The Game: The No. 14-seeded North Dakota State men's basketball team will play No. 3 seed Michigan State in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament on Thursday, March 19, in Buffalo, N.Y., at the KeyBank Center. Tip is set for approximately 4:05 p.m. ET / 3:05 p.m. CT.
 
Where to Watch: The game will be broadcast on TNT with Brian Anderson (play-by-play), Jim Jackson (analyst), and Allie LaForce (sideline) calling the action. NCAA March Madness Live and the March Madness Live app will have live video streaming of every tournament game.
 
Radio: Sam Neidermann will call March Madness on 107.9 The Fox and Bison 1660. All online audio streaming for the NCAA Tournament is done by Westwood One.
 
First Meeting: This will be the first meeting between NDSU and Michigan State.
 
What's at Stake: NDSU is looking for its third Division I NCAA Tournament victory.
 
School Record for Wins: The Bison have set a new school record with 27 wins, breaking the previous record of 26 set in 1924-25, 2008-09, and 2013-14.
 
Sweet No. 6: NDSU has won six Summit League Tournament titles and earned six NCAA Tournament bids since 2009.
 
DWT is MVP: Damari Wheeler-Thomas was named the MVP of the Summit League Tournament, and Noah Feddersen also claimed a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
 
Grand Timing: Damari Wheeler-Thomas surpassed 1,000 career points with his 19-point performance in the championship game of the Summit League Tournament on March 8.
 
Coach of the Year: Head coach David Richman was named the Summit League Coach of the Year for the second time in his career, joining 2014-15 when he claimed the honor in his first year. He has also been named a finalist for the Hugh Durham Award, presented annually by CollegeInsider.com to the top mid-major head coach in college basketball.
 
Bison in Sioux Falls: NDSU improved to 28-12 all-time in Sioux Falls at the Summit League Tournament. The Bison are 21-8 at the Summit League Tournament in the Dave Richman era.
 
Title Game Tradition: NDSU has played in 10 of the past 14 Summit League Tournament championship games, dating back to 2013.
 
Continued Success: This is the fourth time under head coach David Richman that the Bison have won at least 23 games in a season. It is the sixth 20-win season of Richman's tenure.
 
High Standard: NDSU is averaging 20.6 wins over the past 14 seasons (since 2012-13).
 
League Mark: NDSU's 14-2 record in league play was its best 16-game Summit League record. The Bison went 16-2 in the 2008-09 season with an 18-game league slate.
 
Balanced Bison: NDSU did not have any players ranked in The Summit League's top 13 in scoring.
 
Five-Headed Monster: NDSU had five players average double-figure scoring in league play -- Damari Wheeler-Thomas (13.4), Treyson Anderson (12.7), Trevian Carson (11.9), Noah Feddersen (10.9), and Markhi Strickland (10.4).
        Tay Smith (9.4 ppg) and Andy Stefonowicz (9.3 ppg) nearly made it seven Bison in double figures.
 
Road Dubs: NDSU owns 10 road wins this season, which is tied for the sixth-most in the nation. The 10 road victories matched a school record set in 2008-09 and 2013-14.
 
Away From Home: The Bison have a combined 14 road and neutral wins this season.
 
New Year, New Me: NDSU is 17-2 since New Year's Eve.
 
Almost There: David Richman owns 238 career victories, needing six more to match Erv Inniger (1978-92) at 244 for the most in school history. Richman's .615 career winning percentage is the third-best by an NDSU coach in the last 100 years.
 
Significant Margin: NDSU is No. 31 in the NCAA for turnover margin at +2.9 per game.
 
Defend Without Fouling: The Bison are 17th in Division I for fewest fouls committed per game, with an average of 14.7.
 
Rise in Theft: NDSU ranks 37th nationally for steals per game this year after ranking 352nd last season. The Bison surpassed last season's steals total in just 13 games this year.
 

• Andy Stefonowicz's 90.3 percent free throw shooting is the fourth-best in NDSU history for a single season.
• Andy Stefonowicz's 166 assists this season are the eighth-most in NDSU history.
• Trevian Carson's 63 steals this season are the ninth-most in school history.

 

• The Bison have made 320 three-pointers this season – third-most in a season in school history. Last year's team set the record with 380.
• NDSU has held its opponents to 33.5 percent three-point shooting this season – the ninth-best mark in school history.

 

• NDSU allowed 59 points per game for the tournament.
• Damari Wheeler-Thomas led the team with 17.3 points per game.
• Noah Feddersen posted two double-doubles, averaging 10.3 points and 9.3 rebounds for the tourney.
• Andy Stefonowicz averaged 5.7 assists per game.
• Treyson Anderson shot 67 percent from the floor.
• Damari Wheeler-Thomas shot 53 percent (10-for-19) from three-point range
• NDSU held its opponents to 35 percent shooting overall and 29 percent from beyond the arc.

   

Date	Round	Seed	Opponent	Location	Result
3/20/2009	64	14	(3) Kansas	Minneapolis, Minn.	L, 74-84
3/20/2014	64	12	(5) Oklahoma	Spokane, Wash.	W, 80-75 (OT)
3/22/2014	32	12	(4) San Diego State	Spokane, Wash.	L, 44-63
3/20/2015	64	15	(2) Gonzaga	Seattle, Wash.	L, 76-86
3/20/2019	68	16	(16) North Carolina Central	Dayton, Ohio	W, 78-74
3/22/2019	64	16	(1) Duke	Columbia, S.C.	L, 62-85
2020	NDSU won the Summit League Tournament before the NCAA Tournament was canceled.

 
 
Summit League Champs: The Bison won their fifth Summit League regular season title, which they accomplished previously in 2009, 2014, 2015 and 2020. The 2009 and 2014 championships were also outright, while 2015 and 2020 were shared crowns.
 
Feddy Stays Ready: Noah Feddersen was named the Summit League's Sixth Man of the Year. He scored in double figures in 12 straight games leading into the championship game of the Summit League Tournament. He shot 65 percent in league play.