Preview: North Dakota Fighting Hawks at Saint Thomas (Minn.) Tommies

SAINT PAUL, Minn. (Interstat) — The surging Saint Thomas (Minn.) Tommies look to solidify their Summit League standing when they host the North Dakota Fighting Hawks in a men’s NCAA Division I basketball rematch Thursday night at Schoenecker Arena.

The Tommies (17-5 overall) enter with a commanding 5-1 conference record and have won seven of their last eight games. Their lone loss in that stretch was a narrow 68-65 defeat at North Dakota State on Jan. 17. Saint Thomas boasts one of the league’s most efficient offenses, averaging 86.5 points per game.

North Dakota (12-12) sits at .500 both overall and in conference play (4-4), but brings momentum from a two-game road sweep last week, including a 93-86 victory at Denver on Saturday.

The matchup features a compelling duel between two of the Summit League’s top scorers. Saint Thomas is led by guard Nick Janowski, who torched North Dakota for 32 points in the teams’ first meeting just two weeks ago, a 91-80 Tommies victory in Grand Forks. Janowski is averaging 22.4 points over his last five games.

He will be countered by North Dakota’s hot-handed Greyson Uelmen. The guard is coming off a career-high 30-point performance in the win at Denver and has averaged 22.1 points over his last seven contests, shooting 50% from the field in that span. His 19 points in the Jan. 15 loss to Saint Thomas were not enough to keep pace.

For North Dakota to avenge the earlier loss and snap Saint Thomas’s four-game home winning streak, they must improve defensively after allowing the Tommies to shoot 54% from the field in the first meeting. The Fighting Hawks will also need continued secondary scoring from players like Eli King, who had 17 points and eight rebounds against Denver.

Saint Thomas, which has not lost at Schoenecker Arena since Dec. 28, will rely on its balanced attack and home-court advantage. Alongside Janowski, forwards Austin Herro and Ryan Dufault provide consistent rebounding and scoring depth.

Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. EST. The game is critical for North Dakota’s hopes of climbing the league table, while Saint Thomas aims to keep pace at the top.