University of St. Thomas Athletics
Wednesday, January 7
St. Paul, Minn.
8:00 p.m. CT
vs
South Dakota
Photo by: Maddie Kranz
Four-game homestand closes Wednesday versus South Dakota
1/6/2026 2:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Tommies and Coyotes tip off at 8 p.m. with game broadcast on FOX9+
ST. PAUL, Minn. – St. Thomas men's basketball concludes its longest homestand of the season Wednesday, Jan. 7 at 8 p.m. against South Dakota at Lee & Penny Anderson Arena. The Tommies (12-4, 1-0 Summit League) have gone 2-1 against the Coyotes (8-8, 0-1 Summit League) over the last three games of the eight-game series.
TUNE IN
vs. South Dakota
Watch | Live Stats | Listen
SERIES HISTORY | SOUTH DAKOTA
St. Thomas and South Dakota have played eight times in the series history, led by USD 6-2, dating back to Jan. 22, 2022. The Tommies won consecutive games between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons before an 85-80 loss to the Coyotes on Feb. 19, 2025, during the most recent meeting in Vermillion, S.D.
Carter Bjerke averaged 15.0 points against the Coyotes last season, scoring 16 points during the win in St. Paul and 14 points during the loss in Vermillion. He went 4-of-8 on 3-pointers in a 119-104 win over USD, where Nolan Minessale added 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting and four blocks, and Ryan Dufault scored 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting.
ANOTHER PERFECT START TO SUMMIT PLAY
St. Thomas opened Summit League play with a 92-88 win over Denver on Sunday, Jan. 4, powered by a 31-point performance from redshirt freshman Nick Janowski. The Tommies extended their overall winning streak to six games and pushed the nation's longest active home winning streak to 26. The victory marked St. Thomas' fifth straight Summit League schedule-opening win and its fifth consecutive victory in its first game of the New Year.
Janowski recorded the program's eighth 30-point game of the Division I era and accounted for 19 points after halftime, as the Tommies shot 50 percent from the field and 46.7 percent from three in the second half. St. Thomas has now scored at least 90 points in three straight games for the first time in the Division I era and has reached 80 points in all six games of its current streak. The Tommies again protected the ball, committing fewer than 10 turnovers for the fifth straight game, while Austin Herro scored a career high 15 points, Ben Oosterbaan added 16 points on a career-high four 3-pointers and Isaiah Johnson-Arigu led the bench with 12 points.
A NEW PEAK PERFORMER
Behind his 31-point performance, Nick Janowski was selected as the Summit League Peak Performer of the Week. He shot 12-of-22 overall, including three 3-pointers, while adding seven rebounds against the Pioneers. Janowski scored 19 of his points in the second half and finished as one of five 30-point performances in the league this season. He joins Nolan Minessale as Tommies to earn the weekly honor in 2025-26, with St. Thomas already surpassing its combined total of three weekly award winners from the previous four Division I seasons.
READY TO DANCE
With the transition in the rear-view mirror, St. Thomas is beginning its first season as a fully postseason-tournament-eligible program within NCAA Division I. Initially a five-year transition period, the NCAA Division I Council voted in January in favor of a reduction to the department's provisional period from five to four years. The NCAA later announced in June that St. Thomas had completed its reclassification process and is fully eligible to compete in postseason play. St. Thomas made its first Summit League postseason appearance in 2022-23 and have gone 4-3 in those games, including a trip to its first title game last season against eventual champion Omaha.
MR. 300
Johnny Tauer became the third St. Thomas head men's basketball coach to record 300 career victories, joining Steve Fritz (1980-2011) and Tom Feely (1954-1980), following the win at UNC Asheville. Tauer is the fastest of the three to reach the milestone, doing so in 411 games compared to 464 games for Fritz and 480 for Feely. Tauer is now just one of five active coaches among all of NCAA with 300 victories and a .730 winning percentage at one school and joins Gonzaga's Mark Few as the only two to do so currently at the Division I level. The only two head coaches in the Summit League with 300 career wins are Tauer and Paul Sather of North Dakota.
THE FIRST OF MANY RANKINGS
The initial NET Rankings for the 2025-26 season were released Sunday, Nov. 30, placing St. Thomas 138 among 365 teams. The mark landed as the highest Summit League team (SDSU: 178, NDSU: 179) and ahead of 12 Power 5 programs (Big Ten: 4, ACC: 3, Big 12: 3, Big East: 3, SEC: 1).
Since the initial rankings, St. Thomas has gone 6-1 to vault to 120, leading all Summit League teams. The Tommies currently slot ahead of North Dakota State (149), South Dakota State (178), and Denver (226). Nine Power Five programs slot in behind St. Thomas from the Big Ten (3), Big East (3), ACC (2), and Big 12 (1).
FOUR FOR FOUR
Nolan Minessale's historic start to the season earned him two back-to-back Summit League Peak Performer of the Week honors on Nov. 18 and 25 before adding two more on Dec. 9 and 16, the first Tommie to earn multiple weekly honors for the program since joining in 2021. He is one of four Summit League athletes to earn the weekly award at least four times in one season since 2022-23. Minessale's four weekly awards are more than the program has brought in through the first four seasons of Summit League play combined. Nick Janowski also earned peak performer of the week honors following a 31-point game Jan. 4, 2026, during a win over Denver to start the league schedule.
LIVING UP TO THE HYPE
Through the first 16 games of the season, Nolan Minessale has shown why he was chosen as the Summit League Preseason Player of the Year. The sophomore put up eight straight 20-point performances to begin the season, becoming the first Tommie to do so under Head Coach Johnny Tauer since at least the 2005-06 season and the first player in NCAA DI to do so since at least 2021-22, and recently recorded back-to-back 30-point games, the only Tommie of the DI era with multiple 30-point games. Dating back to the 2025 Summit League Championship title game, Minessale scored at least 20 points in nine straight games, the first Tommie to do so under Head Coach Johnny Tauer. Minessale ranks third among NCAA DI in total points, fifth in field goals made and 17th in points per game.
Minessale's back-to-back 30-point games place him among 39 athletes in NCAA DI with multiple 30-point games this season. He's the first Tommie with multiple 30+ games during the DI era and is one of 11 players in the country with double-digit 20-point games (13) this season. Minessale is also one of six players nationally averaging 20.0+ points and 4.0+ assists with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.0 or better (Christian Anderson - Texas Tech, Tavari Johnson - Akron, Boopie Miller - SMU, Labaron Philon - Alabama, Bruce Thornton - Ohio State).
MINESSALE NAMED TO LOU HENSON EARLY SEASON WATCH LIST
Nolan Minessale's historic start to the 2025-26 season has earned him national recognition as part of the 'Early Season Watch List' for the Lou Henson Award, presented annually to the top mid-major player in Division I college basketball, as announced Thursday by CollegeInsider.com. The award honors the former Illinois and New Mexico State head coach who won 775 games in 41 seasons. The 2026 award will be announced in Indianapolis, Ind., the site of the men's Division I Basketball Championship.
THE NATION'S LONGEST HOME WINNING STREAK CONTINUES
St. Thomas extended its home winning streak to 26 games, dating back to Feb. 8, 2024, after a 92-88 win over Denver on Jan. 4. The 26-game streak is two games ahead of Duke and three ahead of Akron and Miami (OH) for the longest in NCAA Division I.
The Tommies went a perfect 14-0 during its last season at Schoenecker Arena in 2024-25, marking the second undefeated home season in the venue since 2010. The streak is the second longest for the program under Johnny Tauer, previously winning 32 games between Feb. 2012 and Feb. 2014. The Tommies have now won 46 of 50 home games over the past four seasons, among the top 15 highest winning percentages nationally over that span.
Dating back to the start of the 2021-22 seasons, St. Thomas' 26-game home winning streak is tied for the seventh longest in NCAA DI. Houston holds the longest streak during that span at 33 games (1/28/23-1/22/25) followed by Iowa State at 29 games (11/6/23-1/21/25). Drake, Samford and UConn each recorded 28-game home streaks while Kentucky won 27 straight between the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons.
VALUE THE BALL
Tauer's teams have historically taken care of the basketball, and the first five seasons of DI play are no different. The Tommies finished tied for 13th nationally in turnovers per game (9.5) last season, ninth in 2023-24 (9.2), ranked tied for 11th nationally in the fewest total turnovers (327) in 2022-23 and led the category in 2021-22 (243). St. Thomas is one of three teams nationally to record fewer than 10.0 turnovers per game in each of the past four seasons, joining Iowa and Wisconsin. The Tommies (9.3) are the only one of the three currently under 10.0 turnovers per game in 2025-26.
Through 16 games in 2025-26, St. Thomas has turned the ball over 10 or fewer times in 13 games and rank 10th in the country in turnovers per game. The Tommies have posted fewer turnovers than their opponents in 14 of 16 games this season, going 11-3 in those games.
FOCUSED ON HIGH EFFICIENCY
St. Thomas' success on the scoreboard can be attributed to the type of shots it's taking, primarily as one of the best in the country on converting two-point field goals. The Tommies rank fifth nationally, behind Michigan, Georgia, Iowa and Duke, shooting 62.4 percent on two-pointers.
LOVE THAT HOME COOKING
Through its home games during the DI era, St. Thomas has won its home games by an average margin of 21.5 points, including a margin of 14.6 points against DI opponents. Twelve of the program's 36 home wins against DI opponents since that time have been by more than 20 points while 10 were decided by fewer than 10 points.
THE SUMMIT LEAGUE PRESEASON FAVORITES
Coming off its first trip to the Summit League Championship game, St. Thomas was voted to finish first in the 2025-26 Summit League Preseason Poll. The Tommies received 17 first-place votes and 501 total points, ahead of last season's league champion Omaha with 13 first-place votes and 495 points. South Dakota State was slotted third with five first-place votes and 450 points followed by North Dakota State with 358 points.
Sophomore Nolan Minessale was voted as the Summit League Preseason Player of the Year, the first sophomore to earn the honor since Mike Daum of South Dakota State in 2016-17 and the first true sophomore since at least the 2006-07 season. The guard from Brookfield, Wis., started all 34 games and quickly established himself as one of the Summit League's top two-way players. He led the league in blocks per game, ranked sixth in steals, and paced the Tommies with a .562 field goal percentage. Minessale averaged 11.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game, scoring in double figures 16 times with four 20-point outings.
Redshirt junior Carter Bjerke was picked to the All-Summit League First Team after emerging as one of the league's top perimeter shooters and a cornerstone of the Tommies' offense. The Plymouth, Minn., native has played in all 67 games of his career, leading St. Thomas in 3-pointers made in each of his first two seasons. In 2024-25, he averaged 9.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per game while ranking fifth in the league in made 3-pointers, scoring in double figures 17 times, including a career-high 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting from deep against NCAA Tournament qualifier Wofford.
POLL TOMS
The Purple began the 2025-26 season receiving 78 votes in the Mid-Major Top 25 Poll and totaled 85 in the most recent poll to rank No. 24. The Tommies are the only Summit League program ranked while North Dakota State (33) is the only other to receive votes. St. Thomas landed on the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll for the first time in program history in January 2025, debuting at No. 25 before reaching as high as No. 19 on Jan. 20, 2025.
St. Thomas makes its first appearance on the T3Bracketology One-Bid League Mid-Major Top 32 Poll this week, coming in at No. 27.
In addition to the CollegeInside.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, St. Thomas was selected among a handful of preseason media polls: No. 6 on Ryan Hammer's Mid-Major Top 20 Poll, No. 13 on Field of 68's Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, No. 13 on T3Bracketology's Top 32 Poll. While the Tommies were the only Summit League team among those polls, they were also the highest ranked Summit League team in Sports Illustrated's Complete Division I Preseason Rankings, slotting in at No. 124.
THE SUMMIT OF WINS
St. Thomas continues to rank at the top of the Summit League in overall wins over the past four seasons, totaling 75 victories since the start of the 2022-23 season. Following UST is South Dakota State with 69 wins, North Dakota State with 63 and Oral Roberts with 54. In addition, the Tommies also lead the Summit League with 46 home wins over that span, ahead of SDSU with 39 and NDSU with 37.
PRIMETIME TOMMIES
St. Thomas will again be exclusively broadcast on the CBS Sports Network as its Feb. 1 matchup against Kansas City and Feb. 4 game at South Dakota State were announced as part of the league's seven-game lineup for men's basketball on the network. The Lee & Penny Anderson Arena will be the backdrop of the game against Kansas City, a team St. Thomas has won five straight games against, while the Tommies will look to win their first game in Brookings, S.D., over the Jackrabbits on CBS Sports Network. Last season, St. Thomas came away with a 79-62 win over North Dakota State on CBS Sports Network's Feb. 2 broadcast.
A BOLSTERED SQUAD
Six newcomers - five with at least three years of eligibility - join the Tommies, including three Power Four transfers and two ESPN four-star recruits. The group combines local roots, championship experience, and national-level pedigree.
• #0 Isaiah Johnson-Arigu (F, 6-7, 215, So., Miami/Iowa) – Four-star ESPN recruit, back-to-back state titles at Totino-Grace; No. 2 ranked player in Minnesota out of high school.
• #10 Tommy Humphries Jr. (G, 6-5, 205, R-So., Furman) – Totino-Grace graduate and two-time state champion; ranked No. 5 in Minnesota coming out of high school.
• #11 Austin Herro (G, 6-3, 180, R-So., South Carolina) – Brother of NBA All-Star Tyler Herro; played AAU with Milan Momcilovic.
• #13 Luka Momcilovic (F, 6-7, 220, Fr.) – Averaged 16.8 PPG and 8.1 RPG in high school; multiple-time all-conference pick with two state titles and one runner-up finish.
• #20 Jack Tauer (G, 6-2, 200, Gr.) – Played two seasons at St. Norbert College before serving as a student manager; a Cretin-Derham Hall graduate.
• #23 Nick Janowski (G, 6-4, 210, R-Fr., Nebraska) – Four-star ESPN recruit; former teammate of Luka and Milan Momcilovic.
A CULTURE OF CHAMPIONS
The Tommies' roster carries a winning pedigree: 16 high school state championships between nine athletes and seven runner-up finishes across seven athletes. Newcomer Nick Janowski was a three-time state champion at Pewaukee High School, while teammate and fellow newcomer Luka Momcilovic was part of two of those championships. Newcomers Tommy Humphries Jr., (2022, 2023) and Isaiah Johnson-Arigu (2023, 2024) both won back-to-back championships at Totino-Grace High School, Kyle Counts won two Oregon state titles at Wilsonville High School while Hayden Tibbits won two Minnesota State titles, including one with Carter Bjerke at Wayzata High School. Ryan Dufault hit the game-winning shot to clinch the 2021 Minnesota state title at Waseca High School while Nolan Minessale led Marquette University to a Wisconsin state title in 2024. That group along with Austin Herro and Adam and Jack Tauer also combined for eight runner-up finishes.
In addition to the athletes' championships, the coaching staff has also combined for five state championships in various sports. Head Coach Johnny Tauer won high school state titles in basketball and baseball for Cretin-Derham Hall, assistant coach Cameron Rundles won a state title in basketball for DeLaSalle, and director of operations Josh Rodenbiker won two state titles in football at Fargo Shanley in North Dakota.
BACK TO 24
The Tommies extended their DI single-season record with 24 wins following its Summit League Championship semifinal win over North Dakota in 2024-25. It's the sixth season of 14 under Head Coach Johnny Tauer with as many wins and the 11th with at least 19. The Tommies' 12 wins in Summit League play last season also extended a single season record after totaling nine in each of the previous two seasons.
BACK-TO-BACK 20 WINS/BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK 19 WINS
St. Thomas has recorded at least 20 wins in back-to-back seasons, joining only Grand Canyon as teams since 2000 to do so in years 3 and 4 of their transition to Division I. The Tommies join SDSU as the only Summit League teams with back-to-back 20-win seasons since 2021-22 and the Purple are the only transition team with three consecutive 19+ win seasons. UST is one of six teams in all of Division I to improve its win total (with a minimum of 19 wins) each season since 2022-23. Overall, St. Thomas is one of 12 teams in the country to improve its winning percentage over the previous four seasons (min. 60 wins).
A TRANSITION LIKE NO OTHER
St. Thomas produced one of the most successful transitions to Division I. With the win over Denver in the Summit League Championship semifinal, St. Thomas has the second most wins by a transition team through its first four seasons (73), trailing only Grand Canyon with 81. The Purple are the only transition team with three consecutive 19-win seasons, became the second team with back-to-back 20-win seasons in years 3 and 4 (Grand Canyon) and the fourth transition team overall with 23 wins in a season since 2000. Among all transition teams since 2000, St. Thomas recorded the largest Ken Pom Ranking and NET Ranking improvements from the end of year one through year four, jumping 181 spots in the KP and 196 in the NET through four seasons.
A TEST OF METTLE TO BEGIN
St. Thomas opened the season Monday, Nov. 3 with an 84-58 loss at (RV) Saint Mary's (CA), one of the premier mid-major programs in the nation. Nolan Minessale led all scorers with 24 points on 10-of-19 shooting, while Nick Janowski added 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting. St. Thomas shot 46.3 percent from the field, but struggled from deep and at the line, going 5-of-21 from three and 3-of-10 at the stripe, while the Gaels pulled away with a 49-point second half fueled by 65 percent shooting. St. Thomas outscored Saint Mary's 38-32 in the paint and 17-7 on fastbreak points. The Gaels' size proved decisive, holding a 41-24 rebounding edge, including 11 offensive boards that led to 10 second-chance points.
1,026 DAYS IN THE MAKING
Since Jan. 17, 2023, when the Lee & Penny Anderson Arena was announced for the first time, St. Thomas men's basketball has been waiting for the day to play in its new home. The Tommies came away with an 83-76 win over Army when the arena finally opened for basketball on Nov. 8, 2025.
Nolan Minessale led St. Thomas to an 83-76 victory over Army in the inaugural game at LPA, marking the Tommies' nation-leading 19th straight home win. Minessale scored 20 points for the second consecutive game. St. Thomas (1-1) shot 50 percent from the field and dominated inside with a 50-28 advantage in paint points. The Tommies used a 17-0 first-half run to build a commanding lead and maintained control despite several Army rallies. Nick Janowski added 16 points and five rebounds, while Carter Bjerke (12 points) and Isaiah Johnson-Arigu (11) also reached double figures. The win improved Head Coach Johnny Tauer's record to 14-1 in home openers.
20/20 VISION
A pair of 20-point scorers powered the St. Thomas offense for the second time this season as Nolan Minessale (24) and Isaiah Johnson-Arigu (21) led the team in scoring during its first road win of 2025-26 at Ohio Valley Conference favorites SEMO, 84-72. The Tommies started the game with a 10-0 run and led by as many as 23, 57-34, thanks to their best overall shooting percentage of the season (58.7%). UST won the rebound margin for the first time this season while the offense featured two 20-point scorers for the second time, totaling just two such games all last season. Minessale (20) and Nick Janowski (22) previously topped the scoring mark during the team's loss at Washington State.
DRAMA IN PORTLAND
St. Thomas finished as Portland Invitational Champions following a 2-1 weekend Nov. 21-23, taking wins over Northern Colorado and Portland. Nolan Minessale and Nick Janowski were each named to the All-Tournament Team with Minessale being named the Most Valuable Player. Minessale averaged 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, shooting 43.4 percent from the field. He scored 20 points in each game, extending his season-opening streak of 20-point games to eight with the help of a half-court, buzzer beater to beat Northern Colorado.
The Tommies opened with a dramatic 73-72 victory over Northern Colorado on Minessale's half-court buzzer-beater. Minessale later poured in 26 points, one shy of a career high, during an 88-80 setback to Cal State Fullerton after leading by six points with less than four minutes to play. St. Thomas regrouped Sunday, racing out to a 14-0 start and closing strong to defeat host Portland, 76-66, behind 24 points from Minessale.
BIG SKY-SUMMIT SUCCESS
Over each of the first two Big Sky-Summit Challenges, St. Thomas was the only program between the two conferences to remain undefeated. UST came away with wins at Northern Colorado (87-75) and at home against Montana (88-81) last season after beginning the series in 2023-24 with wins at Idaho (75-67) and against Sacramento State (63-50). The first loss of the challenge came Dec. 3, 82-74, at Montana State before bouncing back with an 88-65 win over Weber State on Dec. 7 in St. Paul. St. Thomas is now 10-4 all-time against the Big Sky.
BIG SKY BOUNCE BACK
St. Thomas answered its first ever loss in the Big Sky-Summit Challenge with a convincing 88-65 win over Weber State on Dec. 7 at home. Nolan Minessale topped 20 points for the first time in three games to tie the program's Division I era single-game scoring record of 32 points, including 21 in the first half. He shot 12-of-16 from the field, with 2-of-3 from 3-point range, with 5 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks. The Tommies used two decisive scoring bursts in the first half to seize control, a 10-0 run from 14:55-13:37 followed by a 13-0 surge spanning nearly four minutes to hold a 36-12 lead. The Purple shot 59.4 percent from the field over the first 20 minutes. The Wildcats could only cut the Tommie lead to 16 a few times as St. Thomas sealed the win with 26 points off 17 Weber State turnovers.
TOMMIE-JOHNNIE VICTORY
The Tommies picked up where they left off in the series against the Johnnies of Saint John's (MN) following an 80-56 victory on Thursday, Dec. 11 in front of a sold-out crowd of 5,325 in Lee & Penny Anderson Arena. St. Thomas won its third straight against Saint John's in the first game against each other since January 2021. Overall, it is the 13th win by Head Coach Johnny Tauer against SJU.
Saint John's scored 28 points off the bench compared to 27 for St. Thomas, led by sophomore Isaiah Johnson-Arigu with 10 on 5-of-8 shooting who added five rebounds. Nolan Minessale led all scorers with 30 points, his second straight game with at least 30. He shot 11-of-15 from the field, his second straight game shooting above 70 percent and fourth straight game above 50 percent, while making 2-of-3 from long range and 6-of-9 from the free throw line. He recorded a career-high 11 rebounds for his first career double-double.
CRUISING TO 9-4
Johnny Tauer earned his 300th career win as head coach following St. Thomas' 80-59 victory Dec. 13 at UNC Asheville, as the Tommies improved to 9-4 on the season. St. Thomas remains the only Summit League program to post at least nine wins through its first 13 games in each of the past four seasons, continuing a stretch of consistent nonconference success.
The Tommies set the tone with an early 8-0 run and pulled away for good with a decisive 25-3 surge late in the first half. St. Thomas shot better than 50 percent from the field for the fourth straight game, went 9-of-18 from 3-point range. Nolan Minessale led all scorers with 23 points for his nation-leading 11th 20-point game of the season, while Nick Janowski added 16 and Carter Bjerke finished with 12 on four 3-pointers.
NO MORE NON-CON
St. Thomas closed its non-conference schedule in emphatic fashion, pairing back-to-back home wins to finish with the most non-conference victories (before conference play) in program history since joining Division I. The Tommies opened the stretch with a 92-78 win over UC Riverside on Dec. 20, extending their home winning streak behind another dominant offensive night from Nolan Minessale and Carter Bjerke. Minessale scored 27 points for his 12th 20-point game of the season, while Bjerke added a career-high 21 as St. Thomas shot better than 60 percent from the floor and seized control with decisive runs in both halves.
Eight days later, the Purple closed non-league play with a 105-59 victory over North Central, marking the program's first 100-point game since January 2025 and pushing the home winning streak to 25 games, the longest active streak in NCAA Division I. Minessale poured in 20 first-half points as the Tommies built early separation and never looked back, holding North Central to just 23 points after halftime.
The Tommies led the Summit League in total wins through the non-conference schedule (11), followed by North Dakota State with 10 and South Dakota with 8. Statistically, St. Thomas led all league teams in scoring defense (70.1), field goal percentage (.497), 3-point field goal percentage defense (.315), assists per game (16.7), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.78), and defensive rebounds per game (26.2).
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-- St. Thomas Athletics --
TUNE IN
vs. South Dakota
Watch | Live Stats | Listen
SERIES HISTORY | SOUTH DAKOTA
St. Thomas and South Dakota have played eight times in the series history, led by USD 6-2, dating back to Jan. 22, 2022. The Tommies won consecutive games between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons before an 85-80 loss to the Coyotes on Feb. 19, 2025, during the most recent meeting in Vermillion, S.D.
Carter Bjerke averaged 15.0 points against the Coyotes last season, scoring 16 points during the win in St. Paul and 14 points during the loss in Vermillion. He went 4-of-8 on 3-pointers in a 119-104 win over USD, where Nolan Minessale added 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting and four blocks, and Ryan Dufault scored 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting.
ANOTHER PERFECT START TO SUMMIT PLAY
St. Thomas opened Summit League play with a 92-88 win over Denver on Sunday, Jan. 4, powered by a 31-point performance from redshirt freshman Nick Janowski. The Tommies extended their overall winning streak to six games and pushed the nation's longest active home winning streak to 26. The victory marked St. Thomas' fifth straight Summit League schedule-opening win and its fifth consecutive victory in its first game of the New Year.
Janowski recorded the program's eighth 30-point game of the Division I era and accounted for 19 points after halftime, as the Tommies shot 50 percent from the field and 46.7 percent from three in the second half. St. Thomas has now scored at least 90 points in three straight games for the first time in the Division I era and has reached 80 points in all six games of its current streak. The Tommies again protected the ball, committing fewer than 10 turnovers for the fifth straight game, while Austin Herro scored a career high 15 points, Ben Oosterbaan added 16 points on a career-high four 3-pointers and Isaiah Johnson-Arigu led the bench with 12 points.
A NEW PEAK PERFORMER
Behind his 31-point performance, Nick Janowski was selected as the Summit League Peak Performer of the Week. He shot 12-of-22 overall, including three 3-pointers, while adding seven rebounds against the Pioneers. Janowski scored 19 of his points in the second half and finished as one of five 30-point performances in the league this season. He joins Nolan Minessale as Tommies to earn the weekly honor in 2025-26, with St. Thomas already surpassing its combined total of three weekly award winners from the previous four Division I seasons.
READY TO DANCE
With the transition in the rear-view mirror, St. Thomas is beginning its first season as a fully postseason-tournament-eligible program within NCAA Division I. Initially a five-year transition period, the NCAA Division I Council voted in January in favor of a reduction to the department's provisional period from five to four years. The NCAA later announced in June that St. Thomas had completed its reclassification process and is fully eligible to compete in postseason play. St. Thomas made its first Summit League postseason appearance in 2022-23 and have gone 4-3 in those games, including a trip to its first title game last season against eventual champion Omaha.
MR. 300
Johnny Tauer became the third St. Thomas head men's basketball coach to record 300 career victories, joining Steve Fritz (1980-2011) and Tom Feely (1954-1980), following the win at UNC Asheville. Tauer is the fastest of the three to reach the milestone, doing so in 411 games compared to 464 games for Fritz and 480 for Feely. Tauer is now just one of five active coaches among all of NCAA with 300 victories and a .730 winning percentage at one school and joins Gonzaga's Mark Few as the only two to do so currently at the Division I level. The only two head coaches in the Summit League with 300 career wins are Tauer and Paul Sather of North Dakota.
THE FIRST OF MANY RANKINGS
The initial NET Rankings for the 2025-26 season were released Sunday, Nov. 30, placing St. Thomas 138 among 365 teams. The mark landed as the highest Summit League team (SDSU: 178, NDSU: 179) and ahead of 12 Power 5 programs (Big Ten: 4, ACC: 3, Big 12: 3, Big East: 3, SEC: 1).
Since the initial rankings, St. Thomas has gone 6-1 to vault to 120, leading all Summit League teams. The Tommies currently slot ahead of North Dakota State (149), South Dakota State (178), and Denver (226). Nine Power Five programs slot in behind St. Thomas from the Big Ten (3), Big East (3), ACC (2), and Big 12 (1).
FOUR FOR FOUR
Nolan Minessale's historic start to the season earned him two back-to-back Summit League Peak Performer of the Week honors on Nov. 18 and 25 before adding two more on Dec. 9 and 16, the first Tommie to earn multiple weekly honors for the program since joining in 2021. He is one of four Summit League athletes to earn the weekly award at least four times in one season since 2022-23. Minessale's four weekly awards are more than the program has brought in through the first four seasons of Summit League play combined. Nick Janowski also earned peak performer of the week honors following a 31-point game Jan. 4, 2026, during a win over Denver to start the league schedule.
LIVING UP TO THE HYPE
Through the first 16 games of the season, Nolan Minessale has shown why he was chosen as the Summit League Preseason Player of the Year. The sophomore put up eight straight 20-point performances to begin the season, becoming the first Tommie to do so under Head Coach Johnny Tauer since at least the 2005-06 season and the first player in NCAA DI to do so since at least 2021-22, and recently recorded back-to-back 30-point games, the only Tommie of the DI era with multiple 30-point games. Dating back to the 2025 Summit League Championship title game, Minessale scored at least 20 points in nine straight games, the first Tommie to do so under Head Coach Johnny Tauer. Minessale ranks third among NCAA DI in total points, fifth in field goals made and 17th in points per game.
Minessale's back-to-back 30-point games place him among 39 athletes in NCAA DI with multiple 30-point games this season. He's the first Tommie with multiple 30+ games during the DI era and is one of 11 players in the country with double-digit 20-point games (13) this season. Minessale is also one of six players nationally averaging 20.0+ points and 4.0+ assists with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.0 or better (Christian Anderson - Texas Tech, Tavari Johnson - Akron, Boopie Miller - SMU, Labaron Philon - Alabama, Bruce Thornton - Ohio State).
MINESSALE NAMED TO LOU HENSON EARLY SEASON WATCH LIST
Nolan Minessale's historic start to the 2025-26 season has earned him national recognition as part of the 'Early Season Watch List' for the Lou Henson Award, presented annually to the top mid-major player in Division I college basketball, as announced Thursday by CollegeInsider.com. The award honors the former Illinois and New Mexico State head coach who won 775 games in 41 seasons. The 2026 award will be announced in Indianapolis, Ind., the site of the men's Division I Basketball Championship.
THE NATION'S LONGEST HOME WINNING STREAK CONTINUES
St. Thomas extended its home winning streak to 26 games, dating back to Feb. 8, 2024, after a 92-88 win over Denver on Jan. 4. The 26-game streak is two games ahead of Duke and three ahead of Akron and Miami (OH) for the longest in NCAA Division I.
The Tommies went a perfect 14-0 during its last season at Schoenecker Arena in 2024-25, marking the second undefeated home season in the venue since 2010. The streak is the second longest for the program under Johnny Tauer, previously winning 32 games between Feb. 2012 and Feb. 2014. The Tommies have now won 46 of 50 home games over the past four seasons, among the top 15 highest winning percentages nationally over that span.
Dating back to the start of the 2021-22 seasons, St. Thomas' 26-game home winning streak is tied for the seventh longest in NCAA DI. Houston holds the longest streak during that span at 33 games (1/28/23-1/22/25) followed by Iowa State at 29 games (11/6/23-1/21/25). Drake, Samford and UConn each recorded 28-game home streaks while Kentucky won 27 straight between the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons.
VALUE THE BALL
Tauer's teams have historically taken care of the basketball, and the first five seasons of DI play are no different. The Tommies finished tied for 13th nationally in turnovers per game (9.5) last season, ninth in 2023-24 (9.2), ranked tied for 11th nationally in the fewest total turnovers (327) in 2022-23 and led the category in 2021-22 (243). St. Thomas is one of three teams nationally to record fewer than 10.0 turnovers per game in each of the past four seasons, joining Iowa and Wisconsin. The Tommies (9.3) are the only one of the three currently under 10.0 turnovers per game in 2025-26.
Through 16 games in 2025-26, St. Thomas has turned the ball over 10 or fewer times in 13 games and rank 10th in the country in turnovers per game. The Tommies have posted fewer turnovers than their opponents in 14 of 16 games this season, going 11-3 in those games.
FOCUSED ON HIGH EFFICIENCY
St. Thomas' success on the scoreboard can be attributed to the type of shots it's taking, primarily as one of the best in the country on converting two-point field goals. The Tommies rank fifth nationally, behind Michigan, Georgia, Iowa and Duke, shooting 62.4 percent on two-pointers.
LOVE THAT HOME COOKING
Through its home games during the DI era, St. Thomas has won its home games by an average margin of 21.5 points, including a margin of 14.6 points against DI opponents. Twelve of the program's 36 home wins against DI opponents since that time have been by more than 20 points while 10 were decided by fewer than 10 points.
THE SUMMIT LEAGUE PRESEASON FAVORITES
Coming off its first trip to the Summit League Championship game, St. Thomas was voted to finish first in the 2025-26 Summit League Preseason Poll. The Tommies received 17 first-place votes and 501 total points, ahead of last season's league champion Omaha with 13 first-place votes and 495 points. South Dakota State was slotted third with five first-place votes and 450 points followed by North Dakota State with 358 points.
Sophomore Nolan Minessale was voted as the Summit League Preseason Player of the Year, the first sophomore to earn the honor since Mike Daum of South Dakota State in 2016-17 and the first true sophomore since at least the 2006-07 season. The guard from Brookfield, Wis., started all 34 games and quickly established himself as one of the Summit League's top two-way players. He led the league in blocks per game, ranked sixth in steals, and paced the Tommies with a .562 field goal percentage. Minessale averaged 11.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game, scoring in double figures 16 times with four 20-point outings.
Redshirt junior Carter Bjerke was picked to the All-Summit League First Team after emerging as one of the league's top perimeter shooters and a cornerstone of the Tommies' offense. The Plymouth, Minn., native has played in all 67 games of his career, leading St. Thomas in 3-pointers made in each of his first two seasons. In 2024-25, he averaged 9.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per game while ranking fifth in the league in made 3-pointers, scoring in double figures 17 times, including a career-high 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting from deep against NCAA Tournament qualifier Wofford.
POLL TOMS
The Purple began the 2025-26 season receiving 78 votes in the Mid-Major Top 25 Poll and totaled 85 in the most recent poll to rank No. 24. The Tommies are the only Summit League program ranked while North Dakota State (33) is the only other to receive votes. St. Thomas landed on the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll for the first time in program history in January 2025, debuting at No. 25 before reaching as high as No. 19 on Jan. 20, 2025.
St. Thomas makes its first appearance on the T3Bracketology One-Bid League Mid-Major Top 32 Poll this week, coming in at No. 27.
In addition to the CollegeInside.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, St. Thomas was selected among a handful of preseason media polls: No. 6 on Ryan Hammer's Mid-Major Top 20 Poll, No. 13 on Field of 68's Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, No. 13 on T3Bracketology's Top 32 Poll. While the Tommies were the only Summit League team among those polls, they were also the highest ranked Summit League team in Sports Illustrated's Complete Division I Preseason Rankings, slotting in at No. 124.
THE SUMMIT OF WINS
St. Thomas continues to rank at the top of the Summit League in overall wins over the past four seasons, totaling 75 victories since the start of the 2022-23 season. Following UST is South Dakota State with 69 wins, North Dakota State with 63 and Oral Roberts with 54. In addition, the Tommies also lead the Summit League with 46 home wins over that span, ahead of SDSU with 39 and NDSU with 37.
PRIMETIME TOMMIES
St. Thomas will again be exclusively broadcast on the CBS Sports Network as its Feb. 1 matchup against Kansas City and Feb. 4 game at South Dakota State were announced as part of the league's seven-game lineup for men's basketball on the network. The Lee & Penny Anderson Arena will be the backdrop of the game against Kansas City, a team St. Thomas has won five straight games against, while the Tommies will look to win their first game in Brookings, S.D., over the Jackrabbits on CBS Sports Network. Last season, St. Thomas came away with a 79-62 win over North Dakota State on CBS Sports Network's Feb. 2 broadcast.
A BOLSTERED SQUAD
Six newcomers - five with at least three years of eligibility - join the Tommies, including three Power Four transfers and two ESPN four-star recruits. The group combines local roots, championship experience, and national-level pedigree.
• #0 Isaiah Johnson-Arigu (F, 6-7, 215, So., Miami/Iowa) – Four-star ESPN recruit, back-to-back state titles at Totino-Grace; No. 2 ranked player in Minnesota out of high school.
• #10 Tommy Humphries Jr. (G, 6-5, 205, R-So., Furman) – Totino-Grace graduate and two-time state champion; ranked No. 5 in Minnesota coming out of high school.
• #11 Austin Herro (G, 6-3, 180, R-So., South Carolina) – Brother of NBA All-Star Tyler Herro; played AAU with Milan Momcilovic.
• #13 Luka Momcilovic (F, 6-7, 220, Fr.) – Averaged 16.8 PPG and 8.1 RPG in high school; multiple-time all-conference pick with two state titles and one runner-up finish.
• #20 Jack Tauer (G, 6-2, 200, Gr.) – Played two seasons at St. Norbert College before serving as a student manager; a Cretin-Derham Hall graduate.
• #23 Nick Janowski (G, 6-4, 210, R-Fr., Nebraska) – Four-star ESPN recruit; former teammate of Luka and Milan Momcilovic.
A CULTURE OF CHAMPIONS
The Tommies' roster carries a winning pedigree: 16 high school state championships between nine athletes and seven runner-up finishes across seven athletes. Newcomer Nick Janowski was a three-time state champion at Pewaukee High School, while teammate and fellow newcomer Luka Momcilovic was part of two of those championships. Newcomers Tommy Humphries Jr., (2022, 2023) and Isaiah Johnson-Arigu (2023, 2024) both won back-to-back championships at Totino-Grace High School, Kyle Counts won two Oregon state titles at Wilsonville High School while Hayden Tibbits won two Minnesota State titles, including one with Carter Bjerke at Wayzata High School. Ryan Dufault hit the game-winning shot to clinch the 2021 Minnesota state title at Waseca High School while Nolan Minessale led Marquette University to a Wisconsin state title in 2024. That group along with Austin Herro and Adam and Jack Tauer also combined for eight runner-up finishes.
In addition to the athletes' championships, the coaching staff has also combined for five state championships in various sports. Head Coach Johnny Tauer won high school state titles in basketball and baseball for Cretin-Derham Hall, assistant coach Cameron Rundles won a state title in basketball for DeLaSalle, and director of operations Josh Rodenbiker won two state titles in football at Fargo Shanley in North Dakota.
BACK TO 24
The Tommies extended their DI single-season record with 24 wins following its Summit League Championship semifinal win over North Dakota in 2024-25. It's the sixth season of 14 under Head Coach Johnny Tauer with as many wins and the 11th with at least 19. The Tommies' 12 wins in Summit League play last season also extended a single season record after totaling nine in each of the previous two seasons.
BACK-TO-BACK 20 WINS/BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK 19 WINS
St. Thomas has recorded at least 20 wins in back-to-back seasons, joining only Grand Canyon as teams since 2000 to do so in years 3 and 4 of their transition to Division I. The Tommies join SDSU as the only Summit League teams with back-to-back 20-win seasons since 2021-22 and the Purple are the only transition team with three consecutive 19+ win seasons. UST is one of six teams in all of Division I to improve its win total (with a minimum of 19 wins) each season since 2022-23. Overall, St. Thomas is one of 12 teams in the country to improve its winning percentage over the previous four seasons (min. 60 wins).
A TRANSITION LIKE NO OTHER
St. Thomas produced one of the most successful transitions to Division I. With the win over Denver in the Summit League Championship semifinal, St. Thomas has the second most wins by a transition team through its first four seasons (73), trailing only Grand Canyon with 81. The Purple are the only transition team with three consecutive 19-win seasons, became the second team with back-to-back 20-win seasons in years 3 and 4 (Grand Canyon) and the fourth transition team overall with 23 wins in a season since 2000. Among all transition teams since 2000, St. Thomas recorded the largest Ken Pom Ranking and NET Ranking improvements from the end of year one through year four, jumping 181 spots in the KP and 196 in the NET through four seasons.
A TEST OF METTLE TO BEGIN
St. Thomas opened the season Monday, Nov. 3 with an 84-58 loss at (RV) Saint Mary's (CA), one of the premier mid-major programs in the nation. Nolan Minessale led all scorers with 24 points on 10-of-19 shooting, while Nick Janowski added 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting. St. Thomas shot 46.3 percent from the field, but struggled from deep and at the line, going 5-of-21 from three and 3-of-10 at the stripe, while the Gaels pulled away with a 49-point second half fueled by 65 percent shooting. St. Thomas outscored Saint Mary's 38-32 in the paint and 17-7 on fastbreak points. The Gaels' size proved decisive, holding a 41-24 rebounding edge, including 11 offensive boards that led to 10 second-chance points.
1,026 DAYS IN THE MAKING
Since Jan. 17, 2023, when the Lee & Penny Anderson Arena was announced for the first time, St. Thomas men's basketball has been waiting for the day to play in its new home. The Tommies came away with an 83-76 win over Army when the arena finally opened for basketball on Nov. 8, 2025.
Nolan Minessale led St. Thomas to an 83-76 victory over Army in the inaugural game at LPA, marking the Tommies' nation-leading 19th straight home win. Minessale scored 20 points for the second consecutive game. St. Thomas (1-1) shot 50 percent from the field and dominated inside with a 50-28 advantage in paint points. The Tommies used a 17-0 first-half run to build a commanding lead and maintained control despite several Army rallies. Nick Janowski added 16 points and five rebounds, while Carter Bjerke (12 points) and Isaiah Johnson-Arigu (11) also reached double figures. The win improved Head Coach Johnny Tauer's record to 14-1 in home openers.
20/20 VISION
A pair of 20-point scorers powered the St. Thomas offense for the second time this season as Nolan Minessale (24) and Isaiah Johnson-Arigu (21) led the team in scoring during its first road win of 2025-26 at Ohio Valley Conference favorites SEMO, 84-72. The Tommies started the game with a 10-0 run and led by as many as 23, 57-34, thanks to their best overall shooting percentage of the season (58.7%). UST won the rebound margin for the first time this season while the offense featured two 20-point scorers for the second time, totaling just two such games all last season. Minessale (20) and Nick Janowski (22) previously topped the scoring mark during the team's loss at Washington State.
DRAMA IN PORTLAND
St. Thomas finished as Portland Invitational Champions following a 2-1 weekend Nov. 21-23, taking wins over Northern Colorado and Portland. Nolan Minessale and Nick Janowski were each named to the All-Tournament Team with Minessale being named the Most Valuable Player. Minessale averaged 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, shooting 43.4 percent from the field. He scored 20 points in each game, extending his season-opening streak of 20-point games to eight with the help of a half-court, buzzer beater to beat Northern Colorado.
The Tommies opened with a dramatic 73-72 victory over Northern Colorado on Minessale's half-court buzzer-beater. Minessale later poured in 26 points, one shy of a career high, during an 88-80 setback to Cal State Fullerton after leading by six points with less than four minutes to play. St. Thomas regrouped Sunday, racing out to a 14-0 start and closing strong to defeat host Portland, 76-66, behind 24 points from Minessale.
BIG SKY-SUMMIT SUCCESS
Over each of the first two Big Sky-Summit Challenges, St. Thomas was the only program between the two conferences to remain undefeated. UST came away with wins at Northern Colorado (87-75) and at home against Montana (88-81) last season after beginning the series in 2023-24 with wins at Idaho (75-67) and against Sacramento State (63-50). The first loss of the challenge came Dec. 3, 82-74, at Montana State before bouncing back with an 88-65 win over Weber State on Dec. 7 in St. Paul. St. Thomas is now 10-4 all-time against the Big Sky.
BIG SKY BOUNCE BACK
St. Thomas answered its first ever loss in the Big Sky-Summit Challenge with a convincing 88-65 win over Weber State on Dec. 7 at home. Nolan Minessale topped 20 points for the first time in three games to tie the program's Division I era single-game scoring record of 32 points, including 21 in the first half. He shot 12-of-16 from the field, with 2-of-3 from 3-point range, with 5 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks. The Tommies used two decisive scoring bursts in the first half to seize control, a 10-0 run from 14:55-13:37 followed by a 13-0 surge spanning nearly four minutes to hold a 36-12 lead. The Purple shot 59.4 percent from the field over the first 20 minutes. The Wildcats could only cut the Tommie lead to 16 a few times as St. Thomas sealed the win with 26 points off 17 Weber State turnovers.
TOMMIE-JOHNNIE VICTORY
The Tommies picked up where they left off in the series against the Johnnies of Saint John's (MN) following an 80-56 victory on Thursday, Dec. 11 in front of a sold-out crowd of 5,325 in Lee & Penny Anderson Arena. St. Thomas won its third straight against Saint John's in the first game against each other since January 2021. Overall, it is the 13th win by Head Coach Johnny Tauer against SJU.
Saint John's scored 28 points off the bench compared to 27 for St. Thomas, led by sophomore Isaiah Johnson-Arigu with 10 on 5-of-8 shooting who added five rebounds. Nolan Minessale led all scorers with 30 points, his second straight game with at least 30. He shot 11-of-15 from the field, his second straight game shooting above 70 percent and fourth straight game above 50 percent, while making 2-of-3 from long range and 6-of-9 from the free throw line. He recorded a career-high 11 rebounds for his first career double-double.
CRUISING TO 9-4
Johnny Tauer earned his 300th career win as head coach following St. Thomas' 80-59 victory Dec. 13 at UNC Asheville, as the Tommies improved to 9-4 on the season. St. Thomas remains the only Summit League program to post at least nine wins through its first 13 games in each of the past four seasons, continuing a stretch of consistent nonconference success.
The Tommies set the tone with an early 8-0 run and pulled away for good with a decisive 25-3 surge late in the first half. St. Thomas shot better than 50 percent from the field for the fourth straight game, went 9-of-18 from 3-point range. Nolan Minessale led all scorers with 23 points for his nation-leading 11th 20-point game of the season, while Nick Janowski added 16 and Carter Bjerke finished with 12 on four 3-pointers.
NO MORE NON-CON
St. Thomas closed its non-conference schedule in emphatic fashion, pairing back-to-back home wins to finish with the most non-conference victories (before conference play) in program history since joining Division I. The Tommies opened the stretch with a 92-78 win over UC Riverside on Dec. 20, extending their home winning streak behind another dominant offensive night from Nolan Minessale and Carter Bjerke. Minessale scored 27 points for his 12th 20-point game of the season, while Bjerke added a career-high 21 as St. Thomas shot better than 60 percent from the floor and seized control with decisive runs in both halves.
Eight days later, the Purple closed non-league play with a 105-59 victory over North Central, marking the program's first 100-point game since January 2025 and pushing the home winning streak to 25 games, the longest active streak in NCAA Division I. Minessale poured in 20 first-half points as the Tommies built early separation and never looked back, holding North Central to just 23 points after halftime.
The Tommies led the Summit League in total wins through the non-conference schedule (11), followed by North Dakota State with 10 and South Dakota with 8. Statistically, St. Thomas led all league teams in scoring defense (70.1), field goal percentage (.497), 3-point field goal percentage defense (.315), assists per game (16.7), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.78), and defensive rebounds per game (26.2).
FOLLOW ALONG
For more information on St. Thomas Men's Basketball, follow along on X (formerly Twitter) at @TommieMBBall and on Instagram at @TommieHoops. Tommie Athletics is now on TikTok at @tommiesports.
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-- St. Thomas Athletics --
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/ Men's BasketballTommie Men's Basketball Intro Video 2025
Wednesday, November 12
Tommie 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
