Oral Roberts, NDSU meet in Summit League semis

No. 4 seed Oral Roberts (17-13, 10-7) vs. No. 1 seed North Dakota State (23-8, 14-3)

Summit League Conference Tourney Semifinals, Denny Sanford PREMIER Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Monday, 6 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: A spot in the Summit League championship game is on the line as Oral Roberts and North Dakota State are set to do battle. The teams split the regular season series at one win apiece. The teams last faced each other on Feb. 8, when the Bison shot 52.9 percent from the field while holding Oral Roberts’s shooters to just 41.8 percent on the way to a seven-point victory.

BIG MEN ON CAMPUS: The senior tandem of Emmanuel Nzekwesi and Deondre Burns has led the Golden Eagles. Nzekwesi has averaged 15.6 points and 9.3 rebounds while Burns has recorded 15.3 points and 4.2 assists per game. The Bison have been led by seniors Tyson Ward and Vinnie Shahid, who have combined to score 34.9 points per contest.

OFFENSIVE THREAT: Ward has had his hand in 41 percent of all North Dakota State field goals over the last three games. Ward has 27 field goals and six assists in those games.

WINLESS WHEN: Oral Roberts is 0-6 when scoring fewer than 68 points and 17-7 when scoring at least 68.

UNDEFEATED WHEN: Oral Roberts is a perfect 7-0 when it holds an opponent to 66 points or fewer. The Golden Eagles are 10-13 when opponents score more than 66.

DID YOU KNOW: The Oral Roberts offense has recorded a turnover on only 14.6 percent of its possessions, which is the third-lowest rate in the nation. The North Dakota State defense has forced opposing teams to turn the ball over on just 15.4 percent of all possessions (ranked 345th among Division I teams).