from home. Saint Thomas’ discipline and chemistry will lead them to the championship.

Ariel’s pick: Saint Thomas