St. Thomas men's basketball pegged Summit League preseason favorite
St. Thomas men's basketball pegged Summit League preseason favorite
In its first year of eligibility for the NCAA Tournament, the St. Thomas men's basketball team is pegged as the preseason favorite to win the Summit League. Coach John Tauer, Carter Bjerke and Nolen MInessale represented the Tommies at Summit League Media Day on Tuesday in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - For the first time since its transition to Division I athletics, University of St. Thomas sports teams are eligible for a postseason starting this year.
March Madness for Tommies?
What we know:
That might be a reality soon for the Tommies’ men’s basketball team. St. Thomas won 24 games last season and finished second in the Summit League at 12-4. The Tommies reached the conference tournament title game last season, and because they weren’t eligible for the NCAA Tournament, Omaha got the league’s automatic bid.
With 10 players back from last year’s roster, St. Thomas is this year’s preseason favorite to win the league. Sophomore guard Nolan Minessale was voted the league’s Preseason Player of the Year, and Carter Bjerke was named All-Summit League First Team.
If they win the league tournament, they’ll hear their name on Selection Sunday.
"Now we know what it takes to get there and what it takes to finish that. Our goal is always to win the Summit League, we’re excited to potentially make it to March Madness, but we have to earn that," Bjerke said at Summit League Media Day.
Opening Lee and Penny Anderson Arena
Why you should care:
Another milestone for St. Thomas is coming in just a few short weeks. The Tommies will break in the new Lee and Penny Anderson Arena on Nov. 8 against Army, which is Lee Anderson’s alma mater.
The arena will seat about 5,300 for basketball fans. St. Thoms moved into its new digs on Wednesday.
"I had a chance to walk through there on Friday, our players will see it for the first time in five months when we move in. I think it’s as nice as anything in college basketball," coach John Tauer said. "It’s not the biggest, it’s 5,300 seats, but when you look at the amenities, it’s a place people are going to love watching basketball. It’s the next step for UST not just as a program, but as a university as a whole."
What's next:
The Tommies open the 2025-26 season at St. Mary’s (California) on Nov. 3. You can watch select St. Thomas games this year on FOX 9+.