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. 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. 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.

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. That performance propelled UND to the semifinals and improved their tournament record to 5-6, avenging a prior 83-68 loss to the Pioneers. 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.

The matchup capped a tense in-state battle, with NDSU asserting supremacy as regular-season champs. UND's tournament run from March 4-8 highlighted resilience for coach Paul Weir's squad, rooted in Grand Forks' hoops hotbed. 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.