2023–24 St. Thomas (Minnesota) Tommies men's basketball team

2023–24 St. Thomas (Minnesota) Tommies men's basketball
2023–24 St. Thomas (Minnesota) Tommies men's basketball
Conference	Summit League
Record	20–13 (9–7 Summit)
Head coach	John Tauer (13th season);
Associate head coach	Mike Maker
Assistant coaches	Cameron Rundles; Kenneth Lowe;
Home arena	Schoenecker Arena
	Seasons ← 2022–23 2024–25 →

2023–24 Summit League men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
South Dakota State †	12	–	4	.750	22	–	13	.629
Kansas City	10	–	6	.625	16	–	16	.500
North Dakota	10	–	6	.625	18	–	14	.563
St. Thomas*	9	–	7	.563	20	–	13	.606
North Dakota State	8	–	8	.500	15	–	17	.469
Omaha	7	–	9	.438	15	–	18	.455
Denver	6	–	10	.375	17	–	17	.500
Oral Roberts	5	–	11	.313	12	–	19	.387
South Dakota	5	–	11	.313	12	–	20	.375
* Ineligible for the 2024 NCAA tournament due to transition from Division III

† 2024 Summit League tournament winner

The 2023–24 St. Thomas Tommies men's basketball team represented the University of St. Thomas in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Tommies, led by 13th-year head coach John Tauer, played their home games at Schoenecker Arena in Saint Paul, Minnesota as members of the Summit League. They finished the season 20–13, 9–7 in Summit League play, to finish in fourth place.^[1]

This season marked St. Thomas's third year of a five-year transition period from Division III to Division I, an incredibly rare and historic jump that bypasses Division II altogether. As a result of this transition, the Tommies were not eligible for NCAA postseason play until 2026–27. The Tommies participated in their second-ever Summit League men's basketball tournament, defeating North Dakota State in the quarterfinals^[2] before falling to top-seeded South Dakota State in the semifinals.^[3]

Previous season

The Tommies finished the 2022–23 season 19–14, 9–9 in Summit League play, to finish in a tie for fourth place.^[4] Since the Summit League expanded the Summit League men's basketball tournament to include all league teams, St. Thomas played in their first Division I postseason tournament. They defeated Western Illinois in the quarterfinals,^[5] and lost to Oral Roberts in the semifinals.^[6]

Roster

2023–24 St. Thomas (Minnesota) Tommies men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Previous school	Hometown
G	1	Kendall Blue	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	So	East Ridge High School	Woodbury, MN
G	2	Ben Nau	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Jr	Brookfield Central High School	Brookfield, WI
G	3	Hayden Tibbits	5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	Fr	Wayzata High School	Medina, MN
F	4	Brooks Allen	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	GS	Shakopee High School	Shakopee, MN
F	5	Parker Bjorklund	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	GS	Chaska High School	Chaska, MN
G	11	Drake Dobbs	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Sr	Eden Prairie High School	Eden Prairie, MN
G	12	Ryan Dufault	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Jr	Waseca High School	Waseca, MN
F	13	Ahjany Lee	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	So	Totino-Grace High School	Byron, MN
G	14	Adam Tauer	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Fr	Cretin-Derham Hall High School	St. Paul, MN
F	20	Courtney Jr. Brown	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Sr	East Ridge High School	Cottage Grove, MN
G	21	Ben Oosterbaan	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Fr	Hinsdale Central High School	Hinsdale, IL
G	24	Raheem Anthony	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	GS	DePaul College Prep	Chicago, IL
G	32	Dom Martinelli	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Sr	Glenbrook South High School	Glenview, IL
F	33	Bennett Kwiecinski	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Sr	Loyola Academy	Chicago, IL
F	35	Carter Bjerke	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	250 lb (113 kg)	RS Fr	Wayzata High School	Plymouth, MN

Head coach

John Tauer (St. Thomas (MN))

Assistant coach(es)

Mike Maker (Cal Baptist)
Cameron Rundles (Wofford)
Kenneth Lowe (Purdue)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: October 30, 2023

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Regular season
November 6, 2023* 8:00 p.m., P12N		at California	L 66–71	0–1	Haas Pavilion (3,066) Berkeley, CA
November 10, 2023* 7:30 p.m., Fox 9+/SLN		Idaho State	W 54–53	1–1	Schoenecker Arena (1,610) St. Paul, MN
November 12, 2023* 4:00 p.m., SLN		North Central (MN)	W 100–54	2–1	Schoenecker Arena (757) St. Paul, MN
November 17, 2023* 6:30 p.m.		vs. Cal Poly The Lancer Joust	L 60–61	2–2	Fowler Events Center (141) Riverside, CA
November 18, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		at California Baptist The Lancer Joust	L 62–66	2–3	Fowler Events Center (2,034) Riverside, CA
November 19, 2023* 4:30 p.m.		vs. Portland State The Lancer Joust	W 76–70	3–3	Fowler Events Center (123) Riverside, CA
November 25, 2023* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Green Bay	L 51–64	3–4	Resch Center (1,618) Green Bay, WI
December 1, 2023* 4:00 p.m.		at Western Michigan	W 66–51	4–4	University Arena (1,411) Kalamazoo, MI
December 6, 2023* 7:00 p.m., SLN		Milwaukee	W 75–71	5–4	Schoenecker Arena (1,316) St. Paul, MN
December 10, 2023* 2:00 p.m.		at Chicago State	W 66–50	6–4	Jones Convocation Center (127) Chicago, IL
December 14, 2023* 7:00 p.m., FS1		at No. 7 Marquette	L 79–84	6–5	Fiserv Forum (14,950) Milwaukee, WI
December 17, 2023* 2:00 p.m., SLN		Crown College	W 85–66	7–5	Schoenecker Arena (744) St. Paul, MN
December 21, 2023* 7:00 p.m., SLN		Wisconsin–River Falls	W 104–51	8–5	Shoenecker Arena (937) St. Paul, MN
December 29, 2023 7:00 p.m., CBSSN		at North Dakota	W 70–45	9–5 (1–0)	Betty Engelstad Sioux Center (1,637) Grand Forks, ND
December 31, 2023 2:00 p.m., SLN		Kansas City	W 77–56	10–5 (2–0)	Schoenecker Arena (1,165) St. Paul, MN
January 3, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Idaho Big Sky–Summit Challenge	W 75–67	11–5	ICCU Arena (1,286) Moscow, ID
January 6, 2024* 7:00 p.m., Fox 9+/SLN		Sacramento State Big Sky–Summit Challenge	W 63–50	12–5	Schoenecker Arena (1,306) St. Paul, MN
January 11, 2024 7:00 p.m., SLN		South Dakota State	L 80–81	12–6 (2–1)	Schoenecker Arena (1,515) St. Paul, MN
January 13, 2024 7:00 p.m., SLN		at Oral Roberts	W 87–76	13–6 (3–1)	Mabee Center (4,652) Tulsa, OK
January 18, 2024 7:00 p.m., SLN		at South Dakota	L 73–74 ^OT	13–7 (3–2)	Sanford Coyote Sports Center (1,737) Vermillion, SD
January 25, 2024 7:00 p.m., SLN		North Dakota State	W 79–66	14–7 (4–2)	Schoenecker Arena (1,614) St. Paul, MN
January 27, 2024 7:00 p.m., SLN		North Dakota	L 64–74	14–8 (4–3)	Schoenecker Arena (1,540) St. Paul, MN
February 1, 2024 7:00 p.m., SLN		at Omaha	L 65–69	14–9 (4–4)	Baxter Arena (1,747) Omaha, NE
February 3, 2024 7:00 p.m., SLN		at Kansas City	W 71–56	15–9 (5–4)	Swinney Recreation Center (1,226) Kansas City, MO
February 8, 2024 7:00 p.m., SLN		Oral Roberts	W 85–63	16–9 (6–4)	Schoenecker Arena (1,148) St. Paul, MN
February 10, 2024 3:00 p.m., SLN		at Denver	L 77–94	16–10 (6–5)	Hamilton Gymnasium (1,028) Denver, CO
February 17, 2024 7:00 p.m., Fox 9+/SLN		South Dakota	W 83–80	17–10 (7–5)	Schoenecker Arena (1,509) St. Paul, MN
February 22, 2024 7:00 p.m., SLN		at North Dakota State	L 50–64	17–11 (7–6)	Scheels Center (1,579) Fargo, ND
February 24, 2024 2:00 p.m., SLN		at South Dakota State	L 72–77	17–12 (7–7)	Frost Arena (3,136) Brookings, SD
February 29, 2024 7:00 p.m., SLN		Omaha	W 88–61	18–12 (8–7)	Schoenecker Arena (1,526) St. Paul, MN
March 2, 2024 7:00 p.m., SLN		Denver	W 83–58	19–12 (9–7)	Schoenecker Arena (1,607) St. Paul, MN
Summit League tournament
March 10, 2024 6:00 p.m., SLN	(4)	vs. (5) North Dakota State Quarterfinals	W 68–58	20–12	Denny Sanford Premier Center Sioux Falls, SD
March 11, 2024 6:00 p.m., SLN	(4)	vs. (1) South Dakota State Semifinals	L 49–59	20–13	Denny Sanford Premier Center Sioux Falls, SD
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central.

Sources:^[7]^[8]

References

^ "2023-24 Men's Basketball Standings". thesummitleague.org. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
^ "Men's Basketball advance past Bison behind Blue, bench duo scoring". The University of St. Thomas. March 10, 2024. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
^ "No. 1 Jacks end No. 4 Tommies historic season in Summit semifinals". The University of St. Thomas. March 11, 2024. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
^ "2022-23 Men's Basketball Standings". thesummitleague.org. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
^ Mitchell, Greg (March 5, 2023). "Second half surge sends St. Thomas to semifinals". thesummitleague.org. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
^ Mitchell, Greg (March 6, 2023). "Oral Roberts holds off St. Thomas to head to championship". thesummitleague.org. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
^ "2023-24 Men's Basketball Schedule". tommiesports.com. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
^ "St. Thomas-Minnesota Tommies Schedule 2023-24". ESPN. Retrieved November 7, 2024.

[1] "2023-24 Men's Basketball Standings". thesummitleague.org. Retrieved November 7, 2024.

[2] "Men's Basketball advance past Bison behind Blue, bench duo scoring". The University of St. Thomas. March 10, 2024. Retrieved November 7, 2024.

[3] "No. 1 Jacks end No. 4 Tommies historic season in Summit semifinals". The University of St. Thomas. March 11, 2024. Retrieved November 7, 2024.

[4] "2022-23 Men's Basketball Standings". thesummitleague.org. Retrieved November 7, 2024.

[5] Mitchell, Greg (March 5, 2023). "Second half surge sends St. Thomas to semifinals". thesummitleague.org. Retrieved October 30, 2023.

[6] Mitchell, Greg (March 6, 2023). "Oral Roberts holds off St. Thomas to head to championship". thesummitleague.org. Retrieved October 30, 2023.

[7] "2023-24 Men's Basketball Schedule". tommiesports.com. Retrieved October 30, 2023.

[8] "St. Thomas-Minnesota Tommies Schedule 2023-24". ESPN. Retrieved November 7, 2024.

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v t e St. Thomas Tommies men's basketball
Venues	Schoenecker Arena (2010–present) Lee and Penny Anderson Arena (planned 2025)
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
NCAA national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics