Ndsu Basketball title-game push raises NCAA stakes for Bison seniors

For ndsu basketball, the difference between celebrating a season and extending it is one game — and a single NCAA tournament berth. As of 7: 30 p. m. ET Thursday, North Dakota State coach Dave Richman had his veteran-heavy Bison positioned to play for that spot in Sioux Falls, with a rivalry opponent waiting across the bracket.

North Dakota State entered the title game against the University of North Dakota with a 26-7 record and a chance to match a long-running standard inside the program: the Bison’s 26 wins tied the school record for most in a season, previously matched by the 1924-25, 2008-09 and 2013-14 teams. The immediate payoff for players is clear — win, and the season continues on college basketball’s biggest stage; lose, and the run ends despite a record-tying year.

Still, the stakes are also personal for a group built around older rotation players who have lived through close finishes and changing roles. Forward Noah Feddersen described the team’s year as one shaped by experience, and that maturity showed up in late-game results: North Dakota State won seven games by five points or less this season.

Dave Richman’s veteran core gives North Dakota State late-game leverage

The Bison’s rotation has leaned on players who aren’t new to high-pressure possessions. Seniors Tay Smith and Markhi Strickland are both 24, while Feddersen and guard Damari Wheeler-Thomas are in their fourth years. Guard Trevian Carson is a junior at his second school, and backup forward Emil Skytta has a playing timeline that traces back to 2020, when he was on a Finnish national team in his native Finland.

Richman said that experience has mattered, and players connected it directly to results in tight games. Wheeler-Thomas framed it as a maturity advantage, pointing to the Bison’s performance when margins shrink late.

Roles have shifted within that experienced group, too. Feddersen came into this season with 53 starts in 64 games, then moved into a bench role after a December stretch when Richman inserted 6-foot-9 sophomore Treyson Anderson into the starting lineup. That change was paired with Feddersen becoming one of the first options off the bench, a move that later aligned with him earning the Summit League Sixth Man of the Year award.

That award also created a new layer of pressure and opportunity for the player himself. Feddersen said any conversation about the transfer-portal NIL world would wait until after the season, keeping the focus on the title-game opportunity in front of the team.

ndsu basketball faces University of North Dakota with a berth on the line

The championship game was set for 8 p. m. ET at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, with the winner earning a berth in the NCAA tournament. North Dakota advanced after a 67-66 win over the University of St. Thomas, sealed when 6-foot-10 center George Natsvlishvili made a free throw with 0. 1 seconds remaining.

North Dakota State carried confidence from the regular season series. The Bison beat the Fighting Hawks twice in February, winning 83-66 in Grand Forks and 96-63 in Fargo. Yet, North Dakota coach Paul Sather said his team needed a different mindset for 40 minutes, directly acknowledging the gap between those two outcomes and the approach required in the title game.

On the floor, one immediate concern centered on North Dakota guard Greyson Uelmen. In the Summit tournament, Uelmen scored 69 points across two games — a total that was 24 more than the next-highest scorer in the tournament at the time. For the Bison, limiting that production was tied to their identity: in their first two tournament games, North Dakota State allowed an average of 57. 5 points.

Richman framed the moment in personal terms after a semifinal win, noting the speed of the calendar and the rarity of playing for an NCAA berth. He also described a team chemistry he values, pointing to what he called “competitive character” in the players his staff brings into the program.

Ndsu Basketball roster-building evolves as transfer portal reshapes the Summit

Richman’s approach has not stayed static through his time leading the program. He has been head coach for 12 years at North Dakota State after serving as a Bison assistant, and he said the core of his style remains rooted in tough defense and being a good teammate. But he also made adjustments in how the roster is built, learning to embrace the transfer portal after initially disliking it — a shift he tied to the Bison’s ability to reach the title-game stage.

The roster reflects that blended formula. North Dakota State is still recruiting high school players and has five players coming in next season, while also using transfers to supplement the roster. Carson was named to the all-Summit League first team, and Wheeler-Thomas earned second team honors. Richman was named the league’s Coach of the Year, an award that landed as his team pushed toward a chance at the NCAA tournament.

For Wheeler-Thomas and Feddersen, the season also carried a unique twist: both four-year players went through the Bison Senior Day last Saturday with a year of eligibility remaining. Wheeler-Thomas’ arc included 60 starts over his first two seasons, then a year spent sitting out while rehabilitating a leg injury.

That on-court chase has unfolded alongside a broader shift at the school. North Dakota State is moving its football program to the Mountain West Conference in a football-only change, which places the football rivalry with North Dakota into hiatus again even as the Bison-Hawks matchup continues in other sports. After the 96-63 win over North Dakota on Feb. 28, Richman told reporters he understood basketball’s place in Fargo while also expressing excitement for fans about the football move.

The immediate outcome for the basketball team, though, remained tied to the title game: win at the Denny Sanford Premier Center and the Bison extend a record-tying season into the NCAA tournament; lose and the run stops short despite a year shaped by older players, shifting roles, and a roster built for March.

If North Dakota State wins the 8 p. m. ET title game in Sioux Falls, the Bison are expected to secure the NCAA tournament berth that comes with the Summit League championship.