Jackrabbit Men's Hoops Update: Halfway Point in Summit League Play

Each Summit League team brings a different strength, the Jacks will get a chance to play against two
different opponents in terms of style of play this week. 


Oral Roberts
Oral Roberts, who has stuck around the top of the standings, hasn’t lost at home this season. The Bison
couldn’t even take them down at the Mabee Center. 


Last time these two teams met was Jan. 2. The Jacks scored 96 points, which was their best offensive
showing this season. SDSU maintained control for most of the game and held off a few serious ORU
runs to earn the victory. 


Emmanuel Nzekwesi has been on a tear as of late. In fact, the big man has scored more than 10 points
in every game he's played in this season. Nzekwesi dropped 30 points at Purdue Fort Wayne Jan 18
and 27 points at USD. The redshirt senior is nearly averaging a double-double, but my guess is that he
will get there by the end of the season. 


Another player USD couldn't stop is Max Abmas, who scored 24 points against the Yotes, but fouled out.
Abmas is averaging 15 ppg. Deondre Burns scored 23 points at Frost Arena Jan. 2. The grad transfer is
another top scorer on this Golden Eagles Roster. Kevin Obanor is the final name of this group, scoring
11.2 ppg. 


With so many scorers, it’s no wonder why they lead the league in scoring. 


It will be a matchup with the two best rebounding teams in the conference. One might say these are the
two best inside scoring teams, also. 


Keys to the game
The spotlight will be put on the post matchups. Matt Dentlinger and Douglas Wilson will have their hands
full, but they took care of business nearly a month ago at Frost and could do it again on the road.
I think the biggest thing is to stop any long ORU scoring runs and to win the rebounding battle. 


Western Illinois
From frontcourt talent to backcourt. Like ORU, Western has four core players who make up for most of
the scoring in Kobe Webster, Zion Young, Ben Pyle and C.J. Duff. The Leathernecks’ biggest problem?
There is no defense. 


It just goes to show how important a strong defensive presence can be. I think WIU would be legit if they
even had an average defense, but as its 5-13 record indicates, the team will be competing for that eighth
seed in the conference tournament unless there is a significant change. 

WIU has lost three-straight despite good numbers put up by Webster, Young and Pyle. 
Last time these two teams met, all five Jackrabbit starters scored double figures and the team shot 57%
from the field. Defensively, they held both Young and Webster to 13 and 12 points, respectively.


Keys to the game
It is probably unlikely the Jacks will shoot 57% again, but that doesn’t mean they can’t get contributions
from top to bottom on the roster. Look for Arians to step up like he did in the last matchup at Frost Arena.
Now playing most of his time at the point guard position, the Jacks will need him and other guards to lock
down Webster and Young. 


As frustrating as that USD loss was for the Jacks, the NDSU game helped regain assurance. Now coming
into two road games, the question is can they come back home a better road team? That will be
important across the league. As good as the turnout is of Jackrabbit fans at The Summit League
Tournament, it is still not Frost Arena. But there is time to improve in the second half of the conference
season. 


Selfless Play
One of the best things about this team is that they move the ball and find ways to make each other better. Whether it is feeding the post or creating space to find an open 3-point shot, at 13.7 assists per game, the numbers definitely back this up.


Alex Arians
I’ve heard jack-of-all trades several times for Arians in the last few weeks and it’s true. I said in earlier
posts that he hasn’t put up the numbers fans are expecting him to, but he is finally starting to show why
he’s one of the most impactful players on this team. I hope the coaching staff keeps him at the point. 


Matt Dentlinger
When Wilson was injured, Dentlinger stepped up his game. Without Dentlinger, I don’t know if that would
have been much of a game in Vermillion. He’s been great under the basket and has proved to be a
reliable scoring option each game. 


Top Dogs
The standings are still tight, but the Jacks remain in first place halfway through the conference season.
Still a lot of basketball left to be played, but it is definitely something to be happy about


National spotlight
A couple notes I found interesting in the latest game preview by gojacks.com: 

  • SDSU is fourth nationally with 887 rebounds on the year.
  • Douglas Wilson is eighth nationally with 163 field goals this season, ranking 19th in field goal percentage and 33rd in total points.


Old friends, new places
I’ve been meaning to give a little update on former Jacks, whether it is coaches or former student athletes:


T.J. Otzelberger and the UNLV Runin’ Rebels are 11-11 overall and 6-3 in conference play. It’s been a
roller coaster for Otzelberger in his first year as head coach. UNLV has stuck around the .500 mark
including a few winning and losing streaks throughout the season. It has been a pretty good start to the
conference season, however, as they sit in third place in the Mountain West. 


Scott Nagy, the longtime Jackrabbit head coach, is rolling in his fourth season with Wright State. So far,
the Raiders are 18-4 and 8-1 in conference, including winning 11 of their last 12. Nagy has had a lot of
success with Wright State, so this is not a surprise. 


In 19 games with Monbus Obradorio in Spain, Mike Daum is averaging 8.5 points per game while seeing
the floor in 18.6 minutes a game. 


Skyler Flatten has played in 21 games for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, averaging 3.7 ppg while seeing the
floor nearly 16 minutes a game. 


In his second year with the Wisconsin Herd, A.J. Hess is scoring 5.8 ppg and pulling down 2.4 rebounds
per game. Hess has played in 25 games this season. Wisconsin is in first place in all of the G-League
with a 23-5 record. 


Tevin King is averaging 3.8 points per game with the Austin Spurs while playing 14.7 minutes per game. 


Nate Wolters is averaging 7.7 ppg and 2.9 assists per game in Israel for Maccabi Tel Aviv. 


Deondre Parks is the starting point guard and one of the best players on Hapoel Hevel Modii'n,
averaging an impressive line of 22.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg and 3.2 apg. 

If you like what you read or have any recommendations, you can find me on Twitter @Carson_Herbie or
email me at carson.herbert@jacks.sdstate.edu

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