The Kansas City Roos are the second seed in the Summit League, making it the first time they rank at that high in the conference since the 2004-2005 season.
During the last week of conference play, eight teams had yet to secure a position within the standings. However, four teams (Kansas City, North Dakota State, North Dakota and South Dakota State), had the opportunity to take the top two spots.
After Saturday’s slate of matches, Kansas City needed to win against the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles to make history.
The Roos delivered and defeated the Golden Eagles 71-54 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
It was a tightly contested game in the first half, as both teams started off sloppy. However, once the second half started, Kansas City’s offense found its rhythm. The Roos went on an 18-5 run by the 12-minute mark and were up by 20.
Leading the way offensively was the forward duo of junior’s Jamar Brown and Cameron Faas. The Arizona natives scored 14 points each. Brown delivered as a slasher, scoring most of his points inside the paint. He also wrangled four rebounds and one steal.
Faas shot 3-5 from beyond the arc against Oral Roberts, giving him a tremendous 60% three-point percentage.
Freshman guard Jayson Petty contributed similarly to his teammates, as he scored 12 points and gathered nine total rebounds. Junior forward Allen Mukeba Jr. played his part, scoring 13 as well.
During Head Coach Marvin Menzies’ first season as a Roo, he had a less-than-ideal start. With a 7-11 conference record and an 11-21 overall record, Kansas City found themselves out of the 2022-2023 Summit League tournament quickly.
After a full season of recruitment, development and changes to the roster, the Roos currently own a 10-6 conference record, and are near the top of the Summit League mountain.
Kansas City will face off against the seventh seed Denver Pioneers on Saturday, March 9 at 8:30 p.m. All tournament games will air on Midco Sports Plus.
