South Dakota State continues its four-game stretch away from Brookings on Sunday when the Jackrabbits take part in the Jacksonville Classic on the campus of Flagler College in St. Augustine, Fla. The Jacks open the multi-team event at 7 p.m. CT when they take on UCF.
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The Jackrabbits will compete in the Coast Bracket of the event. SDSU's second game on Monday will see the Jacks face either Charlotte or George Mason that evening depending on Sunday's results. SDSU is 21-12 overall in multi-team events during its Division I era.Â
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SDSU has faced UCF four times with each contest coming at the start of the Jackrabbits' transition to the DI level. The Golden Knights hold a 3-1 record over the Jacks with SDSU's win coming in Brookings in 2007. The two sides last met in November of 2008 at the Cancun Challenge with UCF earning a 66-64 victory.
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The Golden Knights are 2-1 this season under eighth-year coach Johnny Dawkins. Jaylin Sellers leads UCF in scoring (20.0 PPG) and rebounding (7.3). The squad's lone loss is an 88-72 defeat at No. 16 Miami on Nov. 10
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SDSU has faced George Mason once with the matchup recently taking place at the Crossover Classic held at the Sanford Pentagon in November of 2021. The Jacks won that game by an 80-76 score. SDSU has never played Charlotte.
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The Jacks are coming off a 91-68 setback at Kansas State on Monday. The Wildcats ran away with the win by shooting over 65% from the floor, and making 8 of 11 3-pointers, during the second half in Bramlage Coliseum. Kansas State's total 57.4% shooting clip and 56% mark from long range would have been the second highest marks in each by an SDSU opponent a season ago.
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Charlie Easley led SDSU with 21 points in the defeat versus the Wildcats. His point total was the second highest of his career, while his six steals were a career best. Easley's steal total is tied for the second most by a Jackrabbit in a single game during SDSU's DI era.Â
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Easley's six steals paced a total of 12 SDSU recorded versus Kansas State. the double-digit steal output is the Jacks' first since 2021.
Luke Appel made a career-high three 3-pointers.Â
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The Jackrabbits will travel to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, following the Jacksonville Classic to take on Southern Miss Wednesday evening to conclude the road trip. SDSU returns to Frost Arena on Monday, Nov. 27, by hosting Mount Marty. Â
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How to Keep up
The Jacksonville Classic will be exclusively streamed onÂ
PassThaBallLive.com and is accessible with a subscription purchase. Every SDSU men's basketball game can be heard on theÂ
Jackrabbit Sports Network, atÂ
GoJacks.com.watch or on the Varsity App. Links for those along with live stats are available on the team's schedule page on GoJacks.com. To keep up with the Jackrabbits, follow along with the program on their social media accounts @GoJacksMBB or visit GoJacks.com.Â
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