Jackrabbit men host Samford Wednesday

GAME 9: South Dakota State (5-3) vs. Samford (4-3)

When	Wednesday, Nov. 27 \| 7 p.m.
Where	Frost Arena \| Brookings, S.D.
Live Audio / Radio	Jackrabbits All-Access \| Jackrabbit Sports Network I WNAX 570 AM \| Tyler Merriam
Television / Live Video	Midco Sports Network \| ESPN 3 \| Jackrabbits All-Access \| Tom Neiman, Brad Newitt, Elaina Lanson
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State
Social Media	Twitter I Facebook

Previewing the Game
The Jackrabbit men's basketball team wraps up a two-game homestand Wednesday against Samford. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. from Frost Arena.

Wednesday's game sponsor is Brookings Health on its annual "Movember" game.

The Jackrabbits, under the direction of first-year head coach Eric Henderson, topped Mississippi Valley State at home Sunday, 84-54. South Dakota State is 4-0 in home games this season.

Samford (4-3) comes to town winners of two straight, but is 0-3 on the road this year. The Bulldogs knocked off Troy, 72-60, in their last game.

This is the first-ever meeting between the schools.

About South Dakota State
The two-time defending Summit League regular season champions bring a new look to the court in 2019-20 with Eric Henderson patrolling the sidelines and seven newcomers (including two redshirt freshman) making their Jackrabbit debut this year. The fresh start has yielded positive results through eight games, as SDSU is averaging 76.8 points per game with a plus-5.9 rebounding margin (42.4 boards per game).

The Jackrabbits are shooting 46.3 percent from the field and have found their way to the line 178 times, burying 128 from the charity stripe overall.

Douglas Wilson is off to a fast start in his first year at SDSU, reaching double figures in the first seven games with a team-leading 16.3 scoring average. The two-time NJCAA All-American and 2018-19 NJCAA Player of the Year has two double-doubles for the Jackrabbits, adding a team-high 7.5 rebounds per game alongside a 60.5 field goal percentage.

Brandon Key (12.4 points per game) has been electric at the point, posting five double-digit scoring performances on the season with 34 assists (4.3 per game). He has a 1.41 assist-to-turnover ratio through eight games. Key is back for the Jackrabbits after redshirting a year ago. The Milwaukee, Wisconsin native had 112 assists in 2017-18.

Matt Dentlinger has turned in a pair of double-doubles in the opening month of the year, most recently in a 17-point, 11-rebound performance against North Alabama. Dentlinger is third on the team with 11.5 points and second at 6.0 rebounds per game, sinking 34-of-52 (65.4 percent) from the field, including an 8-of-8 effort against MVSU.

Alex Arians (23.7 minutes per game) and Noah Freidel (23.2 minutes per game) join the three Jackrabbits above as every-game starters. Arians' 5.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game provide a steady-presence in the three-spot. Freidel, the 2019 Argus Leader Class A Player of the Year, has seen his playing time rise in every game, currently sitting sixth on the team in scoring (6.9 points per game) and second in made 3-pointers (11). He has reached double figures in three of the last five games, burying three 3-pointers in the win over North Alabama with an 11-point effort.

David Wingett and Baylor Scheierman have been the top two options off the bench for SDSU, sitting fourth and fifth, respectively, in scoring average for the Jacks. Wingett is posting 7.8 points per game with five steals and a team-best 12 3-pointers, while Scheierman has averaged 7.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

Wingett joined the Jackrabbit squad in late May as a transfer from Memphis and received an NCAA waiver for immediate eligibility. The Winnebago, Nebraska product scored over 2,200 points in his high school career and spent a season at Bull City Prep Academy.

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.

About Samford
Samford has picked up four home wins alongside three road losses this season, scoring 73.7 points per game with a plus-6.7 scoring margin.

Robert Allen (14.7 points per game), Brandon Austin (14.3 ppg), Josh Sharkey (14.0 ppg) and Jalen Dupree (12.4 ppg) are in double figures for the Bulldogs, as Sharkey returns to the court after missing three games this year.

Austin (15 3-pointers) and DeAndre Thomas (12 3-pointer) pace the Bulldogs from long range, while Allen and Dupree lead the team on the boards with 7.4 and 6.4 rebounds per game, respectively.

Scott Padgett is 78-95 in his sixth season with Samford.

A South Dakota State Win Would ...
Make SDSU 6-3 on the year and 1-0 all-time against Samford ... extend SDSU's home-winning streak to 13 games ... give the Jacks a 1,541-1,043-1 program mark.

A South Dakota State Loss Would ...
Snap a 12-game home winning streak and put the Jackrabbits at 5-4 on the year … make SDSU 4-1 at home and 0-1 all-time against Samford … give the Jacks a 1,540-1,044-1 program mark.

Wilson Honored by Summit League
Douglas Wilson was selected as the Summit League's Men's Basketball Athlete of the Week, announced Nov. 11.

Wilson posted a monster debut week for the Jackrabbits, averaging 21 points and 8.7 rebounds per contest with a trio of double-figure scoring performances. Wilson helped SDSU to a 3-0 record to begin the year, scoring 24, 13 and 26 against UTRGV, Peru State and CSU Bakersfield, respectively. Wilson tallied his first-career double-double in the win over CSU Bakersfield with a game-high 13 rebounds.

New Faces, New Roles
South Dakota State's lineup will feature new roles and new faces throughout the season, as the Jackrabbits return only 16.9 percent of their scoring from 2018-19, and 10.7 percent of their 3-point makes. SDSU's 15.8 points per game returning ranks sixth-lowest nationally, and the 16.9 percent back is the third-lowest margin (according to available records).

#FearFrost

The Jacks own a 107-6 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. That span includes two home winning streaks of 30 or more games and three of 25 or more.
The Jackrabbits' current home winning streak of 12 games is tied for seventh-longest at SDSU.
Since 2011-12, South Dakota State has won 94.6 percent of its home games, a mark that top all Division I programs in that span. 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.
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.
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).

Quick Hits

The Jackrabbits held Mississippi Valley State to 17 first-half points on Nov. 24, 2019. That is the fewest since South Dakota State held Chadron State to 12 first-half points on Nov. 24, 2014.
SDSU's 93-91 victory over CSU Bakersfield saw five Jackrabbits reach double figures for the first time in 2019-20. The feat last happened Jan. 31, 2019 against Oral Roberts.
State posted back-to-back 50-rebound games to open the season. The last time an SDSU program had 50-plus rebounds in consecutive games was Dec. 15 and 27, 2002 against Finlandia (60) and Fort Lewis (58). The Jacks also had three-straight games with 50-plus rebounds that season: Nov. 23, 29 and 30.
Douglas Wilson's 24 points on Nov. 5 are the most in a Jackrabbit debut dating back to 2000-01, when game-by-game statistics were readily available.
South Dakota State has not lost three consecutive games since January 2017.
SDSU went 13-0 when holding opponents under 70 points last season (11-9 when not) and scored 70-plus points in 32 of 33 contests. The Jackrabbits were 12-0 when holding opponents under 70 points in 2017-18. The Jacks have accomplished the feat three times this year.
At least one Jackrabbit has scored in double figures over the last 382 games dating back to Jan. 12, 2008 at IUPUI when Anthony Cordova had nine points to lead the Jacks.
State has made at least one 3-pointer in 412 consecutive games. The last time the Jackrabbits did not make a 3-point field goal was Jan. 25, 2007
SDSU is 94-18 all-time in home openers (where records available). Dating back to 2004-05, SDSU's first year of DI transition, SDSU is 12-4 in those games.
SDSU is 75-39 in season-openers all-time. The Jacks are 8-8 in season-opening games at the Division I level.

State Adds Two on National Signing Day
South Dakota State men's basketball announced a pair of signees on National Signing Day, with William Mfum and Noah King set to join the Jackrabbits in fall 2020.

William Mfum enters his senior campaign at Spring Creek Academy (Plano, Texas) on a high note, earning All-Texas Christian Athletic League and All-City First Team honors as a junior. Mfum averaged 19.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game in 2018-19, burying 34 3-pointers and hitting 47 percent from the field. The 6-2 guard scored 20 or more points in nine games a year ago and had one double-double. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Mfum is the son of Stella Nyarko and Seth Adjei and plans to major in business management.

Noah King averaged 19 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.0 steals per game as a junior, helping his team reach the section 1AA semifinals. The 6-2 guard has scored over 1,900 points in his prep career and is closing in on the school's all-time scoring record. King also led Caledonia's football team to a state championship in 2018 and will compete in the 2019 Class 2A Minnesota State Football Semifinals next week. The younger brother of current Jackrabbit Owen King, Noah hails from Caledonia, Minnesota and is the son of Brad and Susan King. He is undecided on his major.

Jackrabbits in Two Scheduling Agreements
Summit League teams are in year two of scheduling agreements with the Western Athletic Conference and Big Sky.

The Jackrabbits took on Grand Canyon last year in the first year of the Summit League/WAC challenge, defeating the Lopes in the 2018-19 season opener. Year two of the challenge sent SDSU to face CSU Bakersfield Nov. 9, where the Jacks claimed a 93-91 double-overtime win.

The scheduling agreement with the Big Sky is a four-year contract. The Jackrabbits will play the following games as part of the deal:

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)

Jacks Picked Fifth in Preseason Poll
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 in October.

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

Tough Tests
South Dakota State has four Power Five (ACC, SEC, Big 12, Big Ten, PAC-12) opponents on the 2019-20 schedule, facing USC, Nebraska, Arizona and Indiana this 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.

Jackrabbits' Last Time Out
South Dakota State men's basketball opened the game with eight unanswered and never looked back Sunday afternoon in Frost Arena, rolling to an 84-54 victory over Mississippi Valley State on Epilepsy Awareness Day.

The Jackrabbits improved to 5-3 with the win, shooting 56.9 percent for the game with four double-figure scorers.

Matt Dentlinger led the offensive attack, going 8-for-8 from the field on his way to a 16-point finish.

Noah Freidel (two 3-pointers), Baylor Scheierman and David Wingett all had 10 points. Freidel dished a career-high five assists, matching teammate Brandon Key for the team-lead.

Alex Arians pulled down eight rebounds to go with seven points, as Scheierman added six boards and Wingett five.

The Jackrabbits dominated down low, outscoring MVSU 46-14 in the paint with a plus-26 advantage in the first half.

SDSU's fast start sent the Jacks to a double-digit (19-6) lead before the 12-minute mark. The rest of the period saw the Jackrabbits build a 48-17 halftime lead, thanks in part to a pair of 9-0 scoring bursts.

Mississippi Valley State matched the Jackrabbits' offensive effort in the second half, but SDSU's early advantage provided the necessary breathing room as the Jacks won their fourth home game of the season.

Samford Last Time Out
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford men's basketball team got off to a hot start on its way to a 72-60 win over in-state rival Troy Saturday afternoon in the Pete Hanna Center.

With the win, Samford improves to 4-3 on the season. Troy falls to 1-5 with the loss. DeAndre Thomas led Samford with a career-high 21 points.

Jalen Dupree had 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

Brandon Austin added 11 points for the Bulldogs.

Josh Sharkey dished out 14 assists, to go along with his eight points.

Samford started the game off hot, racing out to a 22-2 lead with 13:02 left in the first half after a dunk by Dupree.

Troy fought back to cut the lead to 12 points at 27-15 with 6:32 left in the opening half.

Samford took a 43-22 advantage into the locker room at halftime.

Samford led by as many as 27 points in the second half at 62-35 with 10:18 to go.

Troy used a late run to cut the lead to 12 points at 70-58, but Samford was able to pull out the 72-60 win.

-GoJacks.com-

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Alex Arians

Matt Dentlinger

Noah Freidel

Brandon Key

Owen King

Baylor Scheierman

Douglas Wilson

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