UND Falls Short in Summit League Title Bid to Rival NDSU

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — North Dakota State's Bison claimed their sixth Summit League Tournament title with a 70-62 victory over the No. 3 seed University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks on March 8, 2026, at the Denny Sanford Premier Center.[1][2][4] The top-seeded Bison, who swept the regular season and tournament crowns while finishing 27-7 overall and 14-2 in conference, punched their ticket to the NCAA Division I Tournament for the first time since 2020.[1][2] UND, closing at 18-17 (10-6 Summit League), fought valiantly but trailed in key second-half stretches, including 43-36 at 15:57, 48-38 at 10:45, and 56-44 at 6:38.[4] Redshirt freshman Greyson Uelmen lit up the tournament earlier, erupting for a career-high 41 points — the most ever by a Fighting Hawk freshman and second-highest in tournament history — in an 83-67 quarterfinal rout of No. 6 Denver on March 6.[3] That performance propelled UND to the semifinals and improved their tournament record to 5-6, avenging a prior 83-68 loss to the Pioneers.[3] For Grand Forks' Ralph Engelstad Arena faithful, Uelmen's breakout signaled promise amid the program's push in the competitive North Dakota-North Dakota State rivalry.[4] The matchup capped a tense in-state battle, with NDSU asserting supremacy as regular-season champs.[2][5] UND's tournament run from March 4-8 highlighted resilience for coach Paul Weir's squad, rooted in Grand Forks' hoops hotbed.[4][5] As the Bison advance, Fighting Hawks players and fans in North Dakota's northern hub eye offseason recruiting to challenge for future Summit League hardware.[1][2]