Jackrabbit Men's Hoops Update

It is a great time to be a Jackrabbit! 

Men’s basketball has won four-straight games

women’s basketball is on a six-game win streak

wrestling just won its fifth-consecutive match. 

As far as men’s basketball goes, the Jacks are on top of the Summit League standings thanks to a 4-1 start to conference play. Wins against Oral Roberts, Western Illinois, Denver and Purdue Fort Wayne has shown the Jacks should be contending for a league title come March. 

This week features a home game against North Dakota on January 15 and the first look at rival South Dakota this weekend in Vermillion. Here are my thoughts on what to expect from both teams.

North Dakota

The Fighting Hawks sit tied for fourth place along with four other teams as of Jan. 12 at 8-10 overall and 2-2 in the Summit League. UND defeated Denver and Purdue Fort Wayne but then fell to Omaha and Oral Roberts in former Northern State Head Coach Paul Sather’s first Summit League action. 

Marlon Stewart is their top scorer, averaging 17.1 points per game. The senior guard, who came over from Creighton in 2016, finished as the team’s leading scorer last season, as well. 

Stewart can attack you all over the floor. Beyond the arc, at the free-throw line or in the paint, but don’t expect him to put up any big numbers defensively as he’s only had two steals in league play so far. 

Filip Rebraca, De'Sean Allen-Eikens and Kienan Walter are three other starters averaging 10-or-more points per game. The Jacks already saw Matt Pile, one of the conference's best bigs, and they will see another with Rebraca, who has 25 blocks and averages 9.7 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-9 Serbian will be a double-double threat. 

UND has put up similar numbers offensively and ranks just behind the Jacks in points allowed. Fans will also get a chance to see the two best ball-sharing teams in the conference Wednesday. UND averages 14.3 assists per game while SDSU has 13.8. 

UND will bring a fight, but if the Jacks keep playing like they have recently, especially at home, the Fighting Hawks won’t have much luck.

South Dakota

SDSU embarrassed the Coyotes in Vermillion a season ago, but USD made things interesting in Brookings later in the season. What can we expect in round one between the rivals? 

Ever since Stanley Umude decided to return to USD, Coyote fans have been excited about this team since they bring back other key players from 2018-19. Tyler Hagedorn is also healthy after missing all of last season with an injury.

Hagedorn leads the league in scoring with his balanced attack while Umude is third with 17.2. In between them? Douglas Wilson, who is scoring 17.4 per contest. Next weekend’s game will be full of athletic talent all over the floor. 

We know this game will be full of scoring and highlight-reel plays, but who is going to step up defensively? SDSU has looked pretty good as of late, but have struggled at times this season. USD ranks in the bottom half of the league in points allowed. 

Injuries will also be a factor. Triston Simpson and Brandon Key have both battled injuries for their respective teams. Simpson played against Omaha on Jan. 11, but Key has yet to play a conference game. Any addition to the rotation depth will be important for both teams in these big games. 

South Dakota is 7-1 at home this season and is coming off an impressive performance against Omaha. Can the Jacks stop them? USD’s losses against Purdue Fort Wayne and Western Illinois say they are beatable. It will take a solid defensive effort, avoiding foul trouble and sharp shooting to do so. 

Notes on the Jacks recently:

There’s no place like home SDSU holds an 18-game winning streak dating back to December 2018 when they lost to Montana. The Jacks have been one of the best teams at home in the past decade. It is even more impressive considering a new head coach and several new additions to the rotation have kept the streak alive this past year. 

Featuring the freshmen David Wingett and Noah Freidel have had statement games in conference play. Wingett, who has started while Key has been injured, scored 24 points against Purdue Fort Wayne and 15 against Western Illinois. Wingett has played well and has been versatile in his role. Freidel went off against Omaha, dropping 28 points against the Mavericks and then responded with a 23-point performance against Oral Roberts a few days later. It is crazy to think he is only a freshman. 

Next man up Injuries are a part of every season and the Jacks are playing well filling in the holes. I have noticed Matt Mims getting more minutes and Baylor Scheierman is stepping up. Thin rotations can be stressful and take a toll on teams, so we will see how they fare until those injured players return. 

Consistency The Jacks went into the locker room trailing 46-37 against Denver, but eventually would win 80-68. Purdue Fort Wayne almost came back from a 20-point halftime deficit in the second half of State’s 70-61 win. Sometimes, you just have to be patient in defending hot-shooting teams, but to allow two big halves in two games is a little concerning. When you start running into better teams, like the next few weeks, the slow halves will hurt. 

One cause of the inconsistency might be the number of turnovers. Denver only had eight turnovers while the Jacks had 12. PFW forced 14 Jackrabbit turnovers compared to just six Mastodon turnovers. As a team, SDSU averages 13.4 per game, the fourth-highest in the league. It is something that has been a problem all year and needs to improve. 

In closing, if you haven’t been following the action around the league and even college basketball in general, it has been a wild start to the conference portion of the season. Jacks fans should be satisfied so far, but with so much season left and looking at how close the standings are, expect to see more chaos. 

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.