Geoff Payne, last year's newcomer of the year in Summit League men's basketball, is averaging 28 points and 7 rebounds per game this season.
Problem is, Payne is no longer playing in the Summit League.
"It is really unfortunate for our league," said Roger Reid, who coached Payne last year at Southern Utah. "Geoff Payne should be here."
Instead, Payne is playing at Westminster College in Salt Lake City for a 16-1 team that is ranked No. 5 in the NAIA Division I poll. The NCAA ruled last spring that Payne used up his eligibility after cutting a Morman mission short two years ago.
It left Southern Utah - which hosts North Dakota State tonight - without a talented senior who last year was the Summit's second-leading scorer (21.9) and third-leading rebounder (7.1).
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"The NCAA has no idea about church missions," Reid said. "That really hurt us.
"You look at our team and you think we should be getting beat by 15 or 20 points. But we are competing."
That's what the Bison are expecting when they step into Centrum Arena - where Southern Utah has won more than 80 percent of its games during the last 24 seasons. Summit coaches label it as one of the toughest places to play.
The Bison lost there last year 72-67, unable to come back from a 17-point deficit. Early last December, Oakland - a team picked to finish third behind NDSU and Oral Roberts in the Summit this year - suffered an 82-66 loss at the Centrum.
"It's a tough place to play - especially if you let the crowd get into it," said Bison point guard Ben Woodside.
Southern Utah may be 5-11 overall - including a 64-50 loss at Florida - but five more of those losses were by a combined 11 points. That includes setbacks to high majors like Boise State (62-59), Weber State (66-62) and Utah State (72-65).
The Thunderbirds are coming off last week's 66-50 win at Missouri-Kansas City - which improved their Summit League record to 3-2. The Bison sit on top of the league with a 5-1 record.
"Being at the top has its pros and cons," said Bison forward Brett Winkelman. "Obviously, it's where we want to be. But we have a target on our back, so it's going to be even more difficult to go in there and get a win."
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The Bison, still in search of their first road sweep in their second year as a Summit League member, are well aware a win tonight could put more distance between them and Oakland while maintaining a slim lead over defending champion Oral Roberts.
"I know we will get their best shot," Bison coach Saul Phillips said of Southern Utah. "They get jacked up playing us."
Even without an all-conference player like Payne.
"North Dakota State is a very talented basketball team," said Reid, who picked the Bison to win this year's league title. "We're not very talented, but we play very hard. I'm really proud of these guys."
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