FARGO -- North Dakota State said thanks, but no thanks, to any possible postseason men's basketball tournament. Head coach Dave Richman cited the need to put all effort into next season immediately.
Richman said there were discussions with his own staff, NDSU administration and players.
"We are appreciative of the postseason invitations and opportunities we received," Richman said. "However we feel it is in the best interest of our program to move forward now with our full focus on becoming the best version of the 2016-17 Bison."
NDSU fell in the Summit League title game to South Dakota State on Tuesday night. Regular season champion Indiana Purdue-Fort Wayne received an invitation to the NIT while the Jackrabbits got the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
That left NDSU with the possibility of lesser-known postseason tournaments like the CollegeInsider.com Tournament, the College Basketball Invitational and a new "Vegas 16" tournament in Las Vegas.
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NDSU finished 20-13, the fourth straight year it reached at least 20 wins. The no-take approach means the Bison careers of seniors Kory Brown and Chris Kading are officially over.
"We are extremely grateful for the contributions of our seniors," Richman said. "Chris and Kory continued to raise the bar for NDSU basketball. Another 20-win season is one more step in solidifying our program as an upper level mid-major."
Richman will be a guest on Kolpack & Izzo radio show at 10:30 a.m. Saturday on WDAY-AM 970 or wday.com.
