University of St. Thomas Athletics
Saturday, January 18
St. Paul, Minn.
7:00 p.m. Central
vs
Denver
Photo by: Wesley Dean
Men’s Basketball closes three-game homestand Saturday versus Denver
1/17/2025 10:36:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Tommies (14-5, 4-0) and Pioneers tip-off at 7 p.m. in Schoenecker Arena
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- St. Thomas men's basketball looks to extend its perfect start to Summit League play as it hosts Denver on Saturday, Jan. 18, at 7 p.m. in Schoenecker Arena. The Tommies and Pioneers meet for the sixth time in program history as St. Thomas closes out a three-game homestand.
TUNE IN
Tickets: Buy Here
Watch: Summit League Network
Live Stats: St. Thomas vs. Denver
Listen: The Varsity Network
SERIES HISTORY
St. Thomas and Denver will meet for the seventh time in the all-time series, currently tied 3-3. The Pioneers won the first two meetings in 2021-22 before the Tommies swept the 2022-23 series. The home teams came away with wins during the 2023-24 series as both won by at least 17 points.
Kendall Blue led the Tommie returners with 12.5 points per game against the Pioneers, scoring 13 in St. Paul and 12 in Denver. Drake Dobbs added nine points in the loss and seven in the win, along with two assists. Ben Nau came off the bench to score 12 points during the Tommie win.
DOWN GO THE DAKOTAS
The perfect start to Summit League play continued as St. Thomas defeated South Dakota, 119-104, to set a new Division I era scoring record. The Tommies also set a DI first as all five starters scored at least 15 points on its way to beating its fourth straight Dakota school. Miles Barnstable led with 28 points, including four three-pointers, while Kendall Blue contributed 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Drake Dobbs added 16 points, nine assists, and no turnovers, and Carter Bjerke chipped in 16 points The win marked the Tommies' 12th consecutive home victory.
OPENING SUMMIT LEAGUE PLAY The Tommies have been perfect during Summit League openers since joining the league in 2021-22, taking wins at Omaha in 2021-22, against North Dakota in both the 2022-23 (home) and 2023-24 (away) seasons, and Jan. 2, 2024 at North Dakota State. St. Thomas won its first two Summit League games over each of the past three seasons and now recorded its first 4-0 start in league play since joining in 2021-22. Johnny Tauer has led the Tommies to 10 straight conference-opening wins and has a 13-1 record overall in such games, dating back to the MIAC days.
RARE COMPANY IN THE PURPLE AND GRAY
For just the third time since St. Thomas joined the Summit League, a Tommie was featured as the Peak Performer of the Week. Miles Barnstable claimed co-honors, splitting with South Dakota State's Oscar Cluff, after averaging 25.0 points and leading the Purple to a 2-0 road weekend to begin league play. He began the week with 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting in a win at North Dakota State before dropping season highs of 30 points and five rebounds at North Dakota. The only other Tommies to earn the league's weekly honor were Riley Miller and Parker Bjorklund, both during the 2022-23 season.
D 3-0
Miles Barnstable joined a short list of Tommies to score at least 30 points since joining the DI ranks. He became just the fifth player to score as many points in a game, joining Parker Bjorklund (32 vs NDSU '23-24), Raheem Anthony (32 vs UND '23-24), Anders Nelson (30 at St. Francis Brooklyn '21-22) and Brooks Allen (30 at South Dakota State '22-23). All five began their collegiate careers in the Division III ranks, Anthony at St. Mary's (MN) and Barnstable at UW-Whitewater with the other three playing for St. Thomas before the DI merger. The performance is the fourth most points in a game in the Summit League this season.
HARE-RAISING FINISH
St. Thomas men's basketball secured a thrilling 73-72 victory over South Dakota State on Wednesday night at Schoenecker Arena, marking its first 3-0 start to Summit League play and snapping a three-game losing streak to the Jackrabbits. Despite being outrebounded by 22, the Tommies capitalized on SDSU's 13 turnovers, scoring 19 points off those miscues while committing just four turnovers themselves. Junior Nolan Minessale led the way with 17 points, including the go-ahead jumper with 37 seconds left, while Drake Dobbs added 12 points, five assists, and the game-winning free throws with 13 seconds to play. The Tommies shot 39.4 percent from beyond the arc, sinking five more threes than SDSU, and extended their home win streak to 11 games. A tight defensive stand in the final 13 seconds sealed the win, as St. Thomas held the Jackrabbits without a clean shot attempt at the buzzer.
ROLLIN' BY DRAKE
Grad student Drake Dobbs has been on a hot streak capping a string of three straight games with at least 18 points at NDSU. He was the first Tommie to record a three-game streak with at least 18 points since Andrew Rohde (five-game streak) and Riley Miller (three-game streak) did so during the 2022-23 season. Dobbs has multiple games with at least four assists and no turnovers during league play, including the most assists by a Tommie against a DI opponent (9 vs South Dakota). He has three career games with at least four assists, no turnovers and double-digit points.
Prior to his three-game scoring streak, Dobbs set a career high of 18 points twice, including versus South Dakota State in St. Paul last season. Since then, he tied that mark twice and set a new career high of 19 points Dec. 29 at UC Riverside. With his four 3-pointers at NDSU, Dobbs made multiple 3-pointers in back-to-back games for the first time this season.
In addition to his scoring prowess, Dobbs has 46 assists and nine turnovers for a 5.11 assist-to-turnover ratio over the last 11 games and currently ranks 10th nationally in the category (3.57).
POLL TOMS
For the first time in the Division I era, St. Thomas landed on the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, making its debut at No. 25 on Jan. 6, 2025. The Tommies are the only Summit League school ranked while South Dakota State received votes. The Tommies are one of 12 teams on the Top 25 poll with at least 14 wins this season.
A TRUE (FRESHMAN) GAME OF THE ERA
Nolan Minessale powered a near comeback during an 81-79 overtime loss at UC Riverside on Dec. 29, 2024. The Brookfield, Wis., native scored 27 points on 9-of-16 shooting and 7-of-9 from the free throw line, tying for the most points in a game by a Tommie true freshman during the DI era. Andrew Rohde previously scored 27 points Feb. 25, 2023, at North Dakota. It is the eighth highest scoring game by a Tommie overall in the DI era and the most since Raheem Anthony scored 32 against North Dakota on Jan. 27, 2024, two days after Parker Bjorklund also scored 32 points at home against North Dakota State.
TYING A DIVISION I BEST SIX STRAIGHT
St. Thomas extended its winning streak to a DI program best six games with a set of dominant victories heading into the Christmas break. The Tommies most recently came away with a dominant 93-68 victory over Bowling Green, fueled by a stellar first-half defensive performance, balanced scoring from four players in double figures, and a team-best 23 points from Miles Barnstable. The Tommies closed out their 2024 home schedule with a gritty 77-71 win over Western Michigan, led by Ben Nau's career-high 22 points and a pivotal 16-0 second-half run. They capped it off with a commanding 100-61 triumph over Crown College, where freshman Ryan Lafferty shined with a record-setting double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds. The Purple shot above 45.8 percent with 10 or fewer turnovers in five of the last six wins, including six turnovers or fewer in three of the last five wins.
DEPTH. BALANCE. UNSELFISH.
St. Thomas is one of three teams (George Washington, Missouri) in the country to feature eight different leading scorers in a game this season. Eight of the Tommies' nine players who have played in all 19 games this season have led in scoring at least once this season. Miles Barnstable has led St. Thomas eight times, followed by Nolan Minessale and Ben Nau three times, and Kendall Blue and Ben Oosterbaan twice. Carter Bjerke, Rich Byhre and Drake Dobbs have all led in scoring once.
CLIMBING THE NET RANKINGS
The Tommies continue to climb the NET Rankings and are currently 97, a program best, through games of Jan. 16. St. Thomas is one of three Summit League teams currently among the top 104 (North Dakota State, 100/ South Dakota State, 104). Denver is the ninth highest ranked Summit League program at 341 through games on Jan. 156
St. Thomas ranks ahead of 15 Power Five programs in the NET Rankings: ACC - 8, Big East - 2, Big 12 - 2, Big Ten - 1, SEC - 0.
St. Thomas was initially ranked 133 in the NET Rankings on Dec. 1, 2024, before jumping to 99, its first time among the top 100, following its win over Northern Colorado on Dec. 4 and ahead of its loss at UC Riverside on Dec. 29. The Tommies' 99 ranking marks just the second transition team to top the 100 ranking since 2000, joining Grand Canyon from the 2015-16 season when it finished the season 88.
KEN POM RANKINGS
St. Thomas is a program best 110 in the Ken Pom Rankings after winning 10 of its last 11 games. The Purple jumped from 98th to 50th nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency, which includes points scored per 100 possessions, following its 4-0 start to the league schedule.
The Tommies are ranked ahead of seven Power Five schools in the Ken Pom Rankings: ACC - 6, Big East - 2, Big 12 - 1, Big Ten - 0, SEC - 0.
HIGHEST RANKED TEAM DEFEATED
St. Thomas' win over North Dakota State on Jan. 2 marked the highest ranked team the Purple have beat in both the NET and Ken Pom Rankings. NDSU entered the Summit League opener ranked 90 in the NET and 112 in the Ken Pom, compared to St. Thomas ranked 109 in the NET and 123 in the Ken Pom entering the game.
DIVISION I FRESHMEN DEBUTS
The freshmen duo of Nolan Minessale and Ben Oosterbaan (a redshirt freshman) each finished with 14 points during the season opener against North Central, marking the second and third Tommie freshmen to score as many points in their debuts. The only other freshman to do so was Andrew Rohde with 15 points at No. 9 Creighton to open the 2022-23 season.
GOING ON THE OFFENSIVE
The Toms have been pouring on points all season, including at least 87 points in 12 of 14 wins, and leads the Summit League with 86.6 points per game and an 11.3 scoring margin. St. Thomas' scoring average is tied for eighth nationally and is the most for the program since Head Coach Johnny Tauer took over in 2011.
The league's most efficient field goal shooting team is powering the offense, shooting 49.9 percent overall to lead the league while the team's 40.1 percent shooting from long range trails only North Dakota State.
AMONG THE BEST IN THE NATION
St. Thomas continues to rank among the best in the country in several stats, landing among the top 36 programs in nine categories, top 20 in six and top 10 in four.
TUNE IN
Tickets: Buy Here
Watch: Summit League Network
Live Stats: St. Thomas vs. Denver
Listen: The Varsity Network
SERIES HISTORY
St. Thomas and Denver will meet for the seventh time in the all-time series, currently tied 3-3. The Pioneers won the first two meetings in 2021-22 before the Tommies swept the 2022-23 series. The home teams came away with wins during the 2023-24 series as both won by at least 17 points.
Kendall Blue led the Tommie returners with 12.5 points per game against the Pioneers, scoring 13 in St. Paul and 12 in Denver. Drake Dobbs added nine points in the loss and seven in the win, along with two assists. Ben Nau came off the bench to score 12 points during the Tommie win.
DOWN GO THE DAKOTAS
The perfect start to Summit League play continued as St. Thomas defeated South Dakota, 119-104, to set a new Division I era scoring record. The Tommies also set a DI first as all five starters scored at least 15 points on its way to beating its fourth straight Dakota school. Miles Barnstable led with 28 points, including four three-pointers, while Kendall Blue contributed 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Drake Dobbs added 16 points, nine assists, and no turnovers, and Carter Bjerke chipped in 16 points The win marked the Tommies' 12th consecutive home victory.
OPENING SUMMIT LEAGUE PLAY The Tommies have been perfect during Summit League openers since joining the league in 2021-22, taking wins at Omaha in 2021-22, against North Dakota in both the 2022-23 (home) and 2023-24 (away) seasons, and Jan. 2, 2024 at North Dakota State. St. Thomas won its first two Summit League games over each of the past three seasons and now recorded its first 4-0 start in league play since joining in 2021-22. Johnny Tauer has led the Tommies to 10 straight conference-opening wins and has a 13-1 record overall in such games, dating back to the MIAC days.
RARE COMPANY IN THE PURPLE AND GRAY
For just the third time since St. Thomas joined the Summit League, a Tommie was featured as the Peak Performer of the Week. Miles Barnstable claimed co-honors, splitting with South Dakota State's Oscar Cluff, after averaging 25.0 points and leading the Purple to a 2-0 road weekend to begin league play. He began the week with 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting in a win at North Dakota State before dropping season highs of 30 points and five rebounds at North Dakota. The only other Tommies to earn the league's weekly honor were Riley Miller and Parker Bjorklund, both during the 2022-23 season.
D 3-0
Miles Barnstable joined a short list of Tommies to score at least 30 points since joining the DI ranks. He became just the fifth player to score as many points in a game, joining Parker Bjorklund (32 vs NDSU '23-24), Raheem Anthony (32 vs UND '23-24), Anders Nelson (30 at St. Francis Brooklyn '21-22) and Brooks Allen (30 at South Dakota State '22-23). All five began their collegiate careers in the Division III ranks, Anthony at St. Mary's (MN) and Barnstable at UW-Whitewater with the other three playing for St. Thomas before the DI merger. The performance is the fourth most points in a game in the Summit League this season.
HARE-RAISING FINISH
St. Thomas men's basketball secured a thrilling 73-72 victory over South Dakota State on Wednesday night at Schoenecker Arena, marking its first 3-0 start to Summit League play and snapping a three-game losing streak to the Jackrabbits. Despite being outrebounded by 22, the Tommies capitalized on SDSU's 13 turnovers, scoring 19 points off those miscues while committing just four turnovers themselves. Junior Nolan Minessale led the way with 17 points, including the go-ahead jumper with 37 seconds left, while Drake Dobbs added 12 points, five assists, and the game-winning free throws with 13 seconds to play. The Tommies shot 39.4 percent from beyond the arc, sinking five more threes than SDSU, and extended their home win streak to 11 games. A tight defensive stand in the final 13 seconds sealed the win, as St. Thomas held the Jackrabbits without a clean shot attempt at the buzzer.
ROLLIN' BY DRAKE
Grad student Drake Dobbs has been on a hot streak capping a string of three straight games with at least 18 points at NDSU. He was the first Tommie to record a three-game streak with at least 18 points since Andrew Rohde (five-game streak) and Riley Miller (three-game streak) did so during the 2022-23 season. Dobbs has multiple games with at least four assists and no turnovers during league play, including the most assists by a Tommie against a DI opponent (9 vs South Dakota). He has three career games with at least four assists, no turnovers and double-digit points.
Prior to his three-game scoring streak, Dobbs set a career high of 18 points twice, including versus South Dakota State in St. Paul last season. Since then, he tied that mark twice and set a new career high of 19 points Dec. 29 at UC Riverside. With his four 3-pointers at NDSU, Dobbs made multiple 3-pointers in back-to-back games for the first time this season.
In addition to his scoring prowess, Dobbs has 46 assists and nine turnovers for a 5.11 assist-to-turnover ratio over the last 11 games and currently ranks 10th nationally in the category (3.57).
POLL TOMS
For the first time in the Division I era, St. Thomas landed on the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, making its debut at No. 25 on Jan. 6, 2025. The Tommies are the only Summit League school ranked while South Dakota State received votes. The Tommies are one of 12 teams on the Top 25 poll with at least 14 wins this season.
A TRUE (FRESHMAN) GAME OF THE ERA
Nolan Minessale powered a near comeback during an 81-79 overtime loss at UC Riverside on Dec. 29, 2024. The Brookfield, Wis., native scored 27 points on 9-of-16 shooting and 7-of-9 from the free throw line, tying for the most points in a game by a Tommie true freshman during the DI era. Andrew Rohde previously scored 27 points Feb. 25, 2023, at North Dakota. It is the eighth highest scoring game by a Tommie overall in the DI era and the most since Raheem Anthony scored 32 against North Dakota on Jan. 27, 2024, two days after Parker Bjorklund also scored 32 points at home against North Dakota State.
TYING A DIVISION I BEST SIX STRAIGHT
St. Thomas extended its winning streak to a DI program best six games with a set of dominant victories heading into the Christmas break. The Tommies most recently came away with a dominant 93-68 victory over Bowling Green, fueled by a stellar first-half defensive performance, balanced scoring from four players in double figures, and a team-best 23 points from Miles Barnstable. The Tommies closed out their 2024 home schedule with a gritty 77-71 win over Western Michigan, led by Ben Nau's career-high 22 points and a pivotal 16-0 second-half run. They capped it off with a commanding 100-61 triumph over Crown College, where freshman Ryan Lafferty shined with a record-setting double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds. The Purple shot above 45.8 percent with 10 or fewer turnovers in five of the last six wins, including six turnovers or fewer in three of the last five wins.
DEPTH. BALANCE. UNSELFISH.
St. Thomas is one of three teams (George Washington, Missouri) in the country to feature eight different leading scorers in a game this season. Eight of the Tommies' nine players who have played in all 19 games this season have led in scoring at least once this season. Miles Barnstable has led St. Thomas eight times, followed by Nolan Minessale and Ben Nau three times, and Kendall Blue and Ben Oosterbaan twice. Carter Bjerke, Rich Byhre and Drake Dobbs have all led in scoring once.
CLIMBING THE NET RANKINGS
The Tommies continue to climb the NET Rankings and are currently 97, a program best, through games of Jan. 16. St. Thomas is one of three Summit League teams currently among the top 104 (North Dakota State, 100/ South Dakota State, 104). Denver is the ninth highest ranked Summit League program at 341 through games on Jan. 156
St. Thomas ranks ahead of 15 Power Five programs in the NET Rankings: ACC - 8, Big East - 2, Big 12 - 2, Big Ten - 1, SEC - 0.
St. Thomas was initially ranked 133 in the NET Rankings on Dec. 1, 2024, before jumping to 99, its first time among the top 100, following its win over Northern Colorado on Dec. 4 and ahead of its loss at UC Riverside on Dec. 29. The Tommies' 99 ranking marks just the second transition team to top the 100 ranking since 2000, joining Grand Canyon from the 2015-16 season when it finished the season 88.
KEN POM RANKINGS
St. Thomas is a program best 110 in the Ken Pom Rankings after winning 10 of its last 11 games. The Purple jumped from 98th to 50th nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency, which includes points scored per 100 possessions, following its 4-0 start to the league schedule.
The Tommies are ranked ahead of seven Power Five schools in the Ken Pom Rankings: ACC - 6, Big East - 2, Big 12 - 1, Big Ten - 0, SEC - 0.
HIGHEST RANKED TEAM DEFEATED
St. Thomas' win over North Dakota State on Jan. 2 marked the highest ranked team the Purple have beat in both the NET and Ken Pom Rankings. NDSU entered the Summit League opener ranked 90 in the NET and 112 in the Ken Pom, compared to St. Thomas ranked 109 in the NET and 123 in the Ken Pom entering the game.
DIVISION I FRESHMEN DEBUTS
The freshmen duo of Nolan Minessale and Ben Oosterbaan (a redshirt freshman) each finished with 14 points during the season opener against North Central, marking the second and third Tommie freshmen to score as many points in their debuts. The only other freshman to do so was Andrew Rohde with 15 points at No. 9 Creighton to open the 2022-23 season.
GOING ON THE OFFENSIVE
The Toms have been pouring on points all season, including at least 87 points in 12 of 14 wins, and leads the Summit League with 86.6 points per game and an 11.3 scoring margin. St. Thomas' scoring average is tied for eighth nationally and is the most for the program since Head Coach Johnny Tauer took over in 2011.
The league's most efficient field goal shooting team is powering the offense, shooting 49.9 percent overall to lead the league while the team's 40.1 percent shooting from long range trails only North Dakota State.
AMONG THE BEST IN THE NATION
St. Thomas continues to rank among the best in the country in several stats, landing among the top 36 programs in nine categories, top 20 in six and top 10 in four.
| Category | Total | Rank |
| Effective FG Pct. | .593 | 4th |
| 3FG/Game | 11.3 | 6th |
| 3FG Pct. | .402 | t-7th |
| Scoring Offense | 86.6 | t-8th |
| FG Pct. | .499 | t-11th |
| FT Pct. | .782 | 19th |
| Assist/Turnover Ratio | 1.58 | 28th |
| Turnover Margin | 3.4 | 34th |
| Turnovers/Game | 10.3 | t-34th |
GOODBYE, SCHOENECKER ARENA
Tommie Basketball is preparing its farewell tour at Schoenecker Arena with the anticipation of the Lee & Penny Anderson Arena, expected to be completed in late 2025. Schoenecker Arena has featured 187 men's basketball contests, in which the Tommies have gone 157-30 in those games and 33-4 at home over the past 37 games, including 12 straight wins, dating back to the program's inaugural DI season in 2021-22. The Tommies are the only Summit League team with 12-win seasons at home in both 2022-23 and 2023-24.
Through its home games during the DI era, St. Thomas has won its home games by an average margin of 22.6 points, including a margin of 15.0 points against DI opponents. Ten of the program's 22 home wins against DI opponents since that time have been by more than 20 points while just six were decided by fewer than 10 points.
SHOOTING 60
St. Thomas set season highs in field goal percentage in a half during the Dec. 4 win at Northern Colorado, opening the game shooting a season best 63.3 percent before topping that at 65.4 percent to close the final 20 minutes. The Tommies have now shot over 60 percent in a half seven times this season, going 5-0 in those games.
The Purple's 64.3 percent shooting overall against the Bears set a new Division I single-game record, hitting at least 60 percent shooting in seven games since 2021-22. St. Thomas shot above 60 percent during its road win at Green Bay and held a previous record of 63.3 percent on Nov. 11, 2022, against Chicago State.
GOING FOR THE KILL SHOT
St. Thomas recorded a "Kill Shot," a scoring run of 10-0 or more, in 14 games this season, going 12-2 in those games. St. Thomas went on a season best 20-0 run in the first half against St. Norbert and came up with a pivotal 12-0 run midway through the second half to secure the win over South Dakota State on Jan. 8. The only two losses while completing a Kill Shot came at Oklahoma State and at UC Riverside.
Opponents recorded a Kill Shot in five games against St. Thomas this season as the Purple are 2-3 in those games. The first Kill Shot against St. Thomas this season came at Oklahoma State as the Cowboys went on a 10-0 run to overtake a Tommie lead for good, while Arizona State went on two runs of 10-0 or better, each coming within the final 10 minutes of each half. The two wins with Kill Shots against St. Thomas this season came during its 98-76 win over Chicago State and 77-71 win over Western Michigan.
DOBBS BACK HOME
With St. Thomas serving as the most unique story in college basketball, it's only fitting graduate student Drake Dobbs is closing out his unique path as a part of the 2024-25 Tommie squad. The guard from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, was a regarded high school recruit as a senior at Eden Prairie High School. During his senior season, Dobbs led EPHS to a perfect 28-0 record and ranked #10 nationally before COVID shortened the season. He led his team to a road win over nationally ranked Minnehaha Academy and future NBA draft picks Jalen Suggs and Chet Holmgren. Dobbs was a Minnesota Mr. Basketball top five finalist, a McDonald's All-America nominee, an all-metro first team selection (alongside Suggs, Holmgren and Dawson Garcia), and the all-time leading scorer at EPHS with over 2,000 points.
Dobbs committed to Liberty University and played 39 games (including a NCAA Tournament First Round versus Oklahoma State) with two starts before transferring in the middle of the 2021-22 season to St. Thomas. Dobbs played in 11 games in 2022-23 before starting all 33 games as a senior. He set the tone as the Tommies' staple in the backcourt last season (playing a team-high 30.3 minutes per game), consistently drawing the opponent's top offensive threat while also directing the St. Thomas offense (3.28 assist-to-turnover ratio). He's again leading in minutes per game and holds a 3.0 assist-to-turnover ratio to lead the Summit League.
THE DIII PIPELINE
After the departure of three former NCAA Division III athletes (Brooks Allen, Raheem Anthony, Parker Bjorklund), St. Thomas brought in another DIII product in junior Miles Barnstable from University of Wisconsin - Whitewater. Barnstable played two seasons with the Warhawks (2022-24) where he was a 2023-24 NABC All-District Second Team and two-time WIAC All-Conference First Team selection. He was named the WIAC and WBCA Newcomer of the Year and to the D3hoops.com All-Region Third Team after leading UW-Whitewater to a Final Four run, upsetting five ranked teams along the way, while scoring 22 points per game. During his Tommie debut, Barnstable led St. Thomas with 16 points in 16 minutes. He followed with 23 points on 6-of-11 shooting in the win at Green Bay and leads the team in scoring (13.3 ppg). Barnstable scored his 1,000th career collegiate point Nov. 15, 2024, versus St. Norbert.
RETURN OF THE LONG BALL
St. Thomas returns four of its top five 3-point shooters from last season as the team's top seven scorers all made at least 35 3-pointers on the season. This season, Carter Bjerke is again leading with 45 3-pointers on 44.6 percent shooting. He and Ben Nau made the team's most in a game this season at six each. Five Tommies have at least 25 3-pointers made this season while all but one of those are shooting at least 44.4 percent from long range.
St. Thomas currently ranks second in the Summit League in 3-point percentage at .402, trailing only North Dakota State at .415. The Tommies are also second to the Bison in 3-pointers per game at 11.3. St. Thomas ranks sixth in 3-pointers per game and tied for seventh in 3-point field goal percentage nationally.
THE TELEVISED TOMMIES
Fans can watch all home games and Summit League contests on the Summit League Network, while four will be broadcast locally on FOX9+ including Dec. 7 against Montana (part of the Big Sky-Summit Challenge), Dec. 13 versus Western Michigan, Jan. 8 against South Dakota State, and Feb. 15 against Omaha. The Feb. 2 home contest against North Dakota State will be broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network.
TAKE CARE OF THE BALL
Tauer's teams have historically taken care of the basketball and last season was no different. The Tommies finished tied for ninth nationally in fewest turnovers per game (9.2) after ranking tied for 11th nationally in the fewest total turnovers (327) in 2022-23 and leading the category in 2021-22. St. Thomas was one of seven teams nationally to record fewer than 10.0 turnovers per game in each of the past three seasons. Only Houston, Vermont and Virginia had a better scoring defense and fewer turnovers per game than St. Thomas nationally last season.
Currently, St. Thomas ranks 34th nationally with 10.3 turnovers per game. The Tommies are averaging 7.6 turnovers per game over the past 10 games, including three games over the past six with four turnovers (one game with five). Entering 2024-25, the Purple had recorded four or fewer turnovers in five games since 2021-22.
A WINNING TRADITION
Winning has been the tradition at St. Thomas with the trend continuing under Head Coach Johnny Tauer. Since 2011, the Tommies have finished with eight 20-win seasons, 10 19-win seasons and 11 nine-win conference seasons. The only seasons to not win 19 games or nine conference games included the COVID season and the 2021-22 inaugural DI season.
Tauer has averaged 20.5 wins per season at St. Thomas and became the fastest coach in program history to reach 250 career wins, doing so in 337 career games. He is one of 18 active head coaches among all of NCAA with at least 250 wins and a .730 winning percentage at any program, and one of eight active among all of NCAA with both at one program.
SMOOTH TRANSITION
St. Thomas is one of nine teams currently making the transition into NCAA Division I. Of those nine teams, the Tommies are the only one making the jump directly from the Division III ranks (while all 47 teams to transition to Division I since 2001 came from Division II). Among the current transitioning teams, St. Thomas led all last season in wins, Ken Pom, and NET Rankings, and was third in each among 2023-24 transitioning teams.
St. Thomas is one of four teams since 2001 to transition to Division I that improved its win total in each of its first three seasons. The 20-win season was just the third for a transitioning team in its third year during that span.
In addition to its win total, the Tommies saw their Ken Pom and NET Rankings rise in each of the past four seasons. The Toms' final 2023-24 rankings in both (one of two Summit League teams to rank among the top 200) stand as the fourth best for a transitioning team in its third year of DI play. The Tommies' 99 NET Ranking prior to the Montana win this season marked just the second time a transitioning team has hit double digit marks in the NET Ranking (Grand Canyon '15-16).
After finishing the first year ranked 305 and the second at 202, the Tommies ended 2023-24 at 148 in the Ken Pom Rankings. The NET Rankings jumped from 314 to 199 between years one and two before ranking 159 to finish the 2023-24 season.
Johnny Tauer is one of four head coaches currently transitioning to Division I coaching at their alma mater. He is also one of eight DI head coaches in their first head coach stint, coaching at their alma mater, and a member of their athletics hall of fame. Tauer is the second longest tenured (14 seasons) among the eight, trailing only LeVelle Moton of NC Central (16 seasons).
POWER FIVE
St. Thomas has played against two Power Five opponents in each of the past three seasons, this season traveling to face Oklahoma State and Arizona State. The Tommies fell in both games by an average margin of 12 points (-9 at Oklahoma State, -15 at Arizona State).
The Cowboys are led by first-year head coach Steve Lutz, who was an assistant under Creighton's Greg McDermott and Purdue's Matt Painter, before serving as head coach at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi from 2021-23 and at Western Kentucky last season. In the first game of the all-time series, the Tommies nearly overcame 20 turnovers and a poor shooting first half before falling to the Cowboys, 80-71.
Oklahoma State Head Coach Steve Lutz on St. Thomas: "They're well coached. They're disciplined. They really shoot the basketball well."
The Sun Devils feature one of the top 10 incoming freshman classes of 2024-25 including two five-star and one four-star recruit. Joining ASU are five-star freshmen Jayden Quaintance (C, 6-9), who flipped his commitment from Kentucky, and Joson Sanon (G, 6-5), who previously committed to Arizona. Also joining Arizona State is four-star freshman Amier Ali (G/F, 6-8). ASU is led by Head Coach Bobby Hurley in his 10th season as the program transitions into the Big 12.
Arizona State Head Coach Bobby Hurley on St. Thomas: "I knew it was going to be a tough game. Their style is different. They're a very unique team. They move very fast, they back cut, shoot a lot of threes, a lot of long rebounds, a lot of long possessions of defense... There are easier teams that you most likely could find to play than this one."
TENURED IN THE SUMMIT
Head Coach Johnny Tauer is in his 14th season at St. Thomas as the longest tenured head coach among all Summit League programs and among the top 50 in their current role among all DI men's basketball coaches. He leads all league head coaches in winning percentage and is third in career wins.
| 2024-25 Summit League Head Coaches | |||
| Head Coach | School | Wins | Pct. |
| Paul Sather | North Dakota | 350 | .576 |
| Marvin Menzies | Kansas City | 283 | .580 |
| Johnny Tauer | St. Thomas | 281 | .734 |
| David Richman | North Dakota State | 204 | .598 |
| Eric Henderson | South Dakota State | 120 | .682 |
| Jeff Wulbrun | Denver | 49 | .415 |
| Chris Crutchfield | Omaha | 45 | .433 |
| Eric Peterson | South Dakota | 35 | .427 |
| Russell Springmann | Oral Roberts | 17 | .354 |
SUSTAINED EXCELLENCE
Head Coach Johnny Tauer's excellence within the Tommie Men's Basketball program dates back to his days as an Academic All-American that led to his induction to the St. Thomas Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001. As a student-athlete from 1991-95, Tauer was an All-MIAC player, first team All-West Region, and as a senior led the 1994-95 Toms to a school-record 27-0 start, including an MIAC Championship with an unprecedented 20-0 record. He helped the Toms to NCAA DIII Tournament berths in 1992-93, 1993-94, and 1994-95, including a run to the Final Four in 1993-94. Tauer ranks 25th in career scoring (1,219 points) and 23rd in career rebounding (482) at St. Thomas and was the school 3-point leader until 1999-2000.
After earning master's and PhD degrees at Wisconsin, Tauer joined the Tommie Men's Basketball coaching staff as an assistant coach and ran the St. Thomas defense for two seasons (2001-03) and also directed the Tommies' offensive sets that had consistently ranked among the best in NCAA basketball in overall offensive efficiency, field-goal percentage, 3-point proficiency, fewest turnovers, and assist-to-turnover ratio. With Tauer serving as an assistant, the Toms won the 2010-11 DIII National Championship title, made a run to the 2008-09 Final Four, and totaled seven DIII National Tournament runs.
With the retirement of longtime head coach Steve Fritz in 2011, Tauer took over the program and continued its storied tradition with another national title in 2015-16, a Final Four run in 2012-13, and five DIII National Tournament appearances.
As a student-athlete, assistant coach, and head coach at St. Thomas, Tauer has helped the Tommies to 613 wins in 29 seasons, averaging out to over 20 wins per season. He's been part of 19 conference titles, 15 national tournament appearances, three Final Fours, and two national championships.
FOLLOW ALONG
For more information on St. Thomas Men's Basketball, follow along on X (formerly Twitter) at @TommieMBBall and on Instagram at @TommieHoops
JOIN US
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-- St. Thomas Athletics --
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/ Men's BasketballTommie Men's Basketball: Summit League Tournament Cinematic Recap 2025
Thursday, March 20
Press Conference: Tommie Men's Basketball Postgame vs Kansas City 03-01-25
Sunday, March 02
Press Conference: Tommie Men's Basketball Postgame vs Omaha 02/15/25
Sunday, February 16
Tommie Men's Basketball vs NDSU: Cinematic Recap
Wednesday, February 05
