17 hours ago - News

St. Thomas basketball's road to the Big Dance

Nick Halter

Two basketball players in white Tommies uniforms stand on a polished court; player 0 holds an orange ball, player 4 wears colorful shoes; crowd watches in background. — Isaiah Johnson-Arigu and Nolan Minessale are hoping to lead the Tommies to the March Madness tournament. Photo: Steven Garcia/Getty Images

The University of St. Thomas basketball teams are each three wins away from making the NCAA Tournament in their first year of eligibility.

Why it matters: Seeing the Tommies play a Blue Blood school in the opening round of March Madness would be great entertainment in Minnesota, even for non-alumni. A potential upset would be icing on the cake.

How it works: The Tommies would need to win this week's Summit League tournament, which comes with an automatic ticket to the Big Dance.

The men's team has the No. 2 seed and plays South Dakota State Thursday night.
If they win, they would need to win games on Saturday and Sunday night.

The women's team has a tougher path. The fourth-seeded Tommies play Oral Roberts at noon on Friday and, if they win, would likely match up against top-seeded North Dakota State on Saturday.

Both tournaments are being played in Sioux Falls, S.D.

What's next: The NCAA Tournament begins March 17.

Add Axios on Google

St. Thomas basketball's road to the Big Dance

More Twin Cities stories