Preview: North Dakota Fighting Hawks at Missouri-Kansas City Kangaroos

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Interstat) — Two Summit League men’s basketball teams seeking momentum will meet Saturday when the North Dakota Fighting Hawks visit the Missouri-Kansas City Kangaroos at Municipal Auditorium.

North Dakota (8-11, 2-2 Summit) enters after an 79-90 road loss at Omaha on Thursday. The Fighting Hawks had won three of their previous four games, including a 90-87 overtime victory over South Dakota State on Jan. 3.

The Kangaroos (4-13, 1-3) are looking to rebound from a 73-97 home loss to North Dakota State on Thursday. UMKC’s lone conference win came Jan. 3 at Omaha, 73-66.

A key matchup will feature North Dakota guard Eli King against UMKC’s Kasheem Grady. King is coming off a 21-point performance against Omaha and has averaged 17.4 points over his last five games. Grady scored 18 points in the loss to NDSU and has been a consistent offensive threat for the Kangaroos.

North Dakota’s recent success has been fueled by improved scoring. In their three wins since Dec. 28, the Fighting Hawks averaged 83.3 points per game. Greyson Uelmen (19 points vs. Omaha) and Garrett Anderson (15 points) provide supplemental scoring behind King.

UMKC has struggled defensively, allowing 90 or more points in four of its last six games. The Kangaroos will need a stronger defensive effort against a North Dakota team that has shown offensive potency.

The Fighting Hawks hold the better overall and conference record, but UMKC will have the home-floor advantage in the historic downtown arena. Both teams are in the bottom half of the early Summit League standings, making this a contest for valuable positioning.

This is the first of two scheduled meetings this season. The teams will play again in Grand Forks, N.D., on Feb. 19.

Tip-off is set for Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026.