Summit League news and power rankings: Mike Daum was held to his lowest point total of his career

MIKE DAUM WAS HELD TO THE LOWEST POINT TOTAL OF HIS CAREER.

Take a minute, let that sink in. The most prolific scorer in Summit League history fired off only five field attempts, making one, and missing his only try from deep. He connected on only two of his four free throws. He finished with four points.

It was only the ninth time in his South Dakota State career that Mike Daum failed to eclipse the double-digit mark in scoring. It even dropped his scoring average this season from 24.9 to 23.7 points per contest.

Now, after digesting all of that, there’s a pretty solid assumption that South Dakota State got drilled by in-state rival South Dakota.

Wrong!

The Jackrabbits cruised past South Dakota, 79-61, and left only four teams above .500 in Summit League play.

On tap this week:

Jan. 10

Oral Roberts at Purdue Fort Wayne
Denver at South Dakota State
Omaha at North Dakota
Western Illinois at North Dakota State

Jan. 12

Western Illinois at North Dakota
Oral Roberts at South Dakota State

Jan. 13

Purdue Fort Wayne at South Dakota

Game of the week: Oral Roberts (7-11, 3-0) at Purdue Fort Wayne (11-7, 3-0), 6 p.m. EST

It’s déjà vu all over again for Oral Roberts. The Golden Eagles were mostly a hot mess in non-conference play and then won their first three league games.

Just like last year.

ORU, with maybe the best front line in the conference, will head north and take on perhaps the best player in the country that no one is talking about, John Konchar. The Golden Eagles’ Emmanuel Nzekwesi and Kevin Obanor will have their hands full with the Mastodons, who won’t hesitate to fire up threes from all over Memorial Coliseum.

If Purdue Fort Wayne wins, it could easily go unbeaten for the rest of January. And with Konchar leading the way, there could be a special season in the works for the Mastodons.

News and notes:

- North Dakota’s Cortez Seales joined the 1,000-point club with eight points in a loss to Oral Roberts last week.

- North Dakota’s Conner Avants has rarely missed while shooting in Summit League play. The burly freshman forward from Oklahoma has made 72.7 percent of his shots against Summit League foes.

- Purdue Fort Wayne’s Konchar was named the league’s Male Athlete of the Month, averaging 25.5 points, 10.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists to close out the calendar year.

- Purdue Fort Wayne leads the nation with 194 made 3-pointers.

Power rankings:

1. Purdue Fort Wayne (11-7, 3-0): Senior guard Kason Harrell is averaging 20 points so far in Summit League play. He’s played 34.3 minutes per contest while making 25 of 35 field goals against North Dakota, North Dakota State and South Dakota State.

2. South Dakota State (12-6, 2-1): Daum is now the league’s all-time leader with 861 made field goals. The Jackrabbits are now home for four of their next give games.

3. Oral Roberts (7-11, 3-0): The Golden Eagles lead the Summit League in rebounding margin during conference play with a plus-11.3 advantage. Nzekwesi and Obanor are combing for 17.3 rebounds per game in three Summit League games.

4. Omaha (8-8, 2-1): The Mavericks have connected on 44 percent of their three-point tries in league play, the best mark among all nine conference teams.

5. North Dakota (7-9, 1-2): The Fighting Hawks rank in the middle of the pack in most statistical categories among Summit League teams, but North Dakota leads the league with 14.5 forced turnovers per game.

6. South Dakota (7-9, 1-2): Sophomore Stanley Umude has been the Coyotes’ leading scorer since conference play began with 18.7 points per game. Senior forward Trey Burch-Manning is expected to be out indefinitely with a right foot injury.

7. North Dakota State (7-10, 1-2): Vinnie Shahid is an 85.7 percent free throw shooter, and Rocky Kreuser is at 84.6 percent. The Bison lead the Summit League at 80 percent from the foul line.

8. Western Illinois (6-10, 1-2): Leatherneck center Brandon Gilbeck is the nation’s leading shot blocker again with 3.9 a game after swatting seven ORU shots on Saturday.

9. Denver (5-13, 0-4): The Pioneers are 1-6 since Dec. 15. Joe Rosga, a 48 percent shooter from the field last year, is only making 40 percent of his shots this season, and his average point total (12.2) is down from 16.1 last season.