Now that the season is officially over, it feels like a good time to start looking ahead.
University of North Dakota finished the year 18-17 and made an impressive run to the championship game of the Summit League Tournament before ultimately falling short to NDSU.
Considering the expectations coming into the season, I would argue this year should be viewed as a success. There were plenty of ups and downs throughout the year, but the team improved as the season went along and showed what it is capable of during that tournament run.
Because of that, the contract extension that athletic director Bill Chaves gave to head coach Paul Sather looks warranted.
Now comes the fun part of the offseason. Speculating about what next year could look like.
Obviously it is still very early. The portal hasn’t opened and roster movement is inevitable. But that never stops message boards from trying to piece together what the rotation might look like.
So let’s take a very early look at the 2026-27 roster.
First, the things we know.
Leaving the program are Eli King, Reggie Thomas and Garrett Anderson. Coming in are three freshmen:
Jayden Moore (6’0 PG) – Minneapolis
Carter Evanson (6’3 G) – Horace, ND
Sage Hanson (6’10 F) – Towner, ND
That’s 3 in and 3 out.
There has also been speculation that Anthony Doppler and Ryan Erikson may look to transfer somewhere they can get more playing time, possibly at the D2 level. Matthew Bothun has been getting minutes recently due to Josh Jones’ injury but could also be someone who looks elsewhere.
For the sake of this exercise I’m assuming Doppler, Erikson and Bothun depart.
So let’s build the rotation.
Starters
G – Greyson Uelmen (6’2) – RS Sophomore
Uelmen has already proven he can play at this level and score at a high level. He broke the freshman scoring record at UND and has been one of the main engines of the offense.
He gets to the line a ton and is excellent there. He’s also a really crafty finisher around the rim.
When he’s open he can knock down a three but the release isn’t quick enough yet to consistently get it off when defenders recover. That’s probably the biggest offensive improvement he needs to make.
Ball security is another area for growth. He has the ball in his hands more than anyone so turnovers are expected, but cleaning that up and improving his distribution will take him to another level.
And then there was this past weekend at the Summit League Tournament.
Uelmen basically carried UND to the championship game.
41 points
28 points
24 points
He shot 70.7% from the field and 66.7% from three across the three games. Just ridiculous efficiency.
That weekend pretty much solidified him as one of the stars in the Summit League.
Now the next question becomes the one every mid-major fan base asks. Can Sather hold onto him?
G – Anthony Smith III (6’1) – Sophomore
A3 might be the fastest player on the roster.
He’s an absolute pest defensively and finishes at the rim incredibly well for someone his size. He also might actually be the better natural distributor compared to Uelmen.
You could easily argue he should technically be the point guard with Uelmen playing more off ball. But both guys are best with the ball in their hands so the offense will probably remain pretty fluid.
The big swing skill for him is shooting. If he becomes a consistent threat from three it completely changes how defenses guard this backcourt.
F – Marley Curtis (6’8) – Sophomore
Curtis has shown flashes and is shooting 30.7% from three which isn’t great but can hit an open 3 at times.
But his biggest advantage is his size and athleticism at 6’8. That’s something most teams in the Summit simply can’t match.
The next step is realizing he doesn’t need to try to score every time he touches the ball. If he focuses on defending, rebounding and taking good shots within the offense he could make a big jump.
F – Micah Curtis (6’8) – RS Freshman?
Micah is the big wildcard.
Coming out of high school he was the more accomplished of the twins but battled through a back injury this season and was eventually shut down.
There has been speculation about whether he wants to move on somewhere else while preserving eligibility. Hopefully that isn’t the case.
Because the talent is there.
I see a little bit of Markell Sutton in him. He will have growing pains but the physical tools are obvious. If he embraces rebounding, defense and toughness first the offensive game could develop quickly.
C – Josh Jones (6’9) – Senior
Jones has become a bit of a running joke around the league because of the constant illegal screens and foul trouble.
Before getting hurt he was actually leading all of Division I in fouls.
But his injury also showed how important he is defensively. When he’s on the floor the defense is simply better.
He’s not going to give you much offensively but if he can stay out of foul trouble he provides real rim protection and interior defense.
Bench Rotation
Zach Kraft (6’3) – RS Junior
One of the best stories on the team.
Former walk-on who has turned himself into a legit contributor.
Kraft is an excellent shooter and even though people question his defense he has shown a good ability to get his hands on balls and disrupt passing lanes.
He’ll probably start in reality, but I kind of like him as a microwave shooter off the bench.
Jayden Moore (6’0) – Freshman
The highest ranked recruit in program history.
Quick point guard who distributes well and plays solid defense.
He’s small though. Probably not even a true 6 feet. That could create some challenges physically early on.
Still, he could absolutely push for immediate minutes.
Carter Evanson (6’3) – Freshman
Local kid that a lot of fans are excited about.
In a perfect world he redshirts. But with how college basketball works now that might not happen.
If he plays right away it will likely be because he can defend and knock down shots.
Guga Natsvlisvili (6’10) – Senior
Guga has shown some big flashes this season.
The issues are finishing through contact and the free throw shooting which has been rough.
He also seems to have lost some of the perimeter shooting that used to be part of his game before adding weight to play inside.
He could start but I think he makes more sense as a frontcourt piece off the bench.
Wylee Delorme (6’5) – Junior
The plan was to redshirt him this year but injuries forced him into action.
He made the most of it too, especially with a big performance against SDSU.
He profiles as a nice 3 and D type wing who can space the floor and defend multiple spots.
Sage Hanson (6’10) – Freshman
Another developmental big.
Ideally he would redshirt but that’s increasingly rare these days.
He’s talented though and likely would have picked up some bigger offers if he had stayed at the prep school he attended during his junior year.
The Three Portal Needs
Even with this roster there are still three obvious needs.
1. Call BJ Omot
BJ Omot returning would instantly solve a lot of problems.
He could step right into the 3 spot and give the team a proven scoring option on the wing.
I’ve heard he loved his time in Grand Forks so it’s at least worth the phone call.
2. A Legit Shooter
Outside of Kraft, shooting is still a concern.
Finding a long wing who can knock down threes consistently would be huge.
Someone in the mold of Garrett Anderson would fit perfectly.
3. A Real Big
For the love of God this program needs a dominant big.
Since Filip Rebraca there hasn’t been a true interior force.
He wasn’t even a bruiser, but he was just a really good player.
Landing a true Summit level interior presence would completely change the ceiling of this team.
Looking ahead, there are some really intriguing pieces here. If a couple players take a jump and the portal additions hit, the 2026-27 roster could be really interesting.
And if nothing else, the future at least looks a lot more stable now that Sather is locked in.
