FARGO – The Summit League basketball schedule will have a new look to it for the upcoming season.

The conference announced Wednesday, Aug. 7 that the league will have a hybrid schedule for this season and teams will play league games on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, with an occasional doubleheader.

North Dakota State will face its biggest rival on two separate Wednesdays during the season.

The Bison men will go to Brookings, South Dakota to take on South Dakota State on Wednesday, Feb. 19 and the NDSU women will also play on a Wednesday at the new First Bank and Trust Arena on Jan. 29.

In fact, each of the NDSU women’s matchups with the Jackrabbits will be on Wednesdays. The Jacks trip to Fargo will be on Feb. 12.

With the Summit League still having nine members for a second straight year, scheduling becomes a challenge. Commissioner Josh Fenton has spent the last two years trying to find the right formula to play games. He said on Hot Mic in March 2024 that may include “playing on non-traditional dates.”

The league also pushed its start date of games back to after the first of the year. Over the past few seasons a common complaint from fans was having league games being played before Christmas or during the holiday season where there are either no or few students on campus for the league’s biggest games.

For example, the NDSU men hosted SDSU in back to back seasons during the holiday break. In December 2021, the Bison faced UND on Dec. 22 in front of a crowd of 3,510 fans.

The league announced last month that the conference tournament would be moving to a Wednesday-Sunday format in Sioux Falls for the first time after traditionally concluding the tournament on a Tuesday night. The tournament will begin on Mar. 5, concluding Mar. 9.

Dave Richman’s Bison men will open league play at home on Thursday, Jan. 2 against St. Thomas. The Tommies eliminated NDSU from last year’s conference tournament in the quarterfinals. The Bison will host North Dakota in a doubleheader at the Scheels Center on Saturday, Jan. 25.

There will not be a doubleheader in Grand Forks this year.

The move to Wednesdays for the league may also be catering to television. The conference is in the second year of its three-year agreement with CBS Sports Network. Last year the league televised games on Saturdays and Sundays, but Wednesdays may prove to get more attention or better time slots than traditionally busy Saturdays during the season.

Jory Collins NDSU women’s basketball team will open conference play on the road Jan. 4 at St. Thomas, with its home opener slated for Jan. 9 against Denver.

NDSU men’s basketball 2024-25 conference schedule

Jan. 2 – vs. St. Thomas

Jan. 4 – vs. Omaha

Jan. 9 – at Oral Roberts

Jan. 11 – at Denver

Jan. 16 – vs Kansas City

Jan. 18 – at South Dakota

Jan. 25 – vs North Dakota (doubleheader)

Jan. 30 – vs South Dakota State

Feb. 1 – at St. Thomas

Feb. 6 – at Kansas City

Feb. 8 – at Omaha

Feb. 13 – vs Oral Roberts

Feb. 15 – vs Denver

Feb. 19 – at South Dakota State (Wednesday)

Feb. 22 – at North Dakota

Feb. 26 – vs South Dakota (Wednesday)

NDSU women’s basketball 2024-25 conference schedule

Jan. 4 – at St. Thomas

Jan. 9 – vs Denver

Jan. 11 – vs Oral Roberts

Jan. 16 – at Omaha

Jan. 18 – at Kansas City

Jan. 22 – at South Dakota (Wednesday)

Jan. 25 – vs North Dakota (doubleheader)

Jan. 29 – at South Dakota State (Wednesday)

Feb. 1 – vs St. Thomas

Feb. 8 – vs South Dakota

Feb. 12 – vs South Dakota State (Wednesday)

Feb. 15 – at North Dakota

Feb. 20 – at Denver

Feb. 22 – at Oral Roberts

Feb. 27 – vs Kansas City

Mar. 1 – vs Omaha

Dom Izzo is the Sports Director at WDAY-TV. He began working for WDAY in 2006 as the weekend sports anchor and was promoted to Sports Director in 2010.

Wisconsin’s first LGBTQ historic landmark was dedicated this week near the former Black Nite tavern in Milwaukee, at the corner of West St. Paul and North Plankinton avenues.

The location is the site of the state’s first LGBTQ uprising in 1961, and the landmark honors Josie Carter, a Black transgender person who led the defense against attackers.

It’s one of 58 official state historical landmarks in Milwaukee County, according to the Wisconsin Historical Society.

From the invention of the typewriter to Wisconsin’s lime industry, this list has something new to learn about, even for locals.

Here’s a list of all the Wisconsin historical markers in Milwaukee County and where you can find them:

• Watertown Plank Road: Miller Brewing Company, junction of 40th and State streets, Milwaukee
• Meadowmere: Triangle at 57th, Hayes and Fillmore streets, West Allis
• Invention of the Typewriter: Junction of 4th and State streets, Milwaukee
• Oneida Street Station, T.M.E.R. & L. Co.: Junction of Wells and Edison streets, Milwaukee
• First Milwaukee Cargo Pier: Foot of East Michigan Street, Milwaukee
• Milwaukee-Downer College: Junction of East Hartford and North Downer avenues, Milwaukee
• Saint John’s Infirmary: Junction of North Avenue and Lake Drive, Milwaukee
• Milwaukee County’s First Airport: Inside the Currie Park Golf Course clubhouse, Wauwatosa
• Erastus B. Wolcott, M.D.: Grounds of VA Hospital, 5000 W. National Ave., Milwaukee
• St Mary’s School of Nursing: Junction of North Avenue and Lake Drive, Milwaukee
• Boyhood Home of Jeremiah Curtin: 8685 W. Grange Ave., Greendale
• Old North Point Water Tower: East North Avenue, between North Lake Drive and North Terrace Avenue, Milwaukee
• Carl Sandburg Hall: Junction of East Hartford and North Maryland avenues, UW-Milwaukee campus
• General Mitchell Field: On East Layton Avenue, a half-mile east of South Howell Avenue, located in parking lot observation area, Milwaukee
• Milwaukee Interurban Terminal, 1905-1951: 231 W. Michigan St., Milwaukee
• MacArthur Square: East-wall entrance to parking structure at the North 9th Street Tunnel, Milwaukee
• Golda Meir: Golda Meir Library on UW-Milwaukee campus, Milwaukee
• Carl Frederick Zeidler: Zeidler Park, 300 W. Michigan St., Milwaukee
• Bay View’s Rolling Mill: Junction of S. Superior Street and E. Russell Avenue, Milwaukee
• Wisconsin’s Lime Industry: 8801 W. Grange Ave., Greendale
• Wisconsin’s Oldest Newspaper the Milwaukee Sentinel: On the Riverwalk, 100 E. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee
• National Soldiers Home: Zablocki VA Medical Center, State 59
• Civil War Camp: 1756 N. Prospect Ave., Milwaukee
• First African-American Church Built in Wisconsin: Junction of 4th Street and Kilbourn Avenue, Milwaukee
• The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee: Mitchell Hall, UW-Milwaukee, North Downer Avenue, Milwaukee
• Pabst Theater: 144 E. Wells St., Milwaukee
• Third Ward Fire: 159 N. Broadway, Milwaukee
• Captain Frederick Pabst: 2000 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee
• Camp Harvey: State Fair Park main gate, junction of South 81st Street and West Greenfield Avenue, West Allis
• Wisconsin State Fair Park: State Fair Park main gate, junction of South 81st Street and West Greenfield Avenue, West Allis
• Sinking of the “Lady Elgin”: Junction of North Water and East Erie streets, Milwaukee
• Kilbourntown: 1110 N. Old World 3rd St., Milwaukee
• Town of Greenfield: 7325 W. Forest Home Ave., Greenfield
• Merrill Park: Merrill Park, 461 N. 35th St., Milwaukee
• Shorewood Armory: East Facade of the Lighthorse Building, 4041 N. Oakland Ave., Shorewood
• Shorewood High School: 1701 E. Capitol Dr., Shorewood
• Shorewood Village Hall: 3930 N. Murray Ave., Shorewood
• Bay View’s Immigrants: Zillman Park, junction of South Kinnickinnic Avenue and East Ward Street, Milwaukee
• Mabel Watson Raimey: Marquette University Law School, 1103 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee
• Lueddeman’s on-the-River: 3500 N. Oakland Ave., Shorewood
• Janesville Plank Road: Junction of 92nd Street and Forest Home Avenue, Greenfield
• Village of Greendale: 6500 Northway, Greendale
• Rescue of Joshua Glover: Cathedral Square Park, junction of East Kilbourn and North Jackson streets, Milwaukee
• The Cream City: West lobby of the Tannery building, 700 W. Virginia St., Milwaukee
• Revolutionary War Veteran (Morgan): Wauwatosa Cemetery, 2405 Wauwatosa Ave., Wauwatosa
• Cold Spring Road: Junction of 108th Street and Cold Spring Road, Greenfield
• North Point Light Station: At Lighthouse, Lake Park, Milwaukee
• Birthplace of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod: Salem Lutheran Church, 6814 N. 107th St., Milwaukee
• Wisconsin Soldiers’ Home 1864-1867: 731 N. Plankinton Ave., Milwaukee
• Historic Root River/Root River Parkway: North of 11000 W. Beloit Rd., Root River Parkway, Greenfield
• Lakeside Power Plant: 3900 block of S. Lake Dr., St. Francis
• Survey of 1836/Greenfield 1836 “Greenery”: Konkel Park, Greenfield
• Lake Protestant Cemetery: Junction of East Norwich and South Barland avenues, St. Francis
• Tee Sisikeja (Bad Waters Village): Exploratory Park, Wisconsin State Fair Park, West Allis
• Garden Homes, A Public Housing Milestone: Garden Homes Square, 2600 W. Atkinson Ave., Milwaukee
• St. Boniface Catholic Church: North Division High School, 1122 W. Clarke St., Milwaukee
• Josie Carter Black Nite Uprising: Southwest corner of West St. Paul and North Plankinton avenues, Milwaukee

From an excess on the back end to the bare necessities up front, Derek Lalonde is ready to parse the Detroit Red Wings.

He’ll have to wait about six weeks for training camp, when he can really start experimenting with line combinations and defense pairings, but even so, Lalonde was eager to give his opinion on the squad after numerous changes in the offseason.

“Of course I like it,” Lalonde said Wednesday. “We did a good job addressing some holes. It feels like guys may be slotted going into the year a little bit. I think we did a good job addressing some lost offense, which is very important.”

LET’S (SIGN) A DEAL? Derek Lalonde ‘not worried’ Detroit Red Wings Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond still unsigned

Signing forward Vladimir Tarasenko, a former 40-goal scorer, is expected to ameliorate the departures of David Perron (17 goals) and Daniel Sprong (18 goals). Signing defenseman Erik Gustafsson should lessen the blow of losing Shayne Gostisbehere (team-leading 29 power play points).

Tarasenko joins a forward corps that also features Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat, J.T. Compher, Patrick Kane, Andrew Copp, Michael Rasmussen, Joe Veleno and Christian Fischer, another newcomer in Tyler Motte and, once they’re signed, Lucas Raymond and Jonatan Berggren, making for an even dozen. Prospects Carter Mazur, Marco Kasper and Nate Danielson could all push for a role, too.

On the back end, besides Gustafsson there’s Ben Chiarot, Olli Määttä, Jeff Petry, Justin Holl, and Simon Edvinsson; Seider (who also needs a new contract) and Albert Johansson, who has yet to play in the NHL but is out of waiver exemptions.

Lalonde described his possible line combinations as “fluid, especially early in camp. But it just feels like guys are slotted a bit more proper, and it will make more of an ideal top-six, bottom-six situation. But that will be fluid as the season starts.”

PIONEER FORWARD: Detroit Red Wings prospect spotlight: Could Carter Mazur push for a spot next season?

Last season ended with the Wings chasing a playoff spot all the way till Game 82 before succumbing by a tiebreaker. Their 91 points were 11 better than the previous season. That builds pressure to improve further in 2024-25.

“It’s just exciting,” Lalonde said. “All I’ve known here since I’ve come here is some progression. We’ve moved in the right direction from Year 1 to Year 2. And now we need to keep building. Expectations will change, which is all good. This is all part of the process. We just want a little bit more everybody.”

Cam Talbot joins Alex Lyon and Ville Husso on the goaltending depth chart, but it isn’t just those three who will be counted on to keep the puck out of the net. The Wings’ 3.35 goals-for average last season was ninth in the NHL — but their 3.33 goals-against average ranked 24th. As fun as it was to see, for example, DeBrincat score nine goals the first eight games, blowing a four-goal lead to lose to the league-worst San Jose Sharks in early December was anything but.

“We made strides last year and a lot of it was because we were able to find some goals,” Lalonde said. “But the numbers speak for themselves — we were a top-10 team in goals scored but we were a bottom-10 teams in goals against. So we’d love to improve that goals against. 

“The teams in the end, it all looks the same – they put a premium on keeping the puck out of the net. It will be a goal of ours, and we are going to need it from everybody. We want to score goals, we need those goals, but it’s very important that if you’re going to get there in the end and be where we want to be, we have to keep it out of the net.”

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Her books, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” and “The Big 50: The Men and Moments that made the Detroit Red Wings” are available from  Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.

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