Wildcats hit the road at St. Thomas Sunday

• Weber State men's basketball hits the road for the second game of the Big Sky-Summit League Challenge as the 'Cats take on the Summit League preseason favorite St. Thomas on Sunday in Minnesota.

• The Wildcats and Tommies will tipoff at 12 p.m. Central time (11 a.m. Mountain time) from the brand new Lee & Penny Anderson Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota. The game will be televised by the Summit League Network, which is available for a fee at thesummitleague.org.

The WSU radio broadcast will be on 103.1 FM with Carl Arky on the call. Live stats and video links are at WeberStateSports.com and the Weber State Wildcats app.

• This is the third year for the Big Sky-Summit League Challenge which will include 36 men's and women's games this week. There were nine men's and nine women's games on Wednesday with eight men's games and nine women's games on Saturday. Sunday's game will be the final of all 36 games in the challenge.

• Weber State enters Sunday's game with a record of 4-4. The Wildcats have won two of their last three games and opened the Big Sky-Summit League Challenge with a 92-66 win over Oral Roberts on Wednesday night in Ogden. Five Wildcats scored in double figures in the win.

• St. Thomas was picked to win the Summit League this season in the preseason polls. The Tommies are in their fifth year of Division I basketball. This will be the first ever matchup between the two schools.

• Weber State had five players score in double figures in Wednesday's win. The Wildcats have now had at least four players score in double figures in seven of the eight games this season and have at least five players five times.

There are six players currently averaging in double figures through eight games.

• Junior Jace Whiting led the Wildcats with 18 points in Wednesday's win. It was Whiting's seventh time scoring in double figures in eight games and he now leads the Wildcats in scoring at 14 points per game.

• Weber State is now second in the nation in 3-point field goal defense, allowing opponents to shoot just 23.1 percent from 3-point range this season. The 'Cats were first but gave up a season-high 11 3-pointers to Oral Roberts on Wednesday. WSU has allowed three or fewer 3-pointers in four of the eight games this season.

• WSU also ranks 11th in the nation in rebounding, averaging 44.3 rebounds per game. WSU is also seventh in the country in defensive rebounds and 31st in rebounding margin. Weber State outrebounded the Golden Eagles 40-27 in Wednesday's win.

• Weber State is 4-1 this season when leading its opponent in field goal percentage at 0-3 when trailing. The 'Cats are also 4-1 when leading at halftime and 4-0 when leading in assists.

• Weber State leads the Big Sky in scoring offense, field goal percentage defense, 3-point defense, rebounding, and rebounding margin. The 'Cats also ranks second in scoring margin and third in turnover margin and assists.

• Wildcat junior Viljami Vartiainen missed Wednesday's game with a leg injury and is expected to be out for a few weeks due to the injury suffered in the Nov. 29 game against Kansas City. Vartiainen is third on the team in scoring at 11.4 points per game and ranks third in the Big Sky in 3-pointers per game and fourth in 3-point percentage.

• The Tommies of St. Thomas enter Sunday's game at 6-4 on the season. They have wins over Army, Green Bay, SEMO, Northern Colorado, Portland, and Lawrence. They are coming off a 82-74 loss at Montana State on Wednesday in the first game of the Big Sky-Summit League Challenge.

This season sophomore Nolan Minessale, the Summit League Preseason Player of the Year, has scored the fourth most points and made the fourth most field goals of any player in the country. He has scored at least 10 points in eight games.

St. Thomas is in just its fifth season of Division I basketball, after moving from Division III in 2021. This is the first season they are eligible for NCAA postseason play.

• St. Thomas is tied for the second-longest active home wining streak in the country at 21 straight home wins. Only Duke with 22 has more consecutive home wins. The Tommies were a perfect 14-0 at home last season in their previous arena, before moving into the brand new Lee & Penny Anderson Arena this year. Their last home loss was on Feb. 8, 2024.

• St. Thomas was picked first in the Summit League preseason poll with 17 first-place votes.

The Tommies were 24-10 overall last season and finished second in the league at 12-4. They lost to Omaha in the championship game of the conference tournament.

• The Tommies are coached by Johnny Tauer who is in his 15th season as head coach at St. Thomas. He has a career record of 297-111 with the Tommies.

• This will be the first ever meeting between the two schools.

• The Wildcats are coached by Eric Duft who is in his fourth season as head coach and his 20th season overall at Weber State. He spent 16 seasons as an assistant coach under Randy Rahe before becoming the 10th head coach in WSU history in May 2022. He has been on the coaching staff for over 600 games at Weber State, more than anyone in WSU's history.

This summer, NBA superstar and Wildcat legend Damian Lillard was named the General Manager of Weber State Basketball.

• Sunday's game is the first of three straight road games for the Wildcats. It will also be the fourth of four straight games against teams from the Summit League. Weber State will play at Kansas City on Wednesday, Dec. 10, then play at Utah Valley on Dec. 17. The next home game will be on Dec. 20 against Utah Tech.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Viljami Vartiainen

Jace Whiting

Weber State University Athletics