SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — The fundamentals of Dave Richman’s coaching style are still there, from insistence of playing tough defense to being a good teammate. It’s been a core of his 12 years as the head basketball coach at North Dakota State and before that as a Bison assistant.
But there have been adjustments. At first not a fan of the transfer portal, Richman learned to not only deal with it but embrace it and that probably more than anything is a major reason the Bison will be playing for a berth in the NCAA tournament tonight against the University of North Dakota.
The 8 p.m. game at the Denny Sanford Premier Center will be aired by CBS Sports Network.
“We have a conviction of the people we bring in, we pride ourselves in competitive character,” Richman said. “We’re not going to compromise the person just because they’re talented. Are we perfect? We’re far from it but we’re going to continue to find people that want to compete, have fun, listen, serve, get better and do things the right way.”
On the court, the Bison have done things the right way 26 times, and will take a 26-7 mark into the title game against the Fighting Hawks. The 26 victories ties a school record for most in one season matching 1924-25, 2008-09 and 2013-14 teams.
UND advanced with a thrilling 67-66 win over the University of St. Thomas, getting a free throw from 6-10 center George Natsvlishvili with 0.1 seconds remaining. NDSU won both regular season meetings, 83-66 in Grand Forks and 96-63 in Fargo.
But those were in February. This is March. Madness.
“We sure didn’t play them very well the first two games,” said UND head coach Paul Sather. “We have to come out with a different mindset for 40 minutes and just fight better.”
A key for NDSU will be trying to put a handle on UND guard Greyson Uelmen, who has torched two Summit tournament opponents for 69 points, which is 24 more than the next-highest scorer in the tourney.
The Bison, meanwhile, have been the best defensive team giving up an average of 57.5 points in two games.
“I can’t believe it’s March 7th, I can’t believe tomorrow we’re going to play for the NCAA tournament,” Richman said after the semifinal win. “It’s the old saying, time flies when you’re having fun. And these are just a bunch of great dudes to be around. I think it goes back to the competitive character, it’s a group that likes each other. I’m not sure they always like me but at the end of the day we understand each other.”
The Bison are finding their groove at the right time with the right combinations. Point guard Andy Stefonowicz had seven and assists in the quarterfinal and semifinal victories, the first Bison player to do that in the tourney since Sam Griesel in 2022. It was the seventh time this year Stefonowicz had eight more assists, the most by any Summit player.
The move of 6-9 Treyson Anderson into the starting lineup during the regular season and having 6-10 Noah Feddersen off the bench paid off, with Feddersen earning the Summit’s Sixth Man of the Year award. The two combined for 27 points and 18 rebounds against Omaha. Feddersen turned in double-doubles in the first two tourney games.
It’s made for a happy Richman, who joked in the Omaha post-game press conference that his mother wants him to smile more.
“You put in a lot of time, you sacrifice a lot, you suffer a lot,” Richman said. “In these moments, you better enjoy it.”
Jeff Kolpack, the son of a reporter and an English teacher, and the brother of a reporter, worked at the Jamestown Sun, Bismarck Tribune and since 1990 The Forum, where he’s covered North Dakota State athletics since 1995. He has covered all 10 of NDSU’s Division I FCS national football titles and has written four books: “Horns Up,” “North Dakota Tough,” “Covid Kids” and “They Caught Them Sleeping: How Dot Reinvented the Pretzel.” He is also the radio host of “The Golf Show with Jeff Kolpack” April through August.
