News

This week, we're taking it to the hardwood. Our panel of experts voted and chose the top five men's and women's basketball players from the Summit League. While this is by no means an easy task, we narrowed it down to five each:

Summit League Men's Basketball

5. Bryson Scott (Fort Wayne)
Last season – his first year wearing a Mastodon uniform – he played in all 33 games with 32 starts, and helped his team upset the third-ranked Hoosiers 71-68 in overtime. This season, he's averaging just under 22 points per game.

4. John Konchar (Fort Wayne)
This junior earned All Summit League First Team honors both his freshman and sophomore seasons, and last season shot 15 double doubles with a 63.7% shooting percentage – 7th in the NCAA among all divisions. This season, he's averaging 14 points per game.

3. Paul Miller (North Dakota State)
He's led the Bison in scoring the past two years, shooting 42% from long range – and is averaging 16 points per contest in league play. He dropped a season high 30 points this season in the team's win against in-state rival UND.

2. Matt Mooney (South Dakota)
After transfering from Air Force, he was named the Summit League's Transfer of the Year and helped USD to a regular season Summit League Title. This season, the Coyotes are off to 9-3 start, and Mooney is averaging 16.5 points per game.

1. Mike Daum (South Dakota State)
He broke the Jacks' single season scoring record with two 40+ games last season – including a 51-point performance at Fort Wayne, tying the highest scoring performance in the nation. He entered this season as the nation's leading returning scorer, and is dropping just over 19 points per contest.

Summit League Women's Basketball

5. Madison Guebert (South Dakota State)
She shines on a roster full of stars, and is best known for her outside shooting. She led jacks in scoring last season, and is averaging 14 points per game this year.

4. Allison Arens (South Dakota)
She's leading the team in minutes played this year, averaging 17 points per game last year and 11.5 points per game this year.

3. Taylor Higgenbotham (Western Illinois)
She earned Player of the Week honors in the Summit League last week, and leads the Leathernecks in scoring (with 17.5 points per game), rebounding (seven per contest), and three-point field goals. It's hard to find a more versatile player, as she's coming into her own as a junior.

2. Emily Clemens (Western Illinois)
Clemens was named the Summit League's Player of the Year last year and Tournament MVP. She was also named the Summit League preseason player of the year this season. She's one of the top threats in the league, hitting 43% of her three pointers and averaging 15.8 points per game and 8.5 assists per game this year.

1. Maci Miller (South Dakota State)
After her disappointing knee injury last year, she has led the Jackrabbits in scoring in seven of their first 10 games, with 17 points per game. Miller actually has a better three-point shooting percentage than field goal percentage, and she gets to the free throw line as much as anyone in the conference.

See why some ranked where they did and who earned honorable mentions in our panel's discussion.