Men head for league newcomer UND

GAME 21: South Dakota State (14-6, 4-1) at North Dakota (8-10, 2-3)

When	Wednesday, Jan. 14 \| 7 p.m.
Where	Betty Englestad Sioux Center \| Grand Forks, North Dakota
Radio	Jackrabbit Sports Network I WNAX 570 AM \| Tyler Merriam
Television / Live Video	Midco Sports Network \| Fox College Sports \| Alex Heinert & Zach Dosch
Live Audio	Jackrabbits All-Access
Live Stats	SideArmSports (FightingHawks.com)
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| North Dakota \| The Summit League
Social Media	Twitter I Facebook \| #NextStep
Tickets	FightingHawks.com

Previewing the Game
South Dakota State hits the road for its lone game of the week, traveling to North Dakota on Wednesday night. The Jackrabbits and Fighting Hawks tip from Grand Forks, North Dakota at 7 p.m. from the Betty Englestad Sioux Center.

The Jacks are the three-time defending Summit League tournament champions, and last year earned the program's first-ever outright Summit regular season title. SDSU went 2-0 last weekend at home, taking down Denver 78-66 Thursday before an 84-65 victory against Oral Roberts Saturday in the 2019 Lamb Bonanza. SDSU sits at 14-6 on the season and 4-1 in Summit League play.

North Dakota (8-10, 2-3 Summit League) is coming off a 71-65 win over Western Illinois last weekend after a 92-91 loss to Omaha the Thursday prior.

This is the 188th meeting all-time between the programs and the first as Summit League foes. The Jackrabbits trail the Fighting Hawks in the all-time series, 104-83, but in Division I contests SDSU holds a 5-1 edge.

About South Dakota State
All-American Mike Daum paces the Jackrabbit offense with a double-double average of 23.7 points and 10.4 rebounds per game, shooting 50.3 percent from the field with 39 3-point field goals. He is one of four players nationally averaging 20 or more points and 10 or more rebounds per game.

As well, Daum has dished 33 assists on the year and is playing 31.4 minutes per contest. The two-time Summit League Player of the Year now has 2,706 career points, 43 career double-doubles and ranks first all-time on both lists at SDSU. He has scored 40 or more in two games this season and 30-plus in five games.

David Jenkins is second in scoring for the Jacks, dropping 19.5 points on average with nine 20-plus scoring performances, including a career-best 35 against Memphis when he hit 8 of 11 from beyond the arc. The Tacoma, Washington native has 65 treys on the year (with two games of eight 3-pointers) to go with a 47.8 field goal percentage and 50.7 percent mark from deep.

Skyler Flatten rounds out the top scorers for South Dakota State with 15.5 points per game, as the sixth-year senior has hit 50 3-pointers, tallied 21 steals, dished 37 assists and reached double figures in 17 games this year. He has six 20-plus scoring performances, hitting 28 against UTSA, 29 against Savannah State, and 20 against Nevada, Eastern Washington, South Dakota and Denver.

Tevin King leads the team with 91 assists and is averaging 9.5 points per game. He is a 54.8 percent shooter from the field and has 33 steals to go with a 6.4 rebounding average. Tevin King has reached double figures in nine straight games and against Oral Roberts reset the school's Division I record (and tied the overall program record) for steals (eight).

Alex Arians has started 11 games for the Jacks and is averaging 5.3 points per game with two double-doubles, including a 19-point, 10-rebound and five-assist showing against South Dakota. He is posting 4.6 rebounds per game and has 15 steals in 25.3 minutes per game.

Owen King is second on the Jacks with 51 assists, dishing 2.5 per game to go with 4.9 scoring and 1.8 rebounding averages. He has tallied three or more assists in nine contests.

Matt Dentlinger (3.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game), Ryan Krueger (2.6 ppg, 11 3-pointers) and Alou Dillon (2.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg) have provided valuable minutes as well.

The Jackrabbits are averaging 85.0 points per contest and shooting an impressive 50.5 percent as a team from the field. SDSU is 198-of-471 from beyond the arc and has hit 318-of-417 at the charity stripe. All told, the Jacks have six players shooting better than 50 percent from the field (eight above 48 percent) with three hitting 40 percent or better from deep.

On the boards, the Jacks hold a plus-5.1 edge in rebound margin and are pulling down 38.9 per game as a team.

About North Dakota
Head Coach Brian Jones is in his 13th season with the Fighting Hawks and has an 185-209 record on the bench.

North Dakota is averaging 75.6 points per game and shooting 47.2 percent as a team, hitting 147-of-391 from deep (37.6 percent). The Fighting Hawks are minus-0.8 in rebounding margin at 34.2 boards per game, but are holding opponents to 71.5 points per game and a 43.7 shooting percentage.

Individually, Conner Avants leads the offense with 12.8 points per game, shooting 63.3 percent from the field with a 5.4 per game rebounding mark. Cortez Seales is close behind for the scoring lead at 12.5 points per game.

Marlon Stewart missed games early, but is back in the lineup and averaging 10.6 points per game over seven appearances, and Aanen Moody, who leads the team with 48 3-pointers, has 181 total points (10.1 per game) with a team-best 5.8 rebounding mark.

A South Dakota State Win Would ...
Give SDSU its 15th win of the season ... move the Jacks to 84-104 all-time against North Dakota ... make Otzelberger 61-30 at South Dakota State ... give the Jacks a 1,526-1,037-1 program mark.

A South Dakota State Loss Would ...
Hand State its seventh loss of the year and second in Summit League play ... move SDSU to 83-105 all-time against the Fighting Hawks ... make Otzelberger 60-31 at South Dakota State ... drop SDSU to 1,525-1,038-1 all-time.

Daum Sets All-Time Scoring Mark
Mike Daum entered the Nov. 20 matchup with UTSA needing 17 points to break Nate Wolters' all-time school scoring record of 2,363 points.

Daum left with 41 points and moved into first-place on the all-time scoring chart. The historic bucket came near the four-minute mark of the first quarter against UTSA, when Owen King found Daum near the paint and let the big man go to work, draining a fadeaway jumper to move past Nate Wolters and into history.

A look at SDSU's all-time scoring chart is on page 13 of the game notes.

Senior Salute
Mike Daum, Skyler Flatten and Tevin King have gone 86-38 over the past four seasons and could leave South Dakota State as the winningest senior class in the program's history. A look at those classes is on page four of the game notes.

Reaching the Summit
Mike Daum became the Summit League's scoring king on Dec. 7 in a 42-point performance against Southern. Daum entered the game 37 points shy of the league's scoring record, trailing only UMKC's Michael Watson (2,488; 2000-04) and Oral Roberts' Caleb Green (2,503; 2003-07).

Daum entered the season eighth all-time in Summit League points.

Daum Earns Summit League's Monthly Award
South Dakota State's Mike Daum was selected as the Summit League's November Male Athlete of the Month, announced Dec. 6 by the league office.

Daum started eight games and averaged a double-double of 24.1 points and 11.3 rebounds per game, dishing out 2.1 assists per game as well during November. He shot 50 percent from the field, just shy of 40 percent beyond the arc and hit 40 of 50 at the charity stripe, while posting a nation-leading six double-doubles. Daum also put together six 20-plus point scoring contests and capped the month with a 26-point, 18-rebound outing in a win over Kansas City. The 18 rebounds were one shy of his career-high. He broke the school's all-time career scoring record on Nov. 20 in a 41-point showing against UTSA, and has risen to No. 75 on the NCAA's all-time scoring list.

This is the fifth time Daum has been named Athlete of the Month by the league, earning the award four times last year.

Daum Picks Up Summit League Honors
South Dakota State's Mike Daum has been named the Summit League's Player of the Week 16 times in his career and five times this season, including three straight weeks (Nov. 26, Dec. 3 & Dec. 10). He has won more weekly league honors than any player in Summit League history. Nate Wolters and Caleb Green (Oral Roberts) won it 15 times in their careers.

Nov. 12 -- Daum averaged 23 points and 12.3 rebounds per contest, tallying three double-doubles and shooting over 46 percent from the field. The 6-9 senior scored 20 points and had 13 rebounds against Grand Canyon, 23 and 13 against Alabama State and finished the week with 26 points and 11 boards against Bemidji State.
Nov. 26 -- Daum averaged 26.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per contest over three games to help the Jacks finish fifth at the Gulf Coast Showcase. Daum shot over 50 percent from the field and had a 41-point performance against UTSA en route to breaking SDSU's all-time scoring record and moving into third in career points in Summit League history.
Dec. 3 -- Daum averaged a double-double in a pair of dominant Jackrabbit victories last week, helping his team take down Kansas City, 75-47, and Northern Iowa, 82-50. Daum put up 25.0 points and 14.5 rebounds per game, shooting 68.2 percent overall from the field. He tallied 26 points and 18 rebounds (one shy of his career-high) against UMKC and closed the week with 24 points and 11 boards against UNI, hitting 11-of-12 from the charity stripe.
Dec. 10 -- The Kimball, Nebraska big man averaged 30 points and six rebounds over the two games, shooting 57.6 percent from the field with six 3-pointers. He added a 16 of 17 effort at the charity stripe for the week. He scored 42 points against Southern to move into first all-time in Summit League scoring and had 18 against Memphis.
Dec. 24 -- Daum averaged a double-double of 30 points and 13 rebounds per game, hitting 21-of-24 from the free throw line over two contests to go alongside a 45.9 field goal percentage. The Kimball, Nebraska native started the week with 27 points and 11 rebounds in a win at Eastern Washington and led the team with 33 points and 15 rebounds against Montana.

#Chasing3K
South Dakota State's Mike Daum is within reach of rarefied air as he enters his senior campaign looking to become just the ninth men's basketball player all-time to reach 3,000 points. Daum currently sits tied for 22nd on the NCAA's all-time scoring chart with 2,706 career points and will look to climb the ranks throughout the year.

He has been in a back-and-forth race with Chris Clemons (2,706 points) all season, and currently sits tied with the Campbell guard for the active scoring lead. A look at Daum's latest scoring chart listing can be found on page five of the game notes.

Tacoma Talent
Tacoma, Washington native David Jenkins has made a statement early in 2018-19 to erase any doubt of a sophomore slump, posting three 30-plus scoring performances and hitting the 20-point mark in 10 games. He has reset his career-high in scoring twice this year, tallying 32 against Colorado State and 35 at Memphis. Jenkins now has 935 points in 54 career games with 15 double-figure scoring performances on the season.

The Sunrise Christian Academy product has reached double figures in 45 career games (out of 53 available, missing one game due to injury this season).

Jenkins finished the 2017-18 season as the eighth-highest scoring freshman nationally, and this year sits first among sophomores for points in 2018-19. For his career, Jenkins is second among active sophomores with 935 points, trailing only RJ Cole (1,115 career points).

Jenkins is a hot commodity in his second season of collegiate play after racking up an SDSU freshman record 565 points a year while finishing in the top 10 of freshman scorers nationwide. Additionally, Jenkins finished with 84 3-pointers (one shy of previous record, prior to Mike Daum breaking it with 96 last year) and hit at least two treys in 24 contests.

He and Steve Holdren are the only two Jackrabbit freshmen to lead the team in scoring in their first collegiate game over the last 17 years (dating back to 2000-01 when game-by-game stats were readily available).

On Dec. 22, 2017 at Colorado, Jenkins set the school's freshman single-game scoring record with 31 and matched it Feb. 8, 2018 at Denver.

Fellow Tacoma native Isaiah Thomas, currently with the Denver Nuggets, had 541 points and 29 double figure games (out of 35 available) through his freshman season at Washington. Through 54 career games, Thomas had 881 points and 46 double-digit scoring performances.

#FearFrost

The Jackrabbits saw their 26-game home winning streak come to an end in the nonleague finale Dec. 22. SDSU has held the nation's longest active-home winning streak twice in the last six years. Both streaks were ended by Montana (2013 and 2018).
The Jacks own an 97-6 record at Frost Arena over the last seven seasons dating back to 2011-12, which includes perfect home records in five of the last seven years and a 7-1 start to the current campaign. That span includes two home winning streaks of 30 or more games and three of 25 or more.
Since 2011-12, South Dakota State has won 94.1 percent of its home games, a mark that top all Division I programs in that span. That list is on page three of the game notes.
South Dakota State won 34 consecutive games from Jan. 30, 2014 to Dec. 28, 2016. It ended as the nation's second-longest active streak.
The Jackrabbits won 30 consecutive home games from Jan. 29, 2011 to Nov. 14, 2013.
SDSU won 26 consecutive home games from Dec. 31, 2016 to Dec. 22, 2018.
SDSU put together undefeated seasons inside Frost Arena the following years: 1984-85 (18-0), 2002-03 (17-0), 2011-12 (14-0), 2012-13 (13-0), 2014-15 (13-0), 2015-16 (12-0) and 2017-18 (15-0).
South Dakota State won 34 consecutive home nonconference games inside Frost Arena from Dec. 31, 2016 to Dec. 22, 2018. That mark was the fourth-longest active streak when it ended.

Dynamic Duo
South Dakota State's Mike Daum and David Jenkins sit fourth and 19th nationally in total points entering the week, and ninth and 54th in scoring average, respectively. SDSU joins one other school to have two student-athletes in the top 55 in scoring average, and four others in top 50 of total points. The Jackrabbit pair's combined average of 42.9 points per game is the second-highest nationally, trailing Duke's RJ Barrett and Zion Williamson by 0.8 points per game.

Charity Stripe Success
The Jackrabbit offense has found a comfort zone at the charity stripe over Otzelberger's tenure as head coach. SDSU led the Summit League in makes, attempts and percentage a year ago, and this season currently are in the nation's top 20 in all three categories while sitting first in the Summit League in makes (370) and attempts (417), and second in percentage (.763).

South Dakota State got to the free throw line more than its opponents in 27 of 35 games last year and has done it 12 times this season.
Mike Daum opened 2017-18 Summit League play with 35 consecutive free throws, matching the second-longest streak in Jackrabbit history (Garrett Callahan, 2008-09) after setting the record in 2016-17 with 43 straight from Dec. 7-22, 2016.
Mike Daum matched his school record of 16 made free throws (out of 16 attempts) at North Dakota State Jan. 3, 2018. He did it twice in 2016-17.
Daum holds the school's single-season free throw record (set in 2016-17) and now is 711 of 829 in his career.
Daum moved into first in career makes on Dec. 7 against Southern, passing Nate Wolters' record of 648. He is also first in career attempts.

Somebody's Watching Me
South Dakota State's Mike Daum had been named to numerous watch lists through his senior season, while David Jenkins earned his first watch list nod in early January.

The John R. Wooden® presented by Wendy's® announced its Midseason Top 25 on ESPNU and on ESPN.com and featured Daum on the list. Chosen by a preseason poll of national college basketball experts, the list is comprised of 50 student-athletes who are the early front-runners for college basketball's most prestigious individual honor. He was also on the preseason top 50 list.
Daum was named to the 2018-19 Lute Olson Award Midseason and Preseason Lists, announced Jan. 8 and Nov. 12, respectively. The award is presented annually to the nation's top Division I player in College Basketball. Incoming freshman and transfers are not eligible for the preseason watch list. The 2019 Lute Olson Award will be presented at the College Insider awards event in April at the site of the men's division I national championship in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) featured Mike Daum among 20 NCAA Division I standouts on the Oscar Robertson Trophy midseason watch list, announced Dec. 21. The award is presented to the national player of the year by its namesake at the NCAA Final Four in Minneapolis.
Daum and Jenkins were both featured on the Lou Henson Award Midseason Watch List. The Lou Henson Award is presented annually to the nation's top mid-major player in Division I College Basketball at the College Insider awards event in April. Daum was on the preseason list as well.
The National Association of Basketball Coaches on Nov. 5 announced its preseason watch list for the 2019 NABC Division I Player of the Year Presented by ShotTracker, with Daum among the 20 names released. The 2019 NABC Division I Player of the Year award will be announced on Sunday, April 7, at the NABC Guardians of the Game Awards Show in Minneapolis, Minn. - site of the 2019 NCAA Final Four®.
Daum was named to the 2019 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award preseason watch list in mid-October by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The award, now in its fifth year, recognizes the top power forwards in Division I men's basketball. Daum was one of five finalists for the 2018 Karl Malone Award and is a repeat selection to the preseason watch list. The winner of the 2019 Karl Malone Award will be presented at The College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy's in Los Angeles, CA on Friday, April 12, 2019, along with the other four members of the Naismith Starting 5. Broadcast information will be released by ESPN at a later date.

One for the History Books
The Jackrabbits' 139-72 victory over Savannah State on Dec. 11 was filled with historical moments for the SDSU men's basketball program, including:

139 -- Most Points in a Game (previous was 136 against Midland Lutheran; Dec. 14, 1990). This was also the second-most by a Summit League team (Troy had 140 in a 1995 contest).
90 -- Most Points in a Half (previous was 77 against Midland Lutheran; Dec. 14, 1990)
23 -- Made 3-pointers (previous was 18 against Ole Miss; Nov. 27, 2017)
53 -- Made field goals (previous was 51 against Midland Lutheran; Dec. 14, 1991)
87 -- Attempted field goals (previous was 86 against Colorado; Dec. 15, 2017)
13 -- Assists by Tevin King, the most in a single-game during SDSU's Division I era (previous was 12, done twice by Nate Wolters)

Let It Rain
South Dakota State's 3-point attack has ranked among the best nationally since T.J. Otzelberger's arrival three years ago. As of Jan. 14, the Jackrabbits are in the top 10 nationally in 3-pointer makes (198) and percentage (.420) while sitting in the top 30 in attempts (471).

David Jenkins ranks fifth nationally in 3-pointers made (65) this season and is the fourth-most accurate 3-pointer shooter in the NCAA as of Jan. 14, hitting 49.6 percent of his 131 attempts this year.
The Jackrabbits shattered their previous school record for single-game 3-pointers on Dec. 11 when the team hit 23 against Savannah State.
South Dakota State reset the school record for single-season 3-pointers made (374) and attempted (927) in 2017-18 after breaking the previous record a year prior (318 of 883).
South Dakota State returns three players who hit 50 or more 3-pointers last year in Mike Daum (96), David Jenkins (84) and Skyler Flatten (55).
After breaking the single-season record for 3-pointers last year Daum now has 243 3s in his career and is closing in on the program's career record, held by current graduate assistant coach Reed Tellinghuisen (256).
Since the arrival of T.J. Otzelberger, the Jacks now hold all of the top five spots in the record book for 3-pointers made and attempted in a Division I game.
The Otzelberger-led Jackrabbits have hit 14 or more 3-pointers in 16 games over the last three seasons, and prior to his arrival a State team had hit 14 or more 3-pointers in just six games as a program.
Through the first 12 seasons of Division I basketball (starting in the first transition year of 2003-04 through 2015-16), SDSU had 71 games of 10 or more 3-pointers, with a max of 13 in one season (2010-13). The Jackrabbits have done it 43 times since then, hitting 10 or more in 21 games last year and 10 times in 2018-19.
Under Otzelberger, the Jackrabbits have attempted 30 or more 3-pointers in a game 18 times. The Pre-Otzelberger era teams did it on 11 total occasions since the adoption of the 3-point line in 1986. It happened three times at the Division II level and eight times between 2003-04 and 2015-16, the last season Scott Nagy led the program.
David Jenkins has hit eight 3-pointers in two games this season and has buried 149 from deep in his career, averaging 2.7 3-pointers per game as a Jackrabbit.

Quick Hits

Tevin King's 6.4 rebounds per game is the third-highest nationally among players 6-2 or under. Ky Bowman (Boston College; 6-1) is averaging 8.0 per game and Terrell Brown (Seattle; 6-1) is at 6.8 per game.
The Jackrabbits' 75-47 victory over Kansas City Nov. 28 was the first time since Dec. 19, 2014 (CSU Bakersfield, 53-49) SDSU held an opponent under 50 points. The Jacks followed that game with an 82-50 victory over Northern Iowa on Dec. 1.
South Dakota State has posted a double-digit rebounding margin advantage seven times this season, including a plus-25 showing Dec. 11 against Savannah State.
Skyler Flatten annihilated his previous career-high in a record-setting performance against USA on Nov. 20, becoming the first player in SDSU's Division I history to go 6-for-6 from beyond the arc on his way to 28 points. Flatten was 10-for-11 from the field overall. He reset that career-high on Dec. 11 against Savannah State when he scored 29.
South Dakota State has not lost three consecutive games since January 2017.
SDSU's 28 wins in 2017-18 was the most in program history.
South Dakota State went 12-0 when holding opponents under 70 points last season, while posting a 24-3 record when breaking the 70-point barrier on the offensive end. The Jacks are 10-0 when holding opponents under 70 this season (4-6 when not) and have scored 70 or more points in 19 of 20 contests.
Since T.J. Otzelberger's arrival three years ago, the Jackrabbits are 47-4 when winning the rebounding battle and 13-26 when being out-rebounded or tied on the boards.
South Dakota State won its 1,500th game Jan. 20, 2018 at Western Illinois. The Jacks won their 500th game in Frost Arena in the 2016-17 regular season finale.
2018-19 marked the fourth time State started 3-0 at the Division I level (dating back to transition year of 2004-05). The Jacks also did it in 2010-11, 2015-16 (when the team started a Division I-best 6-0) and 2017-18.
At least one Jackrabbit has scored in double figures over the last 362 games dating back to Jan. 12, 2008 at IUPUI when Anthony Cordova had nine points to lead the Jacks.
From Jan. 31, 2009 through the 2013-14 season, SDSU put together a streak of 179 games with at least one 1,000-point scorer on the floor. SDSU snapped a streak of 90 games without a 1,000-point scorer when Mike Daum joined the club on Jan. 21, 2017. SDSU has now restarted a streak of 68 games with at least one 1,000-point scorer on the court.
State has made at least one 3-pointer in 392 consecutive games. The last time the Jackrabbits did not make a 3-point field goal was Jan. 25, 2007
SDSU is 93-18 all-time in home openers (where records available). Dating back to 2004-05, SDSU's first year of DI transition, SDSU is 14-2.
SDSU is 74-39 in season-openers all-time. The Jacks are 7-8 in season-opening games at the Division I level.
The Jackrabbits are 7-5 in Summit League openers.
Daum Reaches 2,000 Points
Mike Daum became just the second Jackrabbit to score over 2,000 points in his career when he reached the mark Feb. 1, 2018 against North Dakota State. Daum is the 15th Summit League player to achieve 2,000 points and ranks among the fastest to do it in the NCAA over the last 20 years.
Daum stacks up well against previous Oscar Robertson Trophy and John R. Wooden Award winners over the last 26 years, reaching the 2,000-point mark faster than any previous winner. Daum was named to the 2018-19 Wooden Preseason and Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List earlier this season.

Jacks 21st in Mid-Major Top 25
South Dakota State sat 21st in the latest College Sports Madness Mid-Major Top 25, released Jan. 7. The Jackrabbits fell out of the top 20 for the first time this year after sitting 17th in the last two rankings.

SDSU has been ranked in every poll this year, including a No. 3 spot in November.

2018-19 opponents Montana (No. 18) and Purdue Fort Wayne (RV) are also in the poll.

Jackrabbits in Two Scheduling Agreements
Summit League and Western Athletic Conference officials announced in October the matchups and dates for the first year of The Summit League/WAC Challenge in men's basketball.

The challenge features head-to-head competition between all nine teams. Matchups were set based upon factors including the previous year's achievements, records and RPI rankings, as well as projected rankings in the upcoming season. Those teams with home games in 2018 will play on the road in 2019 and vice versa. In addition, teams will not face the same opponent in back-to-back years.

The Jackrabbits will host Grand Canyon Nov. 6 in their 2018-19 season opener and travel to CSU Bakersfield in 2019-20 as part of the agreement.

Last year, the Jacks were announced as part of a four-year deal with the Big Sky.

Each school will play one home game and road contest against separate schools from the other league during each of the four seasons. South Dakota State joins North Dakota State, North Dakota and Omaha as Summit League representatives, while Montana State, Montana, Idaho and Eastern Washington are participating from the Big Sky.

The Jackrabbits will play the following games as part of the agreement:
2018-19: Montana (home), Eastern Washington (away)
2019-20: Idaho (home), Montana State (away)
2020-21: Eastern Washington (home), Montana (away)
2021-22: Montana State (home), Idaho (away)

Basketball Coaches Show Every Monday
The Jackrabbit Basketball Coaches Show returns to Cubby's Sports Bar and Grill in downtown Brookings for another season. The hour-long show covering the Jackrabbits' 2018-19 season tips off every Monday at 6 p.m. through March 4.

Hosted by Tyler Merriam, the weekly look at the South Dakota State basketball teams features interviews with head men's coach T.J. Otzelberger and head women's coach Aaron Johnston, as well as segments with Jackrabbit student-athletes and members of the coaching staff.

Fans can attend in person and will be eligible for weekly drawings. The show also airs live on flagship radio station WNAX 570 AM and Jackrabbit Sports Network affiliates and can be heard live or on-demand for free via Jackrabbits All-Access.

Jackrabbits Fifth at Gulf Coast Showcase
South Dakota State went 2-1 at the 2018 Gulf Coast Showcase to finish fifth at the tournament, picking up wins over UTSA and Colorado State.

Mike Daum, named to the All-Tournament Team, averaged a near-double-double of 26.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per contest while shooting over 50 percent from the field in the three games, including a 41-point showing against the Roadrunners. David Jenkins had a 21.7 scoring average and dropped 32 against Colorado State, while Skyler Flatten averaged 16 points and scored a career-high 28 against UTSA, going 6-for-6 from 3-point range.

Jacks Add Four on Signing Day
South Dakota State men's basketball coach T.J. Otzelberger announced four additions to the Jackrabbit basketball program as part of November's national signing day. Three incoming freshman and a junior transfer will enroll at SDSU for the 2019-20 season and be eligible to play immediately for the Jackrabbits:

Owen Coburn • Center/Forward • Spirit Lake, Iowa -- Will graduate from Spirit Lake High School (Spirit Lake, Iowa) in May 2019 … earned Second Team IPSWA Class 3A All-State, 3A IBCA All-Sub State and First Team All-Lakes Conference (unanimous) honors as a junior while averaging 20.1 points and 11.1 rebounds per game … named all-substate and first team all-conference (unanimous) as a sophomore, putting up 18.2 points and 9.5 rebounds per game … played his freshman season at Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School before transferring to Spirit Lake High School … during his rookie campaign averaged 11 points and seven rebounds per contest and was named All-War Eagle Conference honorable mention.
Doug Wilson • Forward • Des Moines, Iowa -- Will graduate from Kirkwood Community College (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) in May 2019 … 2018 NJCAA Second Team All-American and First Team All-Region selection … averaged 14.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 69.2 percent from the field as a freshman … helped team to a 24-6 record and regular season ICCAC title in 2017-18 … graduated from Hoover High School (Des Moines, Iowa) in May 2017.
Baylor Scheierman • Guard • Aurora, Nebraska -- Will graduate in May 2019 from Aurora High School (Aurora, Nebraska) … First Team All-State (Class B), All-Area and All-Conference selection in 2018 … averaged 16.1 points, six assists, six rebounds and 2.5 steals per game as a junior … three-time academic honor roll selection (2016-18).
Caleb Grill • Guard • Maize, Kansas -- Will graduate in May 2019 from Maize High School (Maize, Kansas) … picked First Team All-State (Class 5A) by Topeka Capital Journal, Wichita Eagle and CatchItKansas in 2018 … named 2018 Third Team All-State (All Classes) by Wichita Eagle … selected as 2018 All-AVCTL I First Team and Most Valuable Player and picked up All-Metro First Team honors from Wichita Eagle … averaged 17 points, four rebounds and three assists per game as a junior while leading team to AVCTL DI title.

Tough Tests
South Dakota State played five Power Five (ACC, SEC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12) opponents a year ago (in addition to a matchup at then-No. 6 Wichita State of the American Athletic Conference).

Although the team does not have any power five opponents on this year's schedule, the Jacks played at Memphis (AAC) and then-No. 7 Nevada (Mountain West) in the nonconference season.

South Dakota State has seven wins over Power Five programs since joining The Summit League in 2007, picking up victories over Iowa State (2008), Iowa (2010 and 2017), Washington (2011), TCU (2015), Minnesota (2015) and Ole Miss (2017).

SDSU's wins over Iowa and Ole Miss in 2017-18 came in the shortest time frame of any Summit League team since 1998 (seven days). The Jackrabbits are the fifth league team to post a win over separate Power Five conferences in the same regular season, and the first to do it since 2009.

In 10 games against power five opponents for his career, Mike Daum is averaging 18.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 44.2 percent from deep. He has two double-doubles in those matchups.

Preseason All-Conference; Jacks Picked First
Mike Daum and David Jenkins headlined the Summit League's preseason teams, announced early-October. Jenkins is a first-time preseason honoree while Daum earned his third-consecutive Preseason Player of the Year nod.

Daum is the second Jackrabbit to be named Preseason All-Conference and the first to do it more than once, joining Nate Wolters (2012-13).

As a team, South Dakota State was picked to win the league for the fifth time in program history, garnering 34 of 36 first-place votes.

SDSU Last Time Out (Jan. 12)
South Dakota State's Mike Daum led the way with 37 points to help the Jackrabbit men's basketball program roll past Oral Roberts Saturday afternoon, 84-65.

Playing in front of 3,680 fans at Frost Arena for the 27th annual Lamb Bonanza, SDSU improved to 14-6 and 3-1 in the Summit League with the victory.

Daum paced all scorers with a 13-of-24 effort from the field, hitting 8-of-9 at the charity stripe to go with eight rebounds.

David Jenkins and Skyler Flatten each finished with 15 points, as Jenkins buried five 3-pointers and matched his career-high with eight boards. Flatten hit three from deep and dished two assists.

Alex Arians dished a career-high nine assists in the game and Tevin King added seven assists and eight steals.

Emmanuel Nzekwesi had 18 points and 14 rebounds for Oral Roberts.

"It was a good effort by our guys," head coach T.J. Otzelberger said. "I thought we came out with great energy and enthusiasm in front of an awesome crowd. Probably the best crowd we've had all year and I loved the energy in the gym. I think our guys rose to the occasion with the atmosphere and the environment.

"As a coach you're always gonna try to find things you need to get better at, and I'd love our execution and ball movement late in the game to be as strong as it was early, but that wasn't the case. But it was a great team win and great to see Mike Daum have a big night."

South Dakota State continued its recent trend of starting fast, rolling out to an 27-7 lead on the Golden Eagles just past under-12 media break. The Jackrabbits hit five 3-pointers in that opening burst and ended the opening rally with 11 unanswered.

The Jackrabbits led by as many as 21 (30-9) in the first half as ORU started 2-of-15 from the field. The Golden Eagles hit nine of their next 12 attempts to crawl back within 12, but that was as close as they came as SDSU built its lead back to 17 (51-34) at the half.

SDSU and ORU traded buckets early in the second, but a Daum 3-pointer at 14:23 sparked the Jackrabbits on another stretch of eight unanswered to push State's lead back over 20.

Ahead 74-49 with 7:40 to play, the Jackrabbits saw the Golden Eagles answer with a 16-6 spurt of their own, but the commanding lead held up as the Jackrabbits closed out the win.

Opponent Last Time Out (Jan. 12)
GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Cortez Seales sank a dagger three in the corner and came up with a loose ball on the defensive side of the ball on the ensuing possession to help North Dakota hold off Western Illinois, 71-65, on Saturday afternoon at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.

The senior, who did not score in the first half, tallied seven points in the final eight minutes of action as the Fighting Hawks (8-10, 2-3 Summit League) rallied from a double-digit deficit to win for the first time since Mar. 6, 2018 vs. Montana State.

Conner Avants continued to dominate opponents in Summit League play, matching the game-high 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field. Playing most of the game matched up against the nation's leading shot blocker, Brandon Gilbeck, the senior has now scored at least 20 points in three of the last four games.

Marlon Stewart matched Avants' 21 points for the most by the junior this season while also dishing out three assists, grabbing a trio of rebounds, and three steals.

Filip Rebraca was the final Fighting Hawk to score double figures as the freshman provided a solid boost of energy in his 19 minutes of action. The Serbian was 4-of-6 from the field, including 2-for-2 from three and a monster dunk in the second half to spark the crowd. Rebraca also grabbed seven rebounds, rejected three shots, and had an assist in the victory.

North Dakota won the rebounding battle, 31-26, led by Kienan Walter's career-high 10 boards. This marks the first time this season that a UND player has recorded 10+ rebounds without scoring in double figures as well.

After allowing Western Illinois (6-12, 1-4 Summit League) to shoot at a 67.9% clip in the first half, UND tightened the hatches and held the Leathernecks to just 27.6% in the second half to help turnaround the contest. Overall, the Hawks connected at a 54.0% clip, including nailing 8-of-11 threes.

After Western Illinois scored the first seven points of the game, UND started to heat up from distance. The Fighting Hawks hit their first five shots from beyond-the-arc to try and chip into the lead, but the Leathernecks maintained their hot shooting to build a 28-18 lead with 8:59 remaining in the first half.

UND continued to chip away as the half wore on, as Avants and Stewart both entered double figures to help spark the rally. The Hawks closed the gap to a single point, but the Leathernecks shot nearly 68% from the field in the opening stanza to build a 43-37 advantage at the halftime break.

Out of the half, the momentum switched to the home side as Avants continued his dominating presence in the paint despite going against the nation's top shot blocker. The senior pushed his total up to 21 with a pair of makes at the charity stripe to even the score at 47 just past the five-minute mark of the second. UND also cranked up the defense, holding the Leathernecks scoreless for over five minutes and 1 for their last 11 from the field.

The 1,898 fans were brought to their feet as Rebraca took over the game in the early portion of the second half. The freshman recorded back-to-back blocks before throwing down a thunderous dunk on the offensive end to give the Hawks a 55-51 lead at the midway point of the half.

After both sides went back-and-forth, UND started to take the game over down the final stretch. The Hawks embarked on a 9-2 run over a 4:18 stretch to extend their lead to eight, 66-58, with 3:57 to play. Stewart and Seales were large in the run, each hitting baskets and creating offense as the junior crossed over the 20-point plateau with a driving bucket.

Western Illinois started to foul down the stretch, and a few missed opportunities at the charity stripe gave the visitors some life. After the Leathernecks cut the deficit down to just three with under 30 seconds to play, Seales answered with a massive triple from the corner off a feed from Walter to seal the 71-65 victory for North Dakota.

-GoJacks.com-

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Alex Arians

Mike Daum

Matt Dentlinger

Alou Dillon

Skyler Flatten

David Jenkins

Owen King

Tevin King

Ryan Krueger

Reed Tellinghuisen

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Mayville State (Exhibition) on October 29, 2025 at 8:30 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Merrimack on November 3, 2025 at 8 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Dakota State on November 6, 2025 at 7 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball at Northern Iowa on November 9, 2025 at 1 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball at Oregon on November 12, 2025 at 8:30 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Peru State on November 17, 2025 at 7 p.m.

Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus North Dakota on March 7, 2025 , Loss , 69, to, 85

Completed Event: Men's Basketball at Denver on March 1, 2025 , Loss , 62, to, 78

Completed Event: Men's Basketball at Oral Roberts on February 27, 2025 , Win , 77, to, 69

Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus Kansas City on February 23, 2025 , Win , 70, to, 65

Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus North Dakota State on February 19, 2025 , Loss , 68, to, 77

Completed Event: Men's Basketball at South Dakota on February 16, 2025 , Win , 94, to, 91

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