The Games: The North Dakota State men's basketball team (10-5) will open Summit League play by hosting South Dakota and Oral Roberts inside the Scheels Center this week.
          Wednesday, Dec. 31     vs. South Dakota      4 p.m. CT
          Saturday, Jan. 3            vs. Oral Roberts        3 p.m. CT
 
Where to Watch: Wednesday's game will be broadcast locally on WDAY Xtra and streamed on the Summit League Network. Saturday's game will air nationally on CBS Sports Network.
 
Radio: Sam Neidermann and Dexter Werner will call the games -- Wednesday on Bison 1660, and Saturday on 107.9 The Fox. Broadcasts can also be streamed on the NDSU Athletics app, as well as at GoBison.com/AllAccess for free.
 
Hot Start: NDSU's 10-3 start was the best mark for the Bison since going 16-3 in the 2012-13 season.
 
Against South Dakota: Wednesday will be the 194th meeting all-time between NDSU and South Dakota, with the Bison leading the series 107-86. In the Division I era, NDSU owns a 22-10 record against the Coyotes.
 
Against Oral Roberts: Saturday will be the 43rd meeting all-time between North Dakota State and Oral Roberts, with the Bison leading the series 24-18. NDSU has won 19 of the 28 meetings since ORU returned to The Summit League in the 2014-15 season.
 
Significant Margin: NDSU is No. 31 in the NCAA for turnover margin at +4.1 per game.
 
On the Mark: Markhi Strickland is shooting 64 percent from the field, going 92-for-143. His 92 makes are the second-most among all D-I players shooting better than 60 percent this season.
 
Board Man Gets Paid: Among players 6-foot-3 and shorter, Trevian Carson ranks third nationally for rebounds per game at 7.1.
 
Rise in Theft: NDSU ranks 37th in the nation for steals per game this year after ranking 352nd nationally last season. The Bison surpassed last season's steals total in just 13 games this year.
 
Nationally Ranked: Markhi Strickland is ranked 13th in the nation for field goal percentage (64.3%). Trevian Carson is 32nd in the country in steals per game (2.27).
 
Picked Fourth: NDSU was picked to finish fourth in The Summit League this season, according to the annual preseason poll of league head coaches, sports information directors and media.
 

• Trevian Carson is averaging 16.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.6 steals.
• Damari Wheeler-Thomas is averaging 15.8 points and 4.5 assists.
• Andy Stefonowicz is shooting 56 percent from beyond the arc (14-of-25).
• Treyson Anderson is averaging 11.2 points and shooting 41% from three-point range.
• The Bison are shooting 39 percent from three-point range.

 
Stefon-assist: Andy Stefonowicz is averaging 4.5 assists per game, tallying at least 3 assists in all but one game this season. Ben Woodside (2005-09) is the only Bison in the last 20 years to average at least 5 assists per game for a season.
 
On the Glass: The Bison have posted double-digit offensive rebounds in 9 out of 12 games against D-I opponents this season. NDSU is averaging 12.3 offensive boards per game.