The college basketball offseason is here, and we decided to have some fun over the next few months, ranking ALL 364 teams in D1. Number 260 is North Dakota State basketball.
Before you say we’re crazy – or that all of this is up for debate, let’s go over the very intricate process of how we came to this conclusion. We took a very statistical approach – with the help of Chat GPT – taking into consideration everything from March Madness wins and finishes, to AP Poll appearances, to conference players of the year. And then, a good friend of ours, Scott Blanchard, took our approach to the MAX.
Click here to visit the FIRST article, which explains how the formula works!
Here’s the breakdown of North Dakota State basketball!
NCAA Tournament Success
- Championships: 0
- Finals appearances: 0
- Final Fours: 0
- Elite Eights: 0
- Sweet 16s: 0
- NCAA wins: 2
- Bids: 5
Consistency Over Time
- Wins per season: 14.1
- Bids per season: 0.10
- AP Polls: 0
Player Quality & Talent
- All-Americans: 0
- NBA players drafted & played: 0
- Conference Players of the Year: 3
Conference & Other Success
- Conference regular season titles: 5
- Conference tournament titles: 6
- NIT titles: 0
- Other tournament titles: 0
Overall scoop on North Dakota State basketball
What were the odds of back-to-back teams from the Dakotas, with South Dakota as the previous team at No. 261?
North Dakota State has a few more years to be considered at the major level, playing as an Independent in the early 1900s. They had some outstanding seasons early on, going 11-1 in 1904, 11-1 in 1907, 14-0 in 1911, 18-0 in 1916, and a combined 48-8 between 1924-26. In fact, between 1897 and 1926, they combined for just two losing seasons.
The Bison wouldn’t become a full-time DI member until 2005, but they’ve sort of picked up where they left off. Since returning to the scene, still just five losing seasons – the same amount as NCAA Tournament bids they’ve secured as a mid-major.
Only a few coaches have roamed the sidelines since then, with Tim Miles doing extremely well when they got moved up to Division I, going 36-20 in those first two seasons.
Saul Phillips took over and in seven seasons, put together a 134-84 record, leading the Bison to the big dance in 2009 and 2014. Both of those years, NDSU also won the Summit League regular season crown.
Phillips left for Ohio, but David Richman took over in 2014 and has stayed ever since. Richman brought them back to the tourney in his first season in 2015, again in 2019, and just this past season in 2026. His record of 238-150 is one of the best in mid-major hoops, and he’s won 20+ games with the Bison six times.
As far as consistency goes, NDSU might be the best in Summit League history, especially since joining well after some of the other lifers in the conference. And they don’t seem to be slowing down soon.