Souhan: St. Thomas men’s basketball team shows off its first-place stuff for Wolves bosses

Timberwolves coach Chris Finch sat behind the St. Thomas bench, wearing flannel. Wolves President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly walked in later, with his own contingent.

The St. Thomas-North Dakota State men’s basketball game was aired on CBS Sports Network, marking the first time the Tommies have been the focus of a national television broadcast. Longtime Division I official and former Twins executive Eric Curry was one of the referees, and Tommies fans packed Schoenecker Arena.

On a day off for the Wolves, Finch and Connelly chose their basketball entertainment wisely. On a dramatic day for an ambitious program, the Tommies defeated NDSU 79-62 to move into a tie for first place in the Summit League with Omaha.

“When you show up 90 minutes before the game and there’s students lined up outside the arena … I don’t remember that before," St. Thomas coach Johnny Tauer said. “In some ways, it’s sort of the culmination of what we’ve been trying to build. This is certainly not an end point, but I think it’s one of those markers in terms of being on national TV, being sold out, playing a great opponent — and the way our guys played."

St. Thomas made the move from Division III to Division I in 2021, meaning Tauer and his program would be challenged. By late Sunday afternoon, he was referring to other city-based Catholic schools — Marquette and Creighton — that have thrived under similar circumstances.

Such comparisons play better after impressive victories, and this was that. St. Thomas dominated from the start, and Finch, a former Division III player, was probably entertained by Tauer’s signature offense, which emphasizes quick ball movement, spacing and unselfishness.

Miles Barnstable had been the Tommies’ scoring star of late. Sunday, he made only two of 10 shots but led the team with nine rebounds. Junior guard Kendall Blue (of East Ridge) and freshman guard Nolan Minessale (who won a Wisconsin state title last year at Marquette University High) put on a show that had the gym thumping.

Blue and Minessale combined to make 17 of 22 shots, four of eight three-pointers and five of six free throws. Both had three steals, and they helped the Tommies produce 19 assists and make only five turnovers.

The last of those turnovers came as the clock ran out on a victory that had to remind the players of Tauer’s recruiting pitch. He wants his teams to play with what he calls “competitive joy.” He wants an offense that never depends on one scorer.

“The first thing is, we’re super-unselfish,” Minessale said. “I think the numbers speak for themselves. I feel like it’s a new guy every day leading us in scoring. With JT, I just think we’re a really connected group.”

“We’ve got a lot of freedom,” Blue said. “We have plays. I don’t want to say we don’t run them, but they’re concepts to get us moving and get the ball flowing. It’s just a fun offense.”

St. Thomas led 45-26 at the half. North Dakota State scored the first five points of the second half to cut the lead to 14.

Then Blue scored … and Minessale turned a steal into a dunk … and Minessale turned a steal into a fast-break layup … and Blue scored again.

Blue is a 6-6 wing. Minessale is a 6-6 wing who sometimes plays like a point guard. That eight-point burst that had them sprinting the length of the court demonstrated why St. Thomas is so difficult to play against.

“The way we move the ball, I think it’s really special,” Minessale said. “Like Kendall said, there’s not many other teams in the country who move it like us, and space it like us, and have freedom like us.”

Tauer tells recruits that he values offensive skills but not ball-dominant scorers. That’s how he ends up with rosters deep in scoring and versatility.

St. Thomas is 18-6, having won 14 of its past 16. The Tommies are 11-0 at home and 8-1 in the Summit League.

“I’m admittedly biased, but I think we’re the coolest story in college basketball,” Tauer said. “Part of our vision is, how do we get the entire state to be aware that this is a pretty cool team and school, and an easy one to cheer for.”