Jackrabbit men fifth in preseason poll

SIOUX FALLS – South Dakota State men's basketball earned two first-place votes and was tabbed fifth in the 2019-20 Summit League men's basketball preseason poll, released Monday.

The poll is voted on by league coaches, sports information directors and select media.

The Jackrabbits are the two-time defending Summit League regular season champions and enter 2019-20 under the direction of first-year head coach, Eric Henderson.

"We anticipate another great season of Jackrabbit basketball, and are excited to watch our guys compete for and grow alongside each other every day," Henderson said. "We are looking forward to the challenge the Summit League schedule presents with many outstanding players and excellent coaches."

With Henderson on staff, the Jackrabbits compiled a 70-33 overall record, including a 35-11 mark in Summit League play, over the past three seasons. SDSU made postseason appearances each season, starting with back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2017 and 2018, followed by an NIT bid in 2019 after winning the Summit League regular season title for the second year in a row.

The Jackrabbits have held one of the top home-court advantages in Division I men's basketball, combining for a 40-3 record at Frost Arena over the past three seasons. SDSU put together a 21-game home-court winning streak from January 2017 until December 2018.

2019-20 Summit League Preseason Poll
1.	North Dakota State	526 (23)
2.	South Dakota	457 (6)
3.	Oral Roberts	404 (3)
4.	Omaha	369
5.	South Dakota State	300 (2)
6.	Purdue Fort Wayne	224
7.	Western Illinois	188
8.	North Dakota	164
9.	Denver	133

Alex Arians steps into a leadership role in his sophomore season, appearing in all 33 games a year ago while averaging 6.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per contest. Arians started all but two Summit League contests last year and tallied eight double-figure scoring performances with two double-doubles.

Brandon Key, who did not play last season, returns to the Jackrabbits as a senior for the upcoming campaign. Key appeared in 34 games in 2017-18 and dished a team-high 112 assists while scoring 6.3 points per game.

Owen King joins Arians as a seasoned sophomore on this year's squad, appearing in all 33 games last season with averages of 4.1 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists over 16.7 minutes per game. King tallied three or more assists in 14 contests and had three double-digit scoring performances.

Matt Dentlinger appeared in 32 contests for the Jackrabbits last year, averaging 2.8 points and 2.7 rebounds in 12.1 minutes per appearance.

Alou Dillon made 18 appearances with a pair of starts in 2018-19, pulling down 24 total boards to go with a 1.8 scoring average.

Beau Brown returns for his senior season after appearing in eight games a year ago. Brown averaged 0.9 points per contest and had three rebounds.

Matthew Mims and Aaron Fiegen redshirted last year and will make their collegiate debuts in 2019-20. Fiegen was a two-time, Class A First Team All-State honoree and was a finalist for the KELOLAND/Sanford Pentagon High School Player of the Year in 2018. Mims was named the 2018 IBCA State Class 3A Player of the Year from Xavier High School. He was a two-time, First Team All-State and All-Conference selection in his career and won the 2016 and 2017 state tournaments with his program.

Three transfers and a pair of true freshmen are newcomers to the Jackrabbit roster.

Doug Wilson is a two-time NJCAA All-American and the 2018-19 NJCAA Player of the Year, helping his team to this year's national championship. Wilson averaged 21 points and 8.7 rebounds per game as a sophomore at Kirkwood Community College, shooting 67 percent from the field with 11 double-doubles.

Tray Buchanan committed to the Jackrabbits in early April after spending a season at Des Moines Area Community College. Buchanan earned NJCAA Third Team All-American honors in 2018-19, averaging 19.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game at DMACC. He shot 45 percent from the field with 77-pointers, reaching double figures in 28 games.

David Wingett joined the Jackrabbit squad in late May as a sophomore transfer from Memphis. Wingett played in four November contests for the Tigers before suffering a season-ending injury. He spent a year of post-graduate ball at Bull City Prep Academy, averaging 25.8 points. 6.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. The Winnebago, Nebraska product scored over 2,200 points in his high school career, leaving Nebraska as one of the top prep-scorers, all-time.

Noah Freidel averaged 22.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.2 steals per game for the Tea Titans as a senior, earning Class A All-State First Team honors while being named the 2019 Argus Leader Player of the Year. He helped his team to Class A State Tournament titles in 2017 and 2019 and left high school as the program's all-time leading scorer.

Baylor Scheierman is a two-time Class B All-State, All-Area and All-Conference selection from Aurora, Nebraska, and as a senior averaged 22.1 points, 9.8 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game while helping his team to a state tournament berth. Scheierman also won the Nebraska State Class C1 State Football Championship, throwing for nearly 4,000 yards with 59 passing touchdowns in 2018.

The Jackrabbit men open the regular season Nov. 5 at home against UT Rio Grande Valley. The women begin the 2019-20 season with three-straight on the road (starting Nov. 8 against Drake), with their home opener set for Nov. 21 against Montana State.

South Dakota State basketball returns to Frost Arena on Thursday, Oct. 17 for the fourth-annual Jackrabbit Tipoff, presented by Outlaw Graphics, giving fans their first chance to meet the 2019-20 men's and women's Jackrabbit basketball squads.

Season and single-game tickets are on sale now. Orders can be placed in person or over the telephone weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Telephone orders can be processed by calling (605) 688-5422, with orders also accepted online at JackrabbitTickets.com.

-GoJacks.com-

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Players Mentioned

Alex Arians

Beau Brown

Tray Buchanan

Matt Dentlinger

Alou Dillon

Aaron Fiegen

Noah Freidel

Brandon Key

Owen King

Matt Mims

Baylor Scheierman

Douglas Wilson

David Wingett

Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus #2 St. Thomas on March 5, 2026 , Loss , 67, to, 80

Completed Event: Men's Basketball at South Dakota on February 28, 2026 , Loss , 70, to, 75

Completed Event: Men's Basketball at Kansas City on February 26, 2026 , Win , 73, to, 59

Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus North Dakota on February 21, 2026 , Win , 91, to, 83

Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus North Dakota State on February 18, 2026 , Loss , 66, to, 74

Completed Event: Men's Basketball at Oral Roberts on February 14, 2026 , Win , 87, to, 69

South Dakota State University Athletics