South Dakota State Basketball

After two tough road games this weekend, the South Dakota State men's basketball team looks to put this behind them and focus on two crucial games at home.

Coming off of a critical road loss against rival South Dakota and a less-than-remarkable victory at UMKC, the Jackrabbits have their final four games of the season at home, where they are undefeated so far in this season.  

Losing against South Dakota really brought the young Jacks back down to Earth, knocking them out of contention for a potential regular season conference championship, as they now trail the leading Oral Roberts Golden Eagles by 2.5 games.

During that loss, the Jacks found out what it takes to be a championship-caliber team.  While the possibility of a NCAA Tournament bid still stands with the conference tournament March 3-6, they have much work to do to get back to the quality play that has gotten them to this point.

One bright spot for the Jackrabbits coming out of this weekend, other than the continuous stellar play from point guard Nate Wolters, is the fact that for the first time in their run in Division I, the Jackrabbits have their first 20-win season, making their mark as one of the up-and-coming teams in the country. 

Despite those 20 wins, SDSU is still being written off as just another team having a good season.  There are still plenty of critics doubting the Jacks, writing off all of their accomplishments, not only as individuals, but as a team.  

However, this weekend may be the Jackrabbits' best chance to gain some support from the outside, make a name for themselves on a national level and silence the critics heading into the final stretch of the season.

This Wednesday, the Jacks host their intrastate rival, North Dakota State.  In their previous meeting, the Jacks ended their six-year drought against the Bison, upending the home team 91-88 in overtime.  

Wolters was key down the stretch of that game, scoring 18 of his 27 points in the second half and overtime.  One key element for the Jacks will be containing NDSU's Taylor Braun, who lit up SDSU for a 28-point, 10-rebound double-double.  

Except, with all there is on the line in terms of rivalry against North Dakota State, the game on Saturday will be the one where the rest of the country will be focusing on when it comes to national recognition.

In the annual BracketBusters challenge, South Dakota State was paired up against the Buffalo Bulls out of the Mid-American conference.  Not only did they get chosen to battle a quality opponent in Buffalo, they received a nationally televised game, one that will be featured on ESPNU Saturday, February 18th at 1 p.m. ET, the first nationally televised game at home in school history. 

With this game, the Jackrabbits have their opportunity to show the rest of the country, and the selection committee, just how good they really are, and that their 20-7 record is no fluke.  This will also be the first chance fans of great college basketball players get to see another in his element.  

Some know Wolters, others do not.  One thing is for sure, while he might not be one of the biggest names in college basketball this year, he's one whose name will generate some buzz in the near future. Perhaps as soon as this time next week.  

It's getting to be time where we find out just how good some of these teams really are.  South Dakota State has two more weeks to prove their self-worth in the world of college basketball.  North Dakota State and Buffalo bring with them enough talent to knock off the stumbling Jacks.

Whether or not SDSU can regroup and get back on the winning path will be up to them.  They have the potential, now they just need to prove it in the most critical part of the season.  

"If you're not up for this game, then you're not going to be up for any game."

That is a direct quote from South Dakota State head men's basketball coach Scott Nagy, a statement made in the closing moments of practice the day before their highly-anticipated matchup with Summit League leader, Oral Roberts, on Thursday.

None truer words could have been spoken, and his players responded in a big way.

Entering the game trailing the Golden Eagles by two-and-a-half games in the standings, the Jackrabbits came out of the gates swinging, taking an early advantage of 15-2 in the opening minutes.  That early lead would signify the beginning of the end for Oral Roberts, as they couldn't mount any sort of comeback, eventually dropping the game all together, 75-60.

To put this game into perspective, Oral Roberts entered the game with a 20-4 overall record, 12-0 in conference play, a ranking of 11 in the latest collegeinsider.com mid-major poll and an average 74.5 points per game as a team.

South Dakota State played, quite possibly, their best all-around defensive effort of the season.  The 60 points Oral Roberts scored in the game was their lowest point total all season.  The Jackrabbits forced 15 turnovers, using a combination of physical play and tenacity by cutting off passing lanes, picking the pocket of the opposition and diving on the floor for loose balls. 

These are the qualities that make up a great defensive effort, and that's exactly what SDSU got out of its players in the game. 

On the offensive end, it was a rather stagnant shooting night from the three-point line for both teams, combining to go 9-of-34 from beyond the arc—SDSU 6-21, ORU 3-13. When the three ball wasn't dropping, the Jackrabbits saw their opportunity to penetrate the lane and get easy buckets, while also getting their three big men involved in any way they could. 

Junior guard—and national sensation for those who know who he is—Nate Wolters led the game with 24 points, using a combination of his smooth shooting stroke, quick, crafty dribbling skills and explosive bursts to the rim to garner much of the attention from the Oral Roberts defense. 

Once the Golden Eagles found Wolters creating offense for himself, they focused their attention on him, allowing Wolters to create offense for his teammates and to tally nine assists for the game as well. 

Wolters' favorite target of the game was forward Jordan Dykstra, who came up with 22 monster points from all over the floor, also forcing his way to seven crucial rebounds. 

Five other Jackrabbits scored in the contest, the highest point total of those five being eight points by Chad White.  While it may appear to be a little lopsided in point distribution, each player who stepped on the floor during this game knew his assignment and had no issue doing the dirty work, reaping all the benefits of the win in the process.

For Oral Roberts, the 20.2 points per game they usually get out of their star forward Dominique Morrison were nowhere to be found, as he only tallied 12 total points for the game and fouled out of the game late in the second half. 

Credit has to be given to SDSU for shutting down Morrison, as they did not want a repeat of their trip to Oral Roberts in early January.  In that game, Morrison had a career-high 38 points, going 5-of-8 from the three-point line in the Golden Eagles' 97-75 victory.

Overall, the Jackrabbits proved that they can compete with anybody in the Summit League, now handing Oral Roberts their first conference loss on the season.  They have also split the season series with Oakland—they would have swept that series had it not been for an insane three-point shooting night from Travis Bader, who hit a school-record 10 threes in their 92-87 victory last week—and defeated North Dakota State 91-88 in overtime in Fargo two weeks ago.

This win is significant because it is also a confidence booster as the Jackrabbits head towards the home stretch of the college basketball season.

A win of this magnitude dictates that it is no longer a one-horse race for the Summit League championship.  Rather, it has now become one of the hottest conference races in the country.

Both South Dakota State and Oral Roberts have nationally-televised Bracketbuster games on February 18th against Buffalo and Akron, respectively.  For both teams, this is their lone opportunity to show the selection committee that, come Selection Sunday, whomever doesn't win the conference tournament at the beginning of March should not be overlooked for an at-large bid for the big dance. 

February is shaping out to be a big month in the Summit League, especially for South Dakota State.  The Jackrabbits are looking to continue their winning ways and stake their claim as a threat come tournament time.

Coach Nagy hit the nail on the head with his statement before the Oral Roberts game.

"If you are not up for this game, then you are not going to be up for any game."

Now, the Jackrabbits need to take that mindset into the rest of the season if they want to achieve their goals of winning the Summit League championship.

The Oral Roberts game was merely step one.

South Dakota State men's basketball is slowly making a name for itself among the mid-major teams to beware.

Sunday in Seattle, the Jackrabbits avenged a 89-70 loss to North Dakota on Thursday to take out the Pac-12 perennial power Washington Huskies, 92-73.  It's also important to note that  SDSU and North Dakota collided a week earlier in an SDSU route, winning by 38.

At this point in the season, the Jacks hold a 10-4 record, winning key conference road tests at IUPUI and Western Illinois in back-to-back thrillers earlier this month. 

In their game on Sunday, SDSU nailed their first seven three-point attempts and concluded the game going 10-16 beyond the arc—something that has plagued them through much of the year. 

Going into this game, the point guard battle was interesting.

Abdul Gaddy—the high profile recruit Washington landed a few years ago—looked to make people forget about losing Isaiah Thomas to the NBA.  His counterpart for the game, SDSU's Nate Wolters, has proven time and again that he deserves to be mentioned among the great point guards in the nation.

When all was said and done, Wolters trumped Gaddy without so much as a hesitation. 

While Gaddy spent much of the game in foul trouble, Wolters took over and—along with the senior leadership of Griffan Callahan (16 points, 3-3 three-pointers)—propelled the Jacks to an upset victory over the Huskies.

Wolters finished the game with a season-high 34 points, five rebounds, seven assists and zero turnovers while never coming out of the game, playing in all 40 total minutes. 

This is the second year in a row South Dakota State has staked it's claim on a higher-level Division-1 opponent by gaining the victory over an unsuspecting foe. 

Last year, the Jacks took out the Iowa Hawkeyes—also on the road.

Gaining this win helps build credibility for a team that's been looking for an identity when it comes to high-quality competition.  Losses to Minnesota and Georgia earlier in the year are nothing to be disappointed about, considering Georgia is a legitimate threat in the tough SEC and their loss to Minnesota was during Trevor Mbakwe's short-lived active season. 

It's the losses to Nebraska and North Dakota that may have more of a downward effect for the upstart Jackrabbit squad.  Picking up the impressive 19-point road win over Washington certainly helps their NCAA tournament consideration. 

Also, South Dakota State was able to win some big games in their sub-region of the CBE Classic in November—taking care of business against Niagara, Sam Houston State and Mercer in consecutive days. 

Now, head coach Scott Nagy, Wolters, Callahan and Co. have to focus on the Summit League opponents in order to make what they've been able to do thus far in the season worthwhile.

Powerhouses Oakland and Oral Roberts have started to make their case as the favorites to win the Summit League. Oakland took out Tennessee at home, and Oral Roberts ended Xavier's undefeated season—granted, Xavier was without three starters as they served suspensions for the brawl with Cincinnati a few weeks ago. 

Another team that could be a thorn in the side of the Jacks is North Dakota State.  Their schedule may not say so, but this is a team that could surprise a lot of people come March. 

With success comes the potential for letdowns.  South Dakota State suffered a setback with that loss to North Dakota. 

After this huge victory over Washington, SDSU cannot afford to let it go to their heads again.  They have the potential to do great things the rest of the year, they just need to stay focused and determined. 

Here's a team that most of the country has never heard of.  Even if they have heard of the South Dakota State University Jackrabbits, most of the time, they have been disregarded as a Division I basketball team. 

However, don't tell that to the Iowa Hawkeyes. 

In their third game of the season last year, the SDSU Jackrabbits traveled to Iowa City, presumably to most, merely to be an early season victory for the Hawkeyes.

Unfortunately for Iowa, nobody told this team that it wasn't supposed to win.  The Jackrabbits entered into hostile territory and took care of business, handing Iowa a 79-69 loss.

From that point on, not only were the Jacks taken seriously by every other opponent on their schedule, that was the coming out party for then-sophomore point guard Nate Wolters. 

South Dakota State would go through the rest of its season as a well respected team.  Teams such as Minnesota, Oakland and Oral Roberts, all nationally recognized power schools, saw this young, up-and-coming team for what it really is: talented.  Although SDSU did not beat any of those three teams, all three left their contests with more respect for what the small-time D-I school from South Dakota was able to do. 

2010-2011 saw the Jacks finish with a 19-12 record and bowing out of the Summit League Conference Tournament in the semifinals, losing to eventual NCAA tournament bid winner Oakland.  

Coming into this season, the sky is the limit for this young team.  Of the 15 players on the roster, only one of them is a senior—small forward Griffan Callahan.  Two of them are juniors—Wolters and center/forward Tony Fiegen.  The rest of the players are sophomores and freshmen. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWSmLSK6Ubc

Many would look at the lack of veteran leadership as a bad thing.  A young team that looks like SDSU does is more likely to crumble under pressure without a proven leader. 

While that may be true for most occurrences, that is not the case in the Midwest. Having a team full of sophomores and freshmen may seem scary, but there is also something to prove this year. 

Much of the Jacks' leadership from last season is gone, leaving it in the very capable hands of Callahan, Wolters and Fiegen. 

Looking at the team members, there is a boatload of potential with this team. 

Wolters is the early season favorite for Summit League Player of the Year.  He possesses all the tools a true point guard needs to be considered great: tremendous ballhandling ability, a silky-smooth jump shot and the slashing speed to drive through the lane on any given play. He's coming off a season where he was voted to the All-Summit First Team, becoming the first Jackrabbit to ever do that. 

Callahan is your prototypical small forward.  He has the range and height to be considered a shooting guard but loves to play in the post, manning up against bigger opponents.  He's vocal and scrappy, something a young team needs to see from one of its vets.

Fiegen, a 6'7" post player, knows his way around the post, but isn't afraid to let it fly from mid-range.  The Red-Headed Delight is an effective part of the offense, and he will look to command attention from opponents.

Rounding out the starting five are Chad White and Brayden Carlson. 

White is a tough matchup for any defender when he's on offense.  Not only does he have the shooters touch from behind the arc, at 6'6", he can also back down and bang in the paint with the best of them.

Carlson is your everyman guard.  He can play the 1, 2 or 3 and not miss a beat.  Quick cuts and ability to finish at the rim make this man someone who can cause problems for any opposing defense. 

Bench players for the Jacks will be a huge factor to their potential success.

Led by its 6'8" sophomore forward, the versatile and agile Jordan Dykstra, the bench is where the youth experience comes into play the most. 

Dykstra has the ability to shoot the deep ball with the best of them, coupling that with his inside ability, this big man is crucial to the team's continuity.

After Dykstra, sophomore forward Marcus Heemstra supplies the rest of the post play.  Heemstra is another post player for the Jacks that has the mid-range shooting game to make him a versatile weapon on offense. 

Zack Hortsman, Zach Monaghan and Taevaunn Prince will provide a spark off of the bench both on offense and defense.  All three are freshman guards, providing relief and different styles of play that mesh well with the starting five, making for a true all-around athletic team. 

Other potential key contributors include freshman guards Alex Olson and Sam Francis, and junior college transfer sophomore Austin Hennings. 

Freshman guards Cory Jacobsen and Joey Feilmeier are both battling injuries, so their role on the team is unknown at this point, seeing as their practice time has been limited. 

Head coach Scott Nagy has a lot to look forward to this season.  Nagy has loads of talent and so many options in how to use them in his 17th year with SDSU.

Obviously, most of the attention will be focused on Wolters and his 19 points per game average from a season ago. 

However, league opponents such as Oakland and Oral Roberts, two teams that are no strangers to postseason success, shouldn't look past the rest of the team for even a moment.

The second they do, the Jackrabbits could be in line for the conference championship, making it their first taste of D-I success. 

South Dakota State may be a young team, but don't be surprised to hear that name pop up every so often when it comes to mid-majors on the rise.