Preview: Summit League Championship on the Line as Tommies Face Fighting Hawks

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Interstat) — The Summit League men’s basketball championship will be decided Saturday when the top-seeded Saint Thomas (Minn.) Tommies face the North Dakota Fighting Hawks.

The title game, set for March 7, 2026, at the Premier Center, pits the conference’s most consistent team against a surging challenger playing its best basketball of the season.

Saint Thomas (24-8) enters as the heavy favorite, having dominated league play and secured the seed. The Tommies are powered by guard Nolan Minessale, a dynamic playmaker averaging 20.8 points and 6.0 assists over his last five games. In Thursday’s semifinal win over South Dakota State, Minessale posted 22 points and six assists. Saint Thomas has won eight of its last nine, with its only loss in that span a two-point road defeat at Denver.

North Dakota (17-16) has engineered a remarkable tournament run to reach the final. After a .500 regular season, the Fighting Hawks have found new life in Sioux Falls. They are led by the explosive Greyson Uelmen, who is coming off a career-high 41-point performance in Friday’s semifinal rout of Denver. Uelmen is averaging 27.2 points over his last five contests, carrying the offensive load for a team peaking at the perfect time.

The season series between the teams was split, with each winning on its home court. Saint Thomas won 91-80 in Grand Forks on Jan. 15, but North Dakota returned the favor with an 81-80 victory in St. Paul on Jan. 29.

The stakes could not be higher. For Saint Thomas, a win would cap a storybook season and secure an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. For North Dakota, a victory would complete an improbable conference tournament title run and extend its season into March Madness despite its sub-.500 overall record.

Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. CDT Saturday. The game will be televised on ESPN2.