University of St. Thomas Athletics
Thursday, February 26
St. Paul, Minn.
8:00 p.m. CT
vs
North Dakota State
Photo by: Nick Wosika
Top two Summit League teams meet as part of final home weekend
2/25/2026 1:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
St. Thomas Men’s Basketball welcomes in North Dakota State on Thursday, Omaha on Saturday
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The final weekend of St. Thomas men's basketball's regular season features a showdown between the top two teams in the Summit League standings Feb. 26 before Senior Night on Feb. 28 at Lee & Penny Anderson Arena. The Tommies (21-8, 10-4 Summit League) and 2025-26 Summit League Regular Season Champion North Dakota State (23-6, 13-1 Summit League) tip-off at 8 p.m. on Thursday night ahead of a 7 p.m. tip-off Saturday against Omaha (15-14, 8-6 Summit League).
TUNE IN
vs North Dakota State
Watch | Live Stats | Listen
vs Omaha
Watch | Live Stats | Listen
SERIES HISTORY | NORTH DAKOTA STATE
St. Thomas and North Dakota State have met 28 times in the series, led 15-13 by NDSU. The Tommies' three-game winning streak in the series was snapped following the first meeting of the 2025-26 season series, a 68-65 win by the Bison in Fargo, N.D.
The loss on Jan. 17 in Fargo ended St. Thomas' DI era record nine-game winning streak that began Dec. 7. The Tommies carried a 35-34 halftime lead over the Bison and remained within one possession in the final seconds, but a potential game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer fell short as the Bison moved into sole possession of first place in the league standings. Despite 15 turnovers that led to 21 NDSU points, St. Thomas placed four players in double figures, led by Nolan Minessale's 16 points, six assists and four steals, while Isaiah Johnson-Arigu (15), Nick Janowski (11) and Austin Herro (10) also reached double figures.
SERIES HISTORY | OMAHA
St. Thomas and Omaha have played 10 times in the series, led 6-4 by the Tommies, as the Mavericks won three of the past four meetings since the start of the 2024-25 season. Each home team won the regular season series while Omaha earned the Summit League Tournament title over St. Thomas last season in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Nolan Minessale set St. Thomas' Division I single-season scoring record during the first meeting of the season, but the Tommies dropped a 98-94 decision at Omaha after the Mavericks closed the game shooting 6-of-7 from the field and 12-of-12 at the free-throw line. St. Thomas shot 57.8 percent overall and 42.4 percent from 3-point range but was outscored by 19 points at the stripe and committed 12 turnovers, including eight in the second half, leading to 17 Omaha points. Minessale finished with 17 points, nine assists and five rebounds, while Isaiah Johnson-Arigu scored 19 points and four others reached double figures as the Tommies fell for the third straight time at Baxter Arena.
MILE HIGH SETBACK
St. Thomas placed six players in double figures for the third time this season, but a late 3-pointer lifted Denver to an 82-80 win Feb. 21 at Hamilton Gymnasium. Nick Janowski led the Tommies with 19 points and six rebounds as UST shot 55.2 percent from the field, outrebounded the Pioneers by nine and held a 46-26 advantage in the paint. Despite the efficiency, Denver capitalized at the free-throw line (17-of-20) and delivered the decisive basket with 8.9 seconds to play.
The night featured several program milestones. Ryan Dufault became the Tommies' Division I-era leader in career games played (127) and finished with 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Nolan Minessale scored 10 points and tied the program's Division I single-season assists record (126), while Carter Bjerke moved within two 3-pointers of the Division I career mark.
20-WIN THREE-PEAT, ONE COACH
The victory over Oral Roberts secured St. Thomas' third straight 20-win season, the only Summit League team to do so since the Tommies joined the league in 2021-22. Among current Summit League programs, it's the fourth instance of three straight 20-win seasons since 2004 and the first time done with the one head coach through all three-plus seasons since Oral Roberts from 2004-08 (Scott Sutton). South Dakota State won at least 20 games from 2017-20 with two different head coaches, while North Dakota State did the same from 2012-16.
Head Coach Johnny Tauer secured his 10th 20-win season leading St. Thomas and the third of the Division I era. His teams have won at least 19 games in 12 of his 14 seasons (not including the 2020-21 COVID season). As a player from 1991-95, Tauer was part of two 20-win Tommie teams and totaled at least 19 wins in three of his four seasons on the team.
With it's 20th win of the 2025-26 season, St. Thomas became one of eight programs to reach the milestone during its first full season of NCAA Division I eligibility. The most recent was San Diego with 30 wins in 2024-25 while six of the previous seven teams reached at least 21 wins in its first full season. Of Summit League teams to transition to DI, only North Dakota State won at least 19 games in its first full season, securing 26 victories during the 2008-09 season.
Among teams to transition to Division I since 2000, St. Thomas is the only program to record four straight 19-win seasons through the final three seasons of its transition and into year one of full eligibility. UST joined Grand Canyon as the only teams to record three straight 20-win seasons through years 3 and 4 of its transition and into the first full season of eligibility into DI.
TRACKING THE MILESTONES
Nolan Minessale's name will be stamped in the program's Division I era record book plenty by the end of the season. In addition to setting the program's records for single-season free throws (150) and career free throws (234), he surpassed Andrew Rohde ('22-23, 531 points) as the single-season scoring leader Feb. 12 at Omaha. Minessale has increased his season scoring total to 577 with at least three games to play. He tied Drake Dobbs ('24-25) for the single-season assist record with 126 and is 42 points away from 1,000 in his career. He would join Parker Bjorklund ('21-24) with 1,131 and Kendall Blue ('22-25) with 1,013 as the only Tommies to top the mark during Division I games.
With an appearance in Saturday's game, Ryan Dufault set the program's DI era record for games played with 127, scoring in 113 of those games, to surpass Ben Nau ('21-25). Carter Bjerke needs three 3-pointers to set the program's DI career record - held by Riley Miller ('21-23) with 188. Nick Janowski needs four rebounds to set the single-season record - held by Raheem Anthony ('23-25) with 154. Austin Herro needs 11 steals to set the single-season record - held by Andrew Rohde ('22-23) with 52.
ONE-TWO PUNCH
Janowski and Minessale are 1 of 10 sets of teammates in the country with multiple 30-point games, 1 of 15 sets of teammates with at least 10 20-point games each this season and are 2 of 3 players in the Summit League with multiple 30+ point games. The duo rank among the top three in the Summit League in points per game, Minessale leads with 19.9 points per game followed by Janowski in third with 16.9 points, while Minessale ranks 15th in the country in total points followed by Janowski in 93rd, who is second in the Summit League with 19.6 points per game during conference-only games.
Minessale is fourth nationally for the most 20-point games with 19 and recorded back-to-back 30-point games, first tying the program's DI era record with 32 points against Weber State on Dec. 7, 2025. Janowski has scored in double figures in 28 games, 20+ points in 10 games and had two 30-point games through the first four games of the Summit League schedule, tying Minessale, Parker Bjorklund and Raheem Anthony with 32 points Jan. 15 at UND for the program's DI era single-game record.
BIG MAN, BIG 3-POINT RECORD
Redshirt junior Carter Bjerke set the program's Division I era single-game record with 10 3-pointers Feb. 1 against Kansas City, helping to a 99-64 win. He dropped seven in the first half, setting a career high in 3-point field goals and tying a career high 21 points over the first 20 minutes. Bjerke added three 3-pointers over the first nine minutes of the second half, recording his first career 30-point game, before sitting for the final 11:00 minutes of the game. The 10 3-pointers are tied for the fourth most ever by a Summit League player and it's the fourth instance this season of a DI player reaching 30 points on 3-pointers alone (Nov. 7: Harrison Reed, IUW, 12 3FGM; Nov. 21: Ruben Dominguez, Texas A&M, 10 3FGM; Dec. 2: Braden Appelhans, Drake, 10 3FGM).
Bjerke surpassed the previous DI era record of nine set by Riley Miller against Merrimack during the 2022-23 season and tied the St. Thomas all-time 3-point record set by Curt Kietzer during the 1986-87 season. Bjerke accounted for 10 of the team's 18 3-pointers against UMKC, which is the program's most against a DI opponent (22 twice versus DIII opponents).
AN OFFENSE NEVER SEEN IN THE SUMMIT
For the first time in at least two decades, a Summit League team scored at least 90 points in four straight games. The Tommies' scoring onslaught began Dec. 20 with a 92-78 win over UC Riverside before adding 105 points against North Central, 92 against Denver and 99 against South Dakota. The streak is the first instance in program history and is the third streak of at least three 90+ point games under Johnny Tauer, previously doing so during the 2017-18 season and twice during the 2012-13 seasons. Prior to Coach Tauer taking over in 2011, St. Thomas had just two three-game streaks, coming during the 1993-94 and 1971-72 seasons.
During the streak, the Tommies averaged 97.0 points per game - on 55.4 percent shooting overall and 45.3 percent on 3-pointers - while allowing 77.8. Nolan Minessale averaged 18.8 points per game, followed by Nick Janowski with 17.3, Isaiah Johnson-Arigu with 13.8 and Carter Bjerke with 12.5. All four - and Austin Herro with 8.7 points per game - shot over 52 percent overall with Bjerke, Herro and Johnson-Arigu all above 60 percent. The Tommies combined for six 20-point performances - three from Minessale and a 30-point game from Janowski.
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 six 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.
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.
NOTHING BUT NET
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 jumped to 113 as of Feb. 25, second among Summit League teams. The Tommies trail North Dakota State (112) and are ahead of South Dakota State (205) and Denver (224). Eight Power Five programs slot behind St. Thomas from the Big Ten (4), ACC (3) and Big 12 (1).
KEEPING THE GANG TOGETHER
St. Thomas has had its core of the coaching staff together for the past four seasons in Head Coach Johnny Tauer, Associate Head Coach Mike Maker and Assistant Coaches Cameron Rundles and Kenneth Lowe. Maker oversees the offense while Rundles and Lowe each focus on defense. The Tommies are the only Summit League program to retain the same head coach and top three assistants over each of the past four seasons. The group is responsible for the Summit League's most overall wins since Lowe completed the staff in 2022-23.
A NEW PEAK PERFORMER
Behind his 31-point performance Jan. 4 versus Denver, Nick Janowski was selected as the Summit League Peak Performer of the Week. He shot 12-of-22, 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 DI seasons.
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
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 recorded back-to-back 30-point games, one of two Tommies 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 15th in NCAA DI in total points, 23rd in field goals made and 33rd in points per game, and set St. Thomas DI era single-game records with 12 assists and 6 steals (later broken by Austin Herro with 7 at North Dakota) during the 99-86 win over South Dakota.
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 CAME TO AN END
NCAA Division I's longest active win streak now resides elsewhere as St. Thomas' 28-game home streak was snapped Jan. 29 during an 81-80 loss to North Dakota. The Tommies' second longest home winning streak in over 50 seasons (32 straight from 2/11/12-2/8/14) began Feb. 8, 2024 (coming off a 74-64 loss to North Dakota) and spanned 721 days between two venues (Schoenecker Arena - 18 wins, Anderson Arena - 10 wins). Since the start of the 2022-23 season, the Tommies are 49-5 at home, which ranks eighth among all NCAA Division I programs during that span.
Dating back to the start of the 2021-22 season, St. Thomas' 28-game home winning streak is tied with Samford, Drake and UConn for the third longest in NCAA DI during that span. 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).
FOCUSED ON EFFICIENCY
St. Thomas' success on the scoreboard can be attributed to the type of shots it's taking, primarily as the best in the country on converting 2-point field goals. The Tommies lead the country shooting 63.8 percent on 2-pointers ahead of Michigan (62.2%), Miami (OH) (61.8%) and Duke (61.5%). The Purple's 2-point field goal percentage is on pace to rank as the second highest in NCAA Division I in a single-season since the 1996-97 season (Gonzaga finished 2020-21 shooting 63.9% on 2-pointers).
STACKING 20-POINT SCORERS
For the ninth time this season, St. Thomas featured a pair of 20-point players as Nick Janowski and Nolan Minessale each topped the mark in back-to-back games Feb. 4 at South Dakota State and Feb. 7 versus Oral Roberts. It was the fifth time this season the duo both scored at least 20 points, while Isaiah Johnson-Arigu and Minessale have done so twice. Carter Bjerke and Minessale topped the mark during the win over UC Riverside and Bjerke and Janowski did so during the win over South Dakota State on Jan. 22. Between 2022-23 and 2024-25, St. Thomas totaled seven games with a pair of 20-point scorers, including two in 2024-25 and five in 2022-23.
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.
Through 29 games in 2025-26, St. Thomas has turned the ball over 10 or fewer times in 20 games and rank 19th in the country in turnovers per game (9.6). The Tommies have posted fewer turnovers than their opponents in 20 of 29 games this season, going 17-3 in those games. St. Thomas gave the ball away a season low four times Feb. 7 against Oral Roberts, matching the lowest total for the program over the past four seasons. The Tommies gave away just four turnovers twice in each of the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons.
LOVE THAT HOME COOKING
Through its home games during the DI era, St. Thomas has won its home games by an average margin of 21.2 points, including a margin of 14.9 points against DI opponents. Thirteen of the program's 40 home wins against DI opponents since that time have been by more than 20 points while 11 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 101 in the most recent poll to rank No. 23. The Tommies are one of two Summit League programs ranked, joined by North Dakota State at No. 12. 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 and reaching as high as No. 19 this season and in January 2025.
In addition to the CollegeInsider.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 84 victories since the start of the 2022-23 season. Following UST is North Dakota State with 75 wins, South Dakota State with 74 and Omaha with 61. In addition, the Tommies also lead the Summit League with 50 home wins over that span, ahead of SDSU with 43 and NDSU with 42.
PRIMETIME TOMMIES St. Thomas were part of CBS Sports Network broadcasts during its 99-64 win over Kansas City on Feb. 1 and its 77-62 road win over South Dakota State on Feb. 4. The program improved to 5-1 when playing on CBS Sports Network, its only loss coming at the Summit League Championship game against Omaha in 2025.
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.
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.
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-- St. Thomas Athletics --
TUNE IN
vs North Dakota State
Watch | Live Stats | Listen
vs Omaha
Watch | Live Stats | Listen
SERIES HISTORY | NORTH DAKOTA STATE
St. Thomas and North Dakota State have met 28 times in the series, led 15-13 by NDSU. The Tommies' three-game winning streak in the series was snapped following the first meeting of the 2025-26 season series, a 68-65 win by the Bison in Fargo, N.D.
The loss on Jan. 17 in Fargo ended St. Thomas' DI era record nine-game winning streak that began Dec. 7. The Tommies carried a 35-34 halftime lead over the Bison and remained within one possession in the final seconds, but a potential game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer fell short as the Bison moved into sole possession of first place in the league standings. Despite 15 turnovers that led to 21 NDSU points, St. Thomas placed four players in double figures, led by Nolan Minessale's 16 points, six assists and four steals, while Isaiah Johnson-Arigu (15), Nick Janowski (11) and Austin Herro (10) also reached double figures.
SERIES HISTORY | OMAHA
St. Thomas and Omaha have played 10 times in the series, led 6-4 by the Tommies, as the Mavericks won three of the past four meetings since the start of the 2024-25 season. Each home team won the regular season series while Omaha earned the Summit League Tournament title over St. Thomas last season in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Nolan Minessale set St. Thomas' Division I single-season scoring record during the first meeting of the season, but the Tommies dropped a 98-94 decision at Omaha after the Mavericks closed the game shooting 6-of-7 from the field and 12-of-12 at the free-throw line. St. Thomas shot 57.8 percent overall and 42.4 percent from 3-point range but was outscored by 19 points at the stripe and committed 12 turnovers, including eight in the second half, leading to 17 Omaha points. Minessale finished with 17 points, nine assists and five rebounds, while Isaiah Johnson-Arigu scored 19 points and four others reached double figures as the Tommies fell for the third straight time at Baxter Arena.
MILE HIGH SETBACK
St. Thomas placed six players in double figures for the third time this season, but a late 3-pointer lifted Denver to an 82-80 win Feb. 21 at Hamilton Gymnasium. Nick Janowski led the Tommies with 19 points and six rebounds as UST shot 55.2 percent from the field, outrebounded the Pioneers by nine and held a 46-26 advantage in the paint. Despite the efficiency, Denver capitalized at the free-throw line (17-of-20) and delivered the decisive basket with 8.9 seconds to play.
The night featured several program milestones. Ryan Dufault became the Tommies' Division I-era leader in career games played (127) and finished with 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Nolan Minessale scored 10 points and tied the program's Division I single-season assists record (126), while Carter Bjerke moved within two 3-pointers of the Division I career mark.
20-WIN THREE-PEAT, ONE COACH
The victory over Oral Roberts secured St. Thomas' third straight 20-win season, the only Summit League team to do so since the Tommies joined the league in 2021-22. Among current Summit League programs, it's the fourth instance of three straight 20-win seasons since 2004 and the first time done with the one head coach through all three-plus seasons since Oral Roberts from 2004-08 (Scott Sutton). South Dakota State won at least 20 games from 2017-20 with two different head coaches, while North Dakota State did the same from 2012-16.
Head Coach Johnny Tauer secured his 10th 20-win season leading St. Thomas and the third of the Division I era. His teams have won at least 19 games in 12 of his 14 seasons (not including the 2020-21 COVID season). As a player from 1991-95, Tauer was part of two 20-win Tommie teams and totaled at least 19 wins in three of his four seasons on the team.
With it's 20th win of the 2025-26 season, St. Thomas became one of eight programs to reach the milestone during its first full season of NCAA Division I eligibility. The most recent was San Diego with 30 wins in 2024-25 while six of the previous seven teams reached at least 21 wins in its first full season. Of Summit League teams to transition to DI, only North Dakota State won at least 19 games in its first full season, securing 26 victories during the 2008-09 season.
Among teams to transition to Division I since 2000, St. Thomas is the only program to record four straight 19-win seasons through the final three seasons of its transition and into year one of full eligibility. UST joined Grand Canyon as the only teams to record three straight 20-win seasons through years 3 and 4 of its transition and into the first full season of eligibility into DI.
TRACKING THE MILESTONES
Nolan Minessale's name will be stamped in the program's Division I era record book plenty by the end of the season. In addition to setting the program's records for single-season free throws (150) and career free throws (234), he surpassed Andrew Rohde ('22-23, 531 points) as the single-season scoring leader Feb. 12 at Omaha. Minessale has increased his season scoring total to 577 with at least three games to play. He tied Drake Dobbs ('24-25) for the single-season assist record with 126 and is 42 points away from 1,000 in his career. He would join Parker Bjorklund ('21-24) with 1,131 and Kendall Blue ('22-25) with 1,013 as the only Tommies to top the mark during Division I games.
With an appearance in Saturday's game, Ryan Dufault set the program's DI era record for games played with 127, scoring in 113 of those games, to surpass Ben Nau ('21-25). Carter Bjerke needs three 3-pointers to set the program's DI career record - held by Riley Miller ('21-23) with 188. Nick Janowski needs four rebounds to set the single-season record - held by Raheem Anthony ('23-25) with 154. Austin Herro needs 11 steals to set the single-season record - held by Andrew Rohde ('22-23) with 52.
ONE-TWO PUNCH
Janowski and Minessale are 1 of 10 sets of teammates in the country with multiple 30-point games, 1 of 15 sets of teammates with at least 10 20-point games each this season and are 2 of 3 players in the Summit League with multiple 30+ point games. The duo rank among the top three in the Summit League in points per game, Minessale leads with 19.9 points per game followed by Janowski in third with 16.9 points, while Minessale ranks 15th in the country in total points followed by Janowski in 93rd, who is second in the Summit League with 19.6 points per game during conference-only games.
Minessale is fourth nationally for the most 20-point games with 19 and recorded back-to-back 30-point games, first tying the program's DI era record with 32 points against Weber State on Dec. 7, 2025. Janowski has scored in double figures in 28 games, 20+ points in 10 games and had two 30-point games through the first four games of the Summit League schedule, tying Minessale, Parker Bjorklund and Raheem Anthony with 32 points Jan. 15 at UND for the program's DI era single-game record.
BIG MAN, BIG 3-POINT RECORD
Redshirt junior Carter Bjerke set the program's Division I era single-game record with 10 3-pointers Feb. 1 against Kansas City, helping to a 99-64 win. He dropped seven in the first half, setting a career high in 3-point field goals and tying a career high 21 points over the first 20 minutes. Bjerke added three 3-pointers over the first nine minutes of the second half, recording his first career 30-point game, before sitting for the final 11:00 minutes of the game. The 10 3-pointers are tied for the fourth most ever by a Summit League player and it's the fourth instance this season of a DI player reaching 30 points on 3-pointers alone (Nov. 7: Harrison Reed, IUW, 12 3FGM; Nov. 21: Ruben Dominguez, Texas A&M, 10 3FGM; Dec. 2: Braden Appelhans, Drake, 10 3FGM).
Bjerke surpassed the previous DI era record of nine set by Riley Miller against Merrimack during the 2022-23 season and tied the St. Thomas all-time 3-point record set by Curt Kietzer during the 1986-87 season. Bjerke accounted for 10 of the team's 18 3-pointers against UMKC, which is the program's most against a DI opponent (22 twice versus DIII opponents).
AN OFFENSE NEVER SEEN IN THE SUMMIT
For the first time in at least two decades, a Summit League team scored at least 90 points in four straight games. The Tommies' scoring onslaught began Dec. 20 with a 92-78 win over UC Riverside before adding 105 points against North Central, 92 against Denver and 99 against South Dakota. The streak is the first instance in program history and is the third streak of at least three 90+ point games under Johnny Tauer, previously doing so during the 2017-18 season and twice during the 2012-13 seasons. Prior to Coach Tauer taking over in 2011, St. Thomas had just two three-game streaks, coming during the 1993-94 and 1971-72 seasons.
During the streak, the Tommies averaged 97.0 points per game - on 55.4 percent shooting overall and 45.3 percent on 3-pointers - while allowing 77.8. Nolan Minessale averaged 18.8 points per game, followed by Nick Janowski with 17.3, Isaiah Johnson-Arigu with 13.8 and Carter Bjerke with 12.5. All four - and Austin Herro with 8.7 points per game - shot over 52 percent overall with Bjerke, Herro and Johnson-Arigu all above 60 percent. The Tommies combined for six 20-point performances - three from Minessale and a 30-point game from Janowski.
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 six 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.
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.
NOTHING BUT NET
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 jumped to 113 as of Feb. 25, second among Summit League teams. The Tommies trail North Dakota State (112) and are ahead of South Dakota State (205) and Denver (224). Eight Power Five programs slot behind St. Thomas from the Big Ten (4), ACC (3) and Big 12 (1).
KEEPING THE GANG TOGETHER
St. Thomas has had its core of the coaching staff together for the past four seasons in Head Coach Johnny Tauer, Associate Head Coach Mike Maker and Assistant Coaches Cameron Rundles and Kenneth Lowe. Maker oversees the offense while Rundles and Lowe each focus on defense. The Tommies are the only Summit League program to retain the same head coach and top three assistants over each of the past four seasons. The group is responsible for the Summit League's most overall wins since Lowe completed the staff in 2022-23.
A NEW PEAK PERFORMER
Behind his 31-point performance Jan. 4 versus Denver, Nick Janowski was selected as the Summit League Peak Performer of the Week. He shot 12-of-22, 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 DI seasons.
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
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 recorded back-to-back 30-point games, one of two Tommies 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 15th in NCAA DI in total points, 23rd in field goals made and 33rd in points per game, and set St. Thomas DI era single-game records with 12 assists and 6 steals (later broken by Austin Herro with 7 at North Dakota) during the 99-86 win over South Dakota.
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 CAME TO AN END
NCAA Division I's longest active win streak now resides elsewhere as St. Thomas' 28-game home streak was snapped Jan. 29 during an 81-80 loss to North Dakota. The Tommies' second longest home winning streak in over 50 seasons (32 straight from 2/11/12-2/8/14) began Feb. 8, 2024 (coming off a 74-64 loss to North Dakota) and spanned 721 days between two venues (Schoenecker Arena - 18 wins, Anderson Arena - 10 wins). Since the start of the 2022-23 season, the Tommies are 49-5 at home, which ranks eighth among all NCAA Division I programs during that span.
Dating back to the start of the 2021-22 season, St. Thomas' 28-game home winning streak is tied with Samford, Drake and UConn for the third longest in NCAA DI during that span. 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).
FOCUSED ON EFFICIENCY
St. Thomas' success on the scoreboard can be attributed to the type of shots it's taking, primarily as the best in the country on converting 2-point field goals. The Tommies lead the country shooting 63.8 percent on 2-pointers ahead of Michigan (62.2%), Miami (OH) (61.8%) and Duke (61.5%). The Purple's 2-point field goal percentage is on pace to rank as the second highest in NCAA Division I in a single-season since the 1996-97 season (Gonzaga finished 2020-21 shooting 63.9% on 2-pointers).
STACKING 20-POINT SCORERS
For the ninth time this season, St. Thomas featured a pair of 20-point players as Nick Janowski and Nolan Minessale each topped the mark in back-to-back games Feb. 4 at South Dakota State and Feb. 7 versus Oral Roberts. It was the fifth time this season the duo both scored at least 20 points, while Isaiah Johnson-Arigu and Minessale have done so twice. Carter Bjerke and Minessale topped the mark during the win over UC Riverside and Bjerke and Janowski did so during the win over South Dakota State on Jan. 22. Between 2022-23 and 2024-25, St. Thomas totaled seven games with a pair of 20-point scorers, including two in 2024-25 and five in 2022-23.
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.
Through 29 games in 2025-26, St. Thomas has turned the ball over 10 or fewer times in 20 games and rank 19th in the country in turnovers per game (9.6). The Tommies have posted fewer turnovers than their opponents in 20 of 29 games this season, going 17-3 in those games. St. Thomas gave the ball away a season low four times Feb. 7 against Oral Roberts, matching the lowest total for the program over the past four seasons. The Tommies gave away just four turnovers twice in each of the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons.
LOVE THAT HOME COOKING
Through its home games during the DI era, St. Thomas has won its home games by an average margin of 21.2 points, including a margin of 14.9 points against DI opponents. Thirteen of the program's 40 home wins against DI opponents since that time have been by more than 20 points while 11 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 101 in the most recent poll to rank No. 23. The Tommies are one of two Summit League programs ranked, joined by North Dakota State at No. 12. 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 and reaching as high as No. 19 this season and in January 2025.
In addition to the CollegeInsider.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 84 victories since the start of the 2022-23 season. Following UST is North Dakota State with 75 wins, South Dakota State with 74 and Omaha with 61. In addition, the Tommies also lead the Summit League with 50 home wins over that span, ahead of SDSU with 43 and NDSU with 42.
PRIMETIME TOMMIES St. Thomas were part of CBS Sports Network broadcasts during its 99-64 win over Kansas City on Feb. 1 and its 77-62 road win over South Dakota State on Feb. 4. The program improved to 5-1 when playing on CBS Sports Network, its only loss coming at the Summit League Championship game against Omaha in 2025.
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.
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.
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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/ 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
