GAME 23: South Dakota State (14-8, 5-2) vs. North Dakota State (13-6, 4-1) |
Previewing the Game
South Dakota State welcomes North Dakota State to Frost Arena Wednesday night for a 7 p.m. tip. The game is sponsored by First Bank & Trust, and the associate game sponsor is Buffalo Wild Wings.
Â
South Dakota State (14-8, 5-2 Summit League) looks to bounce back from a setback at South Dakota over the weekend, snapping a five-game winning streak that saw the program average 84.8 points in that span with four double-digit victories. The Jacks are currently second in the Summit League standings.
Â
North Dakota State (13-6, 4-1 Summit League) has won two straight entering the week. The Bison, first in the league standings, took down South Dakota (72-70) on a last-second bucket last Wednesday and knocked off rival North Dakota (83-74) over the weekend.
Â
The Jackrabbits trail in the all-time series, 117-106, but are 62-46 at home against the Bison. SDSU has won five straight in the series, including a buzzer-beater in Fargo last February.
Â
About South Dakota State
The first half of Summit League games wrap up this week as the Jackrabbits began their final race to the Summit. South Dakota State has continued to grow while blending seven newcomers, nine underclassman, six returning letterwinners and a first-year head coach. The Jackrabbits secured a winning nonleague record for the third year in a row and are 5-1 in January, thanks in part to a plus-.500 field goal percentage in all seven league contests thus far.
Â
The Jackrabbits' defensive unit has limited opponents to 70.2 points per game, holding teams under 60 in seven contests and has allowed 80 or more points in just three games.
Offensively, the Jackrabbits are shooting 48.1 percent with 164 3-pointers, third-most among Summit League teams. SDSU has buried 288 of its 410 free throw attempts and is 11-1 in games where it shoots more free throws than its opponent.
Â
Douglas Wilson is one of two Jackrabbits averaging double figures, leading the team with 17.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per contest. The Des Moines, Iowa native has six 20-plus scoring performances and four double-doubles, sinking 10 or more field goals in five games. He is second in the Summit League in scoring. The two-time NJCAA All-American and 2018-19 NJCAA Player of the Year is shooting a league-best 61.3 percent from the field and last week dropped 31 points at Denver. Wilson missed Sunday's game at South Dakota and is questionable to return this week.
Â
Matt Dentlinger, second on the team with 11.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per contest, has turned in a trio of double-doubles, most recently in a 12-point, 10-board performance against Idaho. A 59.8 percent shooter, Dentlinger put together a monster effort at South Dakota, pouring in 26 points on 13-of-18 shooting to go with seven assists and six rebounds. The Arcadia, Iowa native sank 13 consecutive field goal attempts between the Arizona, Mississippi Valley State and Samford contests (going 8-for-8 against MVSU) earlier this year, and has reached double figures in 12 games, including five of the last six.
Â
Alex Arians and
Noah Freidel and are both shooting nearly 45 percent from the field and have elevated their play since the opening month of action.
Â
Arians has started all 21 games and is sixth on the team in scoring at 8.8 points per game, sinking 24 3-pointers to go with 126 rebounds (5.7 per game), 33 assists and 19 steals. The Madison, Wisconsin guard has scored 10 or more in nine games this year, including a 16-point showing last weekend against South Dakota.
Â
Freidel, the 2019 Argus Leader Class A Player of the Year, sits third on the team in scoring (9.7 points per game) and second in 3-pointers (39) after a pair of 20-plus scoring performances (and five double-digit games) in league play. From Tea, South Dakota, Freidel scorched the nets for 28 with six 3-pointers at Omaha and followed it with 23 points and four 3-pointers against Oral Roberts. He has buried five or more 3s in two games this year, and has come up with 14 steals and 24 assists.
Â
David Wingett (9.1 points per game) has started the last nine contests and made the most of the opportunity. He leads the team with 44 3-pointers on the season and has buried three or more from deep in seven games. The Winnebago, Nebraska native lit up the nets for a career-best 24 points (with six 3s) at Purdue Fort Wayne and had 13 with a trio of 3-pointers at South Dakota.
Â
Baylor Scheierman, who earned his first career start last weekend, has 15 3-pointers and 44 assists in his first collegiate season, averaging 6.1 points over 20.1 minutes per contest. The Aurora, Nebraska guard has also pulled down 4.6 boards on average, helping SDSU to a plus-4.3 rebounding margin at 38.7 boards per contest.
Â
Brandon Key (9.2 points per game) was a catalyst at the point in the first half of the season, posting four or more assists in 11 nonleague games, including five straight to end that portion of the schedule. He returned to the lineup after missing the first six league games due to injury and played nine minutes at South Dakota with a pair of 3-pointers. The Milwaukee, Wisconsin guard has six double-digit scoring games with 72 total assists this season, dishing 4.5 per contest. Key holds a 1.6 assist-to-turnover mark.
Â
About North Dakota State
The defending Summit League Tournament champion Bison have won five of their last six games, using a stout defensive effort that has limited opponents to 64.7 points per game this year.
Â
Offensively, North Dakota State is scoring 72.8 per game and shooting 44.2 percent as a team. The Bison have sank 175 3-pointers and average 13.2 free throws per game.
Â
Two Bison average double figures, Vinnie Shahid (16.8 points per game) and Tyson Ward (15.4 ppg). Shahid has buried 47 3-pointers this year and dished 50 assists with 26 steals.
Â
Ward, this week's Summit League Player of the Week, is a 52.2 percent shooter and leads the team with 59 assists and 7.4 rebounds per game.
Â
Rocky Kreuser is third on the team in scoring with 9.2 points per game out of the paint, pulling down 6.2 rebounds per game. Ward (12) and Kreuser (11) sit first and second in blocks for the Bison.
Â
NDSU is plus-3.9 in rebounding margin at 35.6 per game and hold a 1.2 assist-to-turnover ratio as a team.
Â
David Richman is in his sixth season leading the Bison. He is 109-73 on the bench.
Â
A South Dakota State Win Would ...
Make SDSU 16-8 on the year, 6-2 in Summit League play and 107-117 all-time against the Bison ... hand the Jacks their sixth-straight win over the Coyotes and extend SDSU's current home winning streak to 20 games ... give the Jacks a 1,550-1,048-1 program mark.
Â
A South Dakota State Loss Would ...
Drop the Jackrabbits to 14-9 on the year and 5-3 in Summit League play ... snap a 19-game home winning streak and deal the Jacks their second-consecutive loss ... make the Jacks 106-118 all-time against North Dakota State ... give the Jacks a 1,549-1,049-1 program mark.
Â
Trending Up
The past 10 games have shown a noticeable uptick in several statistical areas for the Jackrabbits, most notably the team's scoring and overall shooting percentage.
- After sinking just 79 3-pointers through the first 12 games of the season (at a clip of 29 percent), SDSU is 85-of-2015 from deep dating back to its Dec. 13 contest with Nebraska-Kearney. The Jacks have shot 41.5 percent as a team in that span with five players sinking seven or more treys.
- SDSU has taken better shot selection of late, leading to an increase of more than seven points per game (74 to 81.2). Additionally, SDSU is shooting 51.9 percent of its last 10 contests compared to 44.8 percent through the first 12 games.
- In line with better shot selection, SDSU has seen an uptick in assists per game (12.8 to 14.8) and a decrease in turnovers per contest (14.8 to 11.1).
- After averaging 7.5 and 6.2 points through 12 games, respectively, Noah Freidel and Alex Arians have posted  scoring averages of 12.3 and 11.9 points in the last 10 games.
- David Wingett (26 3-pointers), Freidel (20 3s) and Arians (15 3s) have lit up the nets from deep in that span.
Â
Wilson Honored by Summit League
Douglas Wilson was selected as the Summit League's Men's Basketball Athlete of the Week, announced Nov. 11.
Â
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.
Â
On the Line
The Jackrabbits have seen a trend develop through 22 games of its 2019-20 schedule related to the free throw line.
Â
SDSU is shooting 70.2 percent as a team at the charity stripe, and the Jackrabbits are 12-1 in games where they attempt more free throws than their opponent. Additionally, State is 2-7 in the nine games where opponents have gotten to the line more.
Â
SDSU has held opponents to single-digit attempts four times this season, including back-to-back games against Nebraska-Kearney (four attempts) and Florida Gulf Coast (eight attempts).
Â
Basketball Coaches Show Every Monday
The Jackrabbit Basketball Coaches Show is live at Cubby's Sports Bar and Grill in downtown Brookings Monday evenings at 6 p.m. The hour-long show covering the 2019-20 basketball season tips off every Monday through March 2.
Â
Hosted by
Tyler Merriam, the weekly look at the South Dakota State basketball teams features interviews with head men's coach
Eric Henderson 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.
Â
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 and the Jackrabbit App.
Â
Summit League Food Fight
The 13th annual Summit League Food Fight begins this month, with South Dakota State Athletics looking to defend its title.
Â
The friendly competition between league schools focuses on supporting local organizations in the fight against hunger and food insecurity through the donation of non-perishable food items. Besides food donations, cash and Hobo Dough are accepted. A $5 donation equals 13 pounds of food.
Â
SDSU's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) will be collecting donations at a variety of events, including all home athletic competitions inside Frost Arena. SAAC members will also be collecting at the University Student Union Jan. 23 and Feb. 19, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. both days, and at various community events.
Â
Local law enforcement, schools and business are joining the Jackrabbits in the Food Fight. Jackrabbit student-athletes will serve customers and bus tables at the Brookings Culver's Jan. 21 (5-9 p.m.), and Cubby's will host SDSU SAAC and a Food Fight event in conjunction with the Jackrabbits Basketball Coaches Show Feb. 17.
Â
Additionally, Jackrabbit student-athletes will collect donations with local law enforcement at Hy-Vee Feb. 21 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Â
In addition to the Food Fight events, cash donations or checks made payable to the Brookings Food Pantry can be dropped off at the Jackrabbit Ticket Office inside the Stanley J. Marshall Center during weekday business hours (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and at the Dykhouse Student-Athlete Center (Room 114). Jackrabbits fans can also donate online.
Â
SDSU has won six of the last seven Summit League Food Fight titles, including five consecutive from 2013 and 2017. The Jackrabbits collected 40,607.43 pounds of food during last year's competition, claiming the top prize for the seventh time overall. The Jacks have set a goal of 45,000 pounds for this year's competition.
Â
More information can be found on GoJacks.com.
Â
#FearFrost
- The Jacks own a 114-6 record at Frost Arena over the last nine seasons dating back to 2011-12, which includes perfect home records in five seasons during that span, which includes two home winning streaks of 30 or more games and three of 25 or more.
- SDSU's .954 home winning percentage over the past five years (back to 2015-16) is also the nation's best mark in that span.
- The Jackrabbits' current home winning streak of 19 games is tied for third-longest in NCAA Division I.
- Since 2011-12, South Dakota State has won 95 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).
Â
Quick Hits
- 10 different Jackrabbits have posted double-digit scoring performances this season.
- Five Jackrabbits have scored in double figures three times this season: at CSU Bakersfield, versus Western Illinois and at Denver.
- Douglas Wilson led the team in points (25), rebounds (10), steals (two) and blocks (four), and was tied for the lead in assists (four) against Oral Roberts Jan. 2.
- The Jackrabbits have trailed for less than one minute in six games this season, including three straight to end nonleague play. State did not trail against Purdue Fort Wayne.
- SDSU is third nationally with 852 rebounds on the year, tallying 40 or more boards in 10 games.
- Douglas Wilson is sixth nationally with 153 field goals this season, ranking 21st in field goal percentage and 26th in total points. This is the fourth season in a row a Jackrabbit has ranked in the top 50 in total points (Mike Daum, 2016-19).
- South Dakota State has played five games against opponents this year it had not previously met.
- 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.
- 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 11 times this year and are 10-1 in those contests, with the lone loss coming at Indiana.
- At least one Jackrabbit has scored in double figures over the last 396 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 426 consecutive games. The last time the Jackrabbits did not make a 3-point field goal was Jan. 25, 2007
- South Dakota State is 94-18 all-time in home openers (where records available). Dating back to 2004-05, SDSU's first year of DI transition, the Jacks are 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. The Jackrabbits are 7-6 in Summit League openers.
Â
Jackrabbits Featured on All-Decade Teams
Former Jackrabbits
Mike Daum and Nate Wolters were featured on All-Decade Teams, announced Dec. 31 as 2019 came to an end.
Â
CollegeInsider.com featured Daum and Wolters on the Lou Henson Award team, while Daum also earned Lute Olson Award All-Decade team honors from the organization.
Â
Mid-Major Madness also tabbed Daum as one of 10 selections to its all-decade squad.
Â
Daum posted a 22.4 career scoring average and poured in 3,067 points, closing his time as Division I's No. 7 all-time scorer. He was a 2018-19 consensus All-American and a three-time Summit League Player of the Year.
Â
Wolters wreaked havoc on defenses and closed his career with 2,352 points, 668 assists and 601 rebounds. He was a two-time Associated Press All-American, earning third-team honors as a senior, and picked up a second team NABC All-American nod in 2013.
Â
Mfum Enrolls Early; Will Redshirt
Jackrabbit men's basketball signee
William Mfum has enrolled at South Dakota State for the spring 2020 semester and will redshirt with the team. He is eligible to practice throughout the semester, and will look to make his debut in the 2020-21 season.
Â
William Mfum graduated in December from Spring Creek Academy (Plano, Texas). Mfum will redshirt this semester and practice with the team after leaving Spring Creek 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.
Â
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).
Â
Jackrabbits in Two Scheduling Agreements
Summit League teams are in year two of scheduling agreements with the Western Athletic Conference and Big Sky, and this year claimed a 5-3 win in the WAC series.
Â
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.
Â
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; L, 74-85), Eastern Washington (away; W, 74-64)
- 2019-20: Idaho (home; W, 85-57), Montana State (away; L, 70-77)
- 2020-21: Eastern Washington (home), Montana (away)
- 2021-22: Montana State (home), Idaho (away)
Â
Tough Tests
South Dakota State played four Power Five (ACC, SEC, Big 12, Big Ten, PAC-12) opponents in the 2019-20 nonleague season, facing USC, Nebraska, Arizona and Indiana in November. Though the Jacks went winless in those games, they led for a majority of the contest at Arizona, and held Indiana (a top-10 scoring offense) to a season-low 64 points.
Â
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).
Â
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.
Â
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.
Â
The poll is voted on by league coaches, sports information directors and select media.
Â
Jackrabbits' Last Time Out
VERMILLION -- South Dakota State men's basketball dropped a 99-84 contest at South Dakota Sunday afternoon despite a career-high 26 points from
Matt Dentlinger.
Â
The Jackrabbits (14-8, 5-2 Summit League) saw their five-game winning streak come to an end, but still shot 53.3 percent with a 13-of-24 effort from deep.
Â
Dentlinger buried 13-of-18 from the field to lead the Jackrabbit attack, adding a career-best seven assists alongside a team-leading six rebounds.
Â
Alex Arians added 16 points with five rebounds and four 3-pointers, while
David Wingett hit a trio of 3s and had 13 points.
Â
Noah Freidel buried all five of his free throw attempts and finished with eight points.
Â
South Dakota State took a 9-5 lead at the first media timeout, but moments later saw the Coyotes rally to tie it at 12. The teams settled into back-and-forth play over the next 10 minutes. The Jackrabbits went in front on a Dentlinger fast-break layup at 6:17 (27-26), but a hot-shooting Coyote squad gained separation in the final five minutes of the half.
Â
Trailing 52-38 at halftime, Dentlinger opened the second with a putback layup, but USD soon grew its lead to a game-high 19 (59-40). State did not quit, though, and chipped away at the deficit until pulling within single digits on an Arians 3-pointer (73-65) at 10:52. That was as close as the Jacks would come, however, as the Coyotes recovered to defend home court.
Â
Opponent Last Time Out
FARGO, N.D. – Seniors Tyson Ward and Vinnie Shahid combined for 49 points to lead the North Dakota State men's basketball team to an 83-74 victory over North Dakota on Sunday afternoon inside the Scheels Center.
Â
Ward finished with a season-high 27 points, 11 rebounds and six assists to lead the Bison in all three categories. Shahid put up 22 points and five assists.
Â
The Bison never trailed in the game. The score was tied at 23-23 with just over eight minutes left in the first half, but NDSU pushed its advantage to seven at halftime, 41-34.
Â
Leading 65-59 with 4:45 remaining, the Bison scored six straight on a three-point play by Ward, a free throw by Tyree Eady, and a putback by Rocky Kreuser. NDSU led 71-59 with three minutes left.
Â
The Bison shot 49 percent for the game, including 7-for-18 (39 percent) from three-point range. NDSU also made 20-of-23 attempts at the free throw line.
Â
Senior Marlon Stewart and sophomore Filip Rebraca led UND with 22 and 21 points, respectively.
Â
Eady finished with 10 points and three steals. The Bison committed only six turnovers in the game.
Â
NDSU improved to 13-6 overall and 4-1 in The Summit League. UND fell to 8-12 overall and 2-4 in conference play. The Bison are now 9-4 in 13 meetings between the schools as Division I opponents.
Â
Last Matchup: SDSU at NDSU (2/16/19)
FARGO, N.D. -- South Dakota State men's basketball found itself on the ropes with 16 minutes to go at North Dakota State Saturday, trailing by 17 points and facing an uphill climb on the road.
Â
After a media timeout allowed the Jackrabbits to reset following a 13-3 Bison run, a message was heard loud and clear from the bench: "One at a time."
Â
SDSU took that to heart, and piece-by-piece began clawing away at the deficit until pulling within one (74-73) on a Daum 3-pointer with 51 seconds on the clock. The teams traded buckets from there, but with less than three seconds remaining NDSU (up 77-75 at the time), missed the back end of a 1-and-1 free throw.
Â
Enter,
David Jenkins.
Â
Tevin King gathered the rebound off the miss and handed it off to the Tacoma native. After weaving through traffic, Jenkins released a shot near mid-court and watched his game-winner bank in with no time remaining, lifting the Jackrabbits to a 78-77 victory over North Dakota State.
Â
South Dakota State, now 21-7 overall and 11-2 in Summit League, never led until Jenkins' bucket, using the last-second heroics to maintain their spot atop the league standings.
Jenkins finished with 24 points and drilled five 3-pointers, going 9-of-9 at the charity stripe while dishing a career-high six assists.
Â
Mike Daum scored 31 points and added 12 rebounds for his 50th career double-double, hitting all eight of his free throws with a trio of 3s.
Â
Tevin King put together an all-around effort of eight points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Â
North Dakota State had five reach double figures, led by Vinnie Shahid's 19 points and four assists while Tyson Ward finished with 14 points and six boards.
Â
South Dakota State faced a boisterous crowd and a hot-shooting Bison team early, as the home team hit five 3s in the opening 10 minutes to put the Jackrabbits in a double-digit hole. Down 31-20 at the under-eight break, the Jackrabbits worked their way back to within five over the next four minutes, but the first-half charge was thwarted as SDSU went to the locker room trailing, 39-30.
Â
The Jackrabbits buried the first bucket of the second, but saw the Bison respond with a 13-3 run that left SDSU in a 52-35 hole at 15:54. The Jacks roared back initially to make it a two-point game (63-61) with eight to play, but moments later found themselves back down nine after a 7-2 spurt for the Bison.
Â
Trailing 74-65 with 2:08 to play, Jenkins sparked the final rally with a 3-pointer on the upper-right side of the arc, Flatten sank two free throws on the next possession and Daum followed with his final trey of the night. That 8-0 rally set the stage for the historic finish, as Jenkins' game-winner closed the Jackrabbits' final road game of the season.
Â
-GoJacks.com-
Â
Â
Â
Â
Â
Â
Â
Â