Men open league play Friday at WIU

Friday, December 28

Macomb, Ill.

4:30 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Western Illinois

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

12/26/2018 12:42:00 PM | Men's Basketball

GAME 16: South Dakota State (10-5) at Western Illinois (5-8)

When	Friday, Dec. 28 \| 4:30 p.m.
Where	Western Hall \| Macomb, Illinois
Radio	Jackrabbit Sports Network I WNAX 570 AM \| Tyler Merriam
Television / Live Video	Leathernecks All-Access
Live Audio	Jackrabbits All-Access
Live Stats	SideArm Sports (GoLeathernecks.com)
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| Western Illinois \| The Summit League
Social Media	Twitter I Facebook \| #NextStep
Tickets	GoLeathernecks.com

Previewing the Game
South Dakota State opens Summit League play Friday at Western Illinois in Macomb, Illinois. The Jackrabbits and Fighting Leathernecks tip at 4:30 p.m. from Western Hall before the women's game.

The Jacks are the three-time defending Summit League tournament champions, and last year earned the program's first-ever outright Summit regular season title. SDSU, picked first in the Summit League preseason poll, finished the nonconference portion of its 2018-19 campaign with a 10-5 mark. Last time out, the Jackrabbits fell at home to Montana, 85-74.

Western Illinois enters the weekend with a 5-8 mark, picking up an 81-52 win over Chicago State prior to the Christmas break on Dec. 20.

This is the 29th meeting between the programs, with South Dakota State holding a 24-4 advantage in the all-time series. The Jackrabbits are 8-4 all-time in Macomb, and in the overall series have won 21 of the last 22 meetings.

About South Dakota State
All-American Mike Daum paces the Jackrabbit offense with a double-double average of 25.3 points and 10.9 rebounds per game, shooting 50.4 percent from the field with 33 3-point field goals. He is one of four players nationally averaging over 20 points and 10 rebounds per game.

As well, Daum has dished 28 assists on the year and is playing 32.4 minutes per contest. The two-time Summit League Player of the Year now has 2,611 career points, 42 career double-doubles and ranks first all-time on both lists at SDSU. He has scored 40 or more in two games this season.

David Jenkins is second in scoring for the Jacks, dropping 19.8 points on average with seven 20-plus scoring performances, including a career-best 35 against Memphis when he hit 8 of 11 from beyond the arc. The sophomore guard has 42 treys on the year (with two games of eight 3-pointers) to go with a 49.2 field goal percentage and 50.0 percent mark from deep.

Skyler Flatten rounds out the top scorers for South Dakota State with 15.6 points per game, as the sixth-year senior has hit 37 3-pointers, tallied 13 steals, dished 23 assists and reached double figures in 13 of the last 14 contests. He has four 20-plus scoring performances, hitting 28 against UTSA, 29 against Savannah State, 20 at Nevada and 20 against Eastern Washington.

Tevin King leads the team with 68 assists and is averaging 8.9 points per game. He is a 55.2 percent shooter from the field and has 20 steals to go with a 6.9 rebounding average.

Alex Arians has started eight games for the Jacks and is averaging 4.3 points per game with one double-double, scoring 11 points with 10 rebounds against Kansas City. He is averaging 4.1 rebounds per game and has 10 steals in 23.5 minutes per game.

Owen King is second on the Jacks with 37 assists, dishing 2.4 per game to go with 4.5 scoring and 1.9 rebounding averages. He has tallied three or more assists in seven contests.

Matt Dentlinger (3.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per game), Ryan Krueger (3.0 ppg, 11 3-pointers) and Alou Dillon (2.0 ppg, 1.8 rpg) provided valuable minutes in the nonconference season. Dentlinger has started seven games (including the first six games of the season) and Krueger burst on to the scene with a 16-point performance against Colorado State in the Gulf Coast Showcase, hitting four 3-pointers.

The Jackrabbits are averaging 84.7 points per contest and shooting an impressive 50.3 percent as a team from the field. SDSU is 142-of-335 from beyond the arc and has hit 251-of-326 at the charity stripe. All told, the Jacks have five players shooting better than 50 percent from the field with four hitting 40 percent or better from deep.

On the boards, the Jacks hold a plus-6.1 edge in rebound margin and are pulling down 39.4 per game as a team.

About Western Illinois
Head Coach Billy Wright is in his fifth season leading the Leathernecks and has a 43-81 record.

Western Illinois is averaging 73.8 points per game and shooting 44.6 percent combined. The Leathernecks have held opponents to 70.1 points on average and boast a 40.8 field goal percentage defensive mark. WIU is pulling down 38.2 rebounds per game and is 34th nationally in blocks per game (4.9). The 'Necks have hit 109-of-279 from deep and are shooting 73.9 percent from the charity stripe as a team.

Individually, Western Illinois is led by three double-figure scorers: Kobe Webster (18.2 points per game), Isaac Johnson (12.7 ppg) and C.J. Duff (10.8 ppg). Webster is a 44.5 percent shooter and has hit a team-high 32 3-pointers. Johnson is second on the team in rebounds (6.2 per game) and Duff has buried 25 from deep.

Brandon Gilbeck leads the team with 8.5 rebounds per game and 51 total blocks (first nationally), swatting 3.9 per contest to go with a scoring average of 8.8 points per game.

A South Dakota State Win Would ...
Give SDSU its 11th win of the season ... move the Jacks to 25-4 all-time against Western Illinois ... push SDSU to 7-5 all-time in Summit League openers ... make Otzelberger 56-29 at South Dakota State ... give the Jacks a 1,521-1,036-1 program mark.

A South Dakota State Loss Would ...
Hand State its sixth loss of the year and second in a row ... move SDSU to 24-5 all-time against the Leathernecks ... give SDSU a 6-6 record all-time in Summit League openers ... make Otzelberger 56-30 at South Dakota State ... drop SDSU to 1,521-1,037-1 all-time.

Daum Sets All-Time Scoring Mark
Mike Daum entered the Nov. 20 matchup with UTSA needing 17 points to break Nate Wolters' all-time school scoring record of 2,363 points.

Daum left with 41 points and moved into first-place on the all-time scoring chart. The historic bucket came near the four-minute mark of the first quarter against UTSA, when Owen King found Daum near the paint and let the big man go to work, draining a fadeaway jumper to move past Nate Wolters and into history.

A look at SDSU's all-time scoring chart is on page 12 of the game notes.

Reaching the Summit
Mike Daum became the Summit League's scoring king on Dec. 7 in a 42-point performance against Southern. Daum entered the game 37 points shy of the league's scoring record, trailing only UMKC's Michael Watson (2,488; 2000-04) and Oral Roberts' Caleb Green (2,503; 2003-07).
Daum entered the season eighth all-time in Summit League points.

Daum Earns Summit League's Monthly Award
South Dakota State's Mike Daum was selected as the Summit League's November Male Athlete of the Month, announced Dec. 6 by the league office.

Daum started eight games and averaged a double-double of 24.1 points and 11.3 rebounds per game, dishing out 2.1 assists per game as well during November. He shot 50 percent from the field, just shy of 40 percent beyond the arc and hit 40 of 50 at the charity stripe, while posting a nation-leading six double-doubles. Daum also put together six 20-plus point scoring contests and capped the month with a 26-point, 18-rebound outing in a win over Kansas City. The 18 rebounds were one shy of his career-high. He broke the school's all-time career scoring record on Nov. 20 in a 41-point showing against UTSA and has risen to No. 75 on the NCAA's all-time scoring list.

This is the fifth time Daum has been named Athlete of the Month by the league, earning the award four times last year.

Daum Picks Up Summit League Honors
South Dakota State's Mike Daum has been named the Summit League's Player of the Week 16 times in his career and five times this season, including three straight weeks (Nov. 26, Dec. 3 & Dec. 10). He has won more weekly league honors than any player in Summit League history. Nate Wolters and Caleb Green (Oral Roberts) won it 15 times in their careers.

Nov. 12 -- Daum averaged 23 points and 12.3 rebounds per contest, tallying three double-doubles and shooting over 46 percent from the field. The 6-9 senior scored 20 points and had 13 rebounds against Grand Canyon, 23 and 13 against Alabama State and finished the week with 26 points and 11 boards against Bemidji State.
Nov. 26 -- Daum averaged 26.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per contest over three games to help the Jacks finish fifth at the Gulf Coast Showcase. Daum shot over 50 percent from the field and had a 41-point performance against UTSA en route to breaking SDSU's all-time scoring record and moving into third in career points in Summit League history.
Dec. 3 -- Daum averaged a double-double in a pair of dominant Jackrabbit victories last week, helping his team take down Kansas City, 75-47, and Northern Iowa, 82-50. Daum put up 25.0 points and 14.5 rebounds per game, shooting 68.2 percent overall from the field. He tallied 26 points and 18 rebounds (one shy of his career-high) against UMKC and closed the week with 24 points and 11 boards against UNI, hitting 11-of-12 from the charity stripe.
Dec. 10 -- The Kimball, Nebraska big man averaged 30 points and six rebounds over the two games, shooting 57.6 percent from the field with six 3-pointers. He added a 16 of 17 effort at the charity stripe for the week. He scored 42 points against Southern to move into first all-time in Summit League scoring and had 18 against Memphis.
Dec. 24 -- Daum averaged a double-double of 30 points and 13 rebounds per game, hitting 21-of-24 from the free throw line over two contests to go alongside a 45.9 field goal percentage. The Kimball, Nebraska native started the week with 27 points and 11 rebounds in a win at Eastern Washington and led the team with 33 points and 15 rebounds against Montana.

#Chasing3K
South Dakota State's Mike Daum is within reach of rarefied air as he enters his senior campaign looking to become just the ninth men's basketball player all-time to reach 3,000 points. Daum currently sits 31st on the NCAA's all-time scoring chart with 2,611 career points and will look to climb the ranks throughout the year.

He is first among active scorers and has been in a back-and-forth race with Campbell's Chris Clemons (2,598 points). A look at Daum's latest scoring chart listing can be found on page five of the game notes.

Tacoma Talent
Tacoma, Washington native David Jenkins has made a statement early in 2018-19 to erase any doubt of a sophomore slump, posting three 30-plus scoring performances and hitting the 20-point mark in seven games. He has reset his career-high in scoring twice this year, tallying 32 against Colorado State and 35 at Memphis. Jenkins now has 842 points in 49 career games.

Jenkins is a hot commodity in his second season of collegiate play after racking up an SDSU freshman record 565 points a year while finishing in the top 10 of freshman scorers nationwide. Additionally, Jenkins finished with 84 3-pointers (one shy of previous record, prior to Mike Daum breaking it with 96 last year) and hit at least two treys in 24 contests.

On Dec. 22, 2017 at Colorado, Jenkins set the school's freshman single-game scoring record with 31 and matched it Feb. 8, 2018 at Denver.

The Sunrise Christian Academy product has reached double figures in 40 career games (out of 49 available, missing one game due to injury this season), while he and Steve Holdren are the only two Jackrabbit freshmen to lead the team in scoring in their first collegiate game over the last 17 years (dating back to 2000-01 when game-by-game stats were readily available).

Jenkins finished the 2017-18 season as the eighth-highest scoring freshman nationally, and this year sits second (as of Dec. 26) among sophomores for points in 2018-19. For his career, Jenkins is second among active sophomores with 842 points, trailing only RJ Cole (1,008 career points).

Fellow Tacoma native Isaiah Thomas, currently with the Denver Nuggets, had 541 points and 29 double figure games (out of 35 available) through his freshman season at Washington. Through 49 career games, Thomas had 803 points and 41 double-digit scoring performances.

#FearFrost

The Jackrabbits saw their 26-game home winning streak come to an end in the nonleague finale Dec. 22. SDSU has held the nation's longest active-home winning streak twice in the last six years. Both streaks were ended by Montana (2013 and 2018).
The Jacks own an 95-6 record at Frost Arena over the last seven seasons dating back to 2011-12, which includes perfect home records in five of the last seven years and a 6-1 start to the current campaign. That span includes two home winning streaks of 30 or more games and three of 25 or more.
Since 2011-12, South Dakota State has won 94.0 percent of its home games, a mark that top all Division I programs in that span. That list is on page three of the game notes.
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.
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).
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.

Charity Stripe Success
The Jackrabbit offense has found a comfort zone at the charity stripe over Otzelberger's tenure as head coach. SDSU led the Summit League in makes, attempts and percentage a year ago, and this season currently are in the nation's top 15 in all three categories while sitting first in the Summit League in makes (251), percentage (.770), and attempts (326).

South Dakota State got to the free throw line more than its opponents in 27 of 35 games last year and has done it nine times this season.
Mike Daum opened 2017-18 Summit League play with 35 consecutive free throws, matching the second-longest streak in Jackrabbit history (Garrett Callahan, 2008-09) after setting the record in 2016-17 with 43 straight from Dec. 7-22, 2016.
Mike Daum matched his school record of 16 made free throws (out of 16 attempts) at North Dakota State Jan. 3, 2018. He did it twice in 2016-17.
Daum holds the school's single-season free throw record (set in 2016-17) and now is 686 of 806 in his career.
Daum moved into first in career makes on Dec. 7 against Southern, passing Nate Wolters' record of 648. Daum ranks second in career attempts, one shy of Wolters' 807 attempts.

Somebody's Watching Me
South Dakota State's Mike Daum has been named to five national award watch lists for the 2018-19 season.

The John R. Wooden® presented by Wendy's® announced its Preseason Top 50 on ESPN's SportsCenter and on ESPN.com, featuring Daum for the second-consecutive year. Chosen by a preseason poll of national college basketball experts, the list is comprised of 50 student-athletes who are the early front-runners for college basketball's most prestigious individual honor.
The National Association of Basketball Coaches on Nov. 5 announced its preseason watch list for the 2019 NABC Division I Player of the Year Presented by ShotTracker, with Daum among the 20 names released. The 2019 NABC Division I Player of the Year award will be announced on Sunday, April 7, at the NABC Guardians of the Game Awards Show in Minneapolis, Minn. - site of the 2019 NCAA Final Four®.
Daum was named to the 2019 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award preseason watch list in mid-October by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The award, now in its fifth year, recognizes the top power forwards in Division I men's basketball. Daum was one of five finalists for the 2018 Karl Malone Award and is a repeat selection to the preseason watch list. The winner of the 2019 Karl Malone Award will be presented at The College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy's in Los Angeles, CA on Friday, April 12, 2019, along with the other four members of the Naismith Starting 5. Broadcast information will be released by ESPN at a later date.
Daum was a repeat selection on the 2018-19 Lute Olson Award Preseason List, announced Nov. 12. The award is presented annually to the nation's top Division I player in College Basketball. Incoming freshman and transfers are not eligible for the preseason watch list. The 2019 Lute Olson Award will be presented at the College Insider awards event in April at the site of the men's division I national championship in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) featured Mike Daum among 20 NCAA Division I standouts on the Oscar Robertson Trophy midseason watch list, announced Dec. 21. The award is presented to the national player of the year by its namesake at the NCAA Final Four in Minneapolis.

Dynamic Duo
South Dakota State's Mike Daum and David Jenkins sit first and 21st nationally in total points entering the weekend and fifth and 50th in scoring average, respectively. SDSU joins two other schools to have two student-athletes in the top 50 in scoring average, and four others in total points. The Jackrabbit pair's combined average of 45.1 points per game is the highest nationally.

One for the History Books
The Jackrabbits' 139-72 victory over Savannah State on Dec. 11 was filled with historical moments for the SDSU men's basketball program, including:

139 -- Most Points in a Game (previous was 136 against Midland Lutheran; Dec. 14, 1990). This was also the second-most by a Summit League team (Troy had 140 in a 1995 contest).
90 -- Most Points in a Half (previous was 77 against Midland Lutheran; Dec. 14, 1990)
23 -- Made 3-pointers (previous was 18 against Ole Miss; Nov. 27, 2017)
53 -- Made field goals (previous was 51 against Midland Lutheran; Dec. 14, 1991)
87 -- Attempted field goals (previous was 86 against Colorado; Dec. 15, 2017)
13 -- Assists by Tevin King, the most in a single-game during SDSU's Division I era (previous was 12, done twice by Nate Wolters)

Let It Rain
South Dakota State's 3-point attack has ranked among the best nationally since T.J. Otzelberger's arrival three years ago. As of Dec. 26, the Jackrabbits are in the top 10 nationally in 3-pointer makes (142) and percentage (.424) while sitting in the top 50 in attempts (335).

The Jackrabbits shattered their previous school record for single-game 3-pointers on Dec. 11 when the team hit 23 against Savannah State.
South Dakota State reset the school record for single-season 3-pointers made (374) and attempted (927) in 2017-18 after breaking the previous record a year prior (318 of 883).
South Dakota State returns three players who hit 50 or more 3-pointers last year in Mike Daum (96), David Jenkins (84) and Skyler Flatten (55).
After breaking the single-season record for 3-pointers last year Daum now has 233 3s in his career and is closing in on the program's career record, held by current graduate assistant coach Reed Tellinghuisen (256).
Since the arrival of T.J. Otzelberger, the Jacks now hold all of the top five spots in the record book for 3-pointers made and attempted in a Division I game.
The Otzelberger-led Jackrabbits have hit 14 or more 3-pointers in 16 games over the last three seasons, and prior to his arrival a State team had hit 14 or more 3-pointers in just six games as a program.
Through the first 12 seasons of Division I basketball (starting in the first transition year of 2003-04 through 2015-16), SDSU had 71 games of 10 or more 3-pointers, with a max of 13 in one season (2010-13). The Jackrabbits have done it 40 times since then, hitting 10 or more in 21 games last year and six times in 2018-19.
Under Otzelberger, the Jackrabbits have attempted 30 or more 3-pointers in a game 17 times. The Pre-Otzelberger era teams did it on 11 total occasions since the adoption of the 3-point line in 1986. It happened three times at the Division II level and eight times between 2003-04 and 2015-16, the last season Scott Nagy led the program.
David Jenkins has hit eight 3-pointers in two games this season and has buried 125 from deep in his career, averaging 2.6 3-pointers per game as a Jackrabbit.

Quick Hits

Tevin King's 6.9 rebounds per game is the third-highest nationally among players 6-2 or under. Ky Bowman (Boston College; 6-1) is averaging 7.6 per game and Terrell Brown (Seattle; 6-1) is at 7.0 per game.
The Jackrabbits' 75-47 victory over Kansas City Nov. 28 was the first time since Dec. 19, 2014 (CSU Bakersfield, 53-49) SDSU held an opponent under 50 points. The Jacks followed that game with an 82-50 victory over Northern Iowa on Dec. 1.
South Dakota State has posted a double-digit rebounding margin advantage five times this season, including a plus-25 showing Dec. 11 against Savannah State.
Skyler Flatten annihilated his previous career-high in a record-setting performance against USA on Nov. 20, becoming the first player in SDSU's Division I history to go 6-for-6 from beyond the arc on his way to 28 points. Flatten was 10-for-11 from the field overall. He reset that career-high on Dec. 11 against Savannah State when he scored 29.
South Dakota State has not lost three consecutive games since January 2017.
SDSU's 28 wins in 2017-18 was the most in program history.
South Dakota State went 12-0 when holding opponents under 70 points last season, while posting a 24-3 record when breaking the 70-point barrier on the offensive end. The Jacks are 6-0 when holding opponents under 70 this season and have scored 70 or more points in 13 of 14 contests.
Since T.J. Otzelberger's arrival three years ago, the Jackrabbits are 45-4 when winning the rebounding battle and 11-25 when being out-rebounded or tied on the boards.
South Dakota State won its 1,500th game Jan. 20, 2018 at Western Illinois. The Jacks won their 500th game in Frost Arena in the 2016-17 regular season finale.
2018-19 marked the fourth time State started 3-0 at the Division I level (dating back to transition year of 2004-05). The Jacks also did it in 2010-11, 2015-16 (when the team started a Division I-best 6-0) and 2017-18.
At least one Jackrabbit has scored in double figures over the last 357 games dating back to Jan. 12, 2008 at IUPUI when Anthony Cordova had nine points to lead the Jacks.
From Jan. 31, 2009 through the 2013-14 season, SDSU put together a streak of 179 games with at least one 1,000-point scorer on the floor. SDSU snapped a streak of 90 games without a 1,000-point scorer when Mike Daum joined the club on Jan. 21, 2017. SDSU has now restarted a streak of 63 games with at least one 1,000-point scorer on the court.
State has made at least one 3-pointer in 387 consecutive games. The last time the Jackrabbits did not make a 3-point field goal was Jan. 25, 2007
SDSU is 93-18 all-time in home openers (where records available). Dating back to 2004-05, SDSU's first year of DI transition, SDSU is 14-2.
SDSU is 74-39 in season-openers all-time. The Jacks are 7-8 in season-opening games at the Division I level.
The Jackrabbits are 6-5 in Summit League openers.

Jacks 17th in Mid-Major Top 25
South Dakota State slipped to No. 17 in the College Sports Madness Mid-Major Top 25, released Dec. 24. The Jackrabbits fell out of the top 10 for the first time since February 2018 in the Dec. 17 rankings, but have been ranked in every poll but one over the last year-plus.

SDSU has been ranked as high as No. 3 in this year's rankings and joins 2018-19 opponent Montana (No. 15) in the top 25.

Jackrabbits Fifth at Gulf Coast Showcase
South Dakota State went 2-1 at the 2018 Gulf Coast Showcase to finish fifth at the tournament, picking up wins over UTSA and Colorado State.

Mike Daum, named to the All-Tournament Team, averaged a near-double-double of 26.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per contest while shooting over 50 percent from the field in the three games, including a 41-point showing against the Roadrunners. David Jenkins had a 21.7 scoring average and dropped 32 against Colorado State, while Skyler Flatten averaged 16 points and scored a career-high 28 against UTSA, going 6-for-6 from 3-point range.

Daum Reaches 2,000 Points
Mike Daum became just the second Jackrabbit to score over 2,000 points in his career when he reached the mark Feb. 1, 2018 against North Dakota State. Daum is the 15th Summit League player to achieve 2,000 points, and ranks among the fastest to do it in the NCAA over the last 20 years.

Additionally, Daum stacks up well against previous Oscar Robertson Trophy and John R. Wooden Award winners over the last 26 years, reaching the 2,000-point mark faster than any previous winner. Daum was on the midseason Robertson Trophy Watch List and on the Wooden Award's preseason list in 2017-18, and was named to the 2018-19 Wooden Preseason and Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List lists earlier this season.

Jackrabbits in Two Scheduling Agreements
Summit League and Western Athletic Conference officials announced in October the matchups and dates for the first year of The Summit League/WAC Challenge in men's basketball.

The Challenge features head-to-head competition between all nine teams. Matchups were set based upon factors including the previous year's achievements, records and RPI rankings, as well as projected rankings in the upcoming season. Those teams with home games in 2018 will play on the road in 2019 and vice versa. In addition, teams will not face the same opponent in back-to-back years.

The Jackrabbits will host Grand Canyon Nov. 6 in their 2018-19 season opener and travel to CSU Bakersfield in 2019-20 as part of the agreement.

Last year, the Jacks were announced as part of a four-year deal with the Big Sky.

Each school will play one home game and road contest against separate schools from the other league during each of the four seasons. South Dakota State joins North Dakota State, North Dakota and Omaha as Summit League representatives, while Montana State, Montana, Idaho and Eastern Washington are participating from the Big Sky.

The Jackrabbits will play the following games as part of the agreement:
2018-19: Montana (home), Eastern Washington (away)
2019-20: Idaho (home), Montana State (away)
2020-21: Eastern Washington (home), Montana (away)
2021-22: Montana State (home), Idaho (away)

Jacks Add Four on Signing Day
South Dakota State men's basketball coach T.J. Otzelberger announced four additions to the Jackrabbit basketball program as part of November's national signing day. Three incoming freshman and a junior transfer will enroll at SDSU for the 2019-20 season and be eligible to play immediately for the Jackrabbits:

Owen Coburn • Center/Forward • Spirit Lake, Iowa -- Will graduate from Spirit Lake High School (Spirit Lake, Iowa) in May 2019 … earned Second Team IPSWA Class 3A All-State, 3A IBCA All-Sub State and First Team All-Lakes Conference (unanimous) honors as a junior while averaging 20.1 points and 11.1 rebounds per game … named all-substate and first team all-conference (unanimous) as a sophomore, putting up 18.2 points and 9.5 rebounds per game … played his freshman season at Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School before transferring to Spirit Lake High School … during his rookie campaign averaged 11 points and seven rebounds per contest and was named All-War Eagle Conference honorable mention.
Doug Wilson • Forward • Des Moines, Iowa -- Will graduate from Kirkwood Community College (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) in May 2019 … 2018 NJCAA Second Team All-American and First Team All-Region selection … averaged 14.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 69.2 percent from the field as a freshman … helped team to a 24-6 record and regular season ICCAC title in 2017-18 … graduated from Hoover High School (Des Moines, Iowa) in May 2017.
Baylor Scheierman • Guard • Aurora, Nebraska -- Will graduate in May 2019 from Aurora High School (Aurora, Nebraska) … First Team All-State (Class B), All-Area and All-Conference selection in 2018 … averaged 16.1 points, six assists, six rebounds and 2.5 steals per game as a junior … three-time academic honor roll selection (2016-18).
Caleb Grill • Guard • Maize, Kansas -- Will graduate in May 2019 from Maize High School (Maize, Kansas) … picked First Team All-State (Class 5A) by Topeka Capital Journal, Wichita Eagle and CatchItKansas in 2018 … named 2018 Third Team All-State (All Classes) by Wichita Eagle … selected as 2018 All-AVCTL I First Team and Most Valuable Player and picked up All-Metro First Team honors from Wichita Eagle … averaged 17 points, four rebounds and three assists per game as a junior while leading team to AVCTL DI title.

Tough Tests
South Dakota State played five Power Five (ACC, SEC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12) opponents a year ago (in addition to a matchup at then-No. 6 Wichita State of the American Athletic Conference).

Although the team does not have any power five opponents on this year's schedule, the Jacks played at Memphis (AAC) and then-No. 7 Nevada (Mountain West) in the nonconference season.

South Dakota State has seven wins over Power Five programs since joining The Summit League in 2007, picking up wins over Iowa State (2008), Iowa (2010 and 2017), Washington (2011), TCU (2015), Minnesota (2015) and Ole Miss (2017).

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.

In 10 games against power five opponents for his career, Mike Daum is averaging 18.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 44.2 percent from deep. He has two double-doubles in those matchups.

Preseason All-Conference; Jacks Picked First
Mike Daum and David Jenkins headlined the Summit League's preseason teams, announced early-October. Jenkins is a first-time preseason honoree while Daum earned his third-consecutive Preseason Player of the Year nod.

Daum is the second Jackrabbit to be named Preseason All-Conference and the first to do it more than once, joining Nate Wolters (2012-13).

As a team, South Dakota State was picked to win the league for the fifth time in program history, garnering 34 of 36 first-place votes.

SDSU Last Time Out (Dec. 22)
South Dakota State saw its 26-game home winning streak come to an end Saturday at Frost Arena, falling 85-74 to Montana in its final nonconference game of the season.

SDSU (10-5) shot 45.5 percent as a team, but saw Montana hit 28-of-49 from the field with 11 3-pointers.

Mike Daum led all scorers with 33 points, adding 15 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the season.

Skyler Flatten tallied 15 points while Tevin King and David Jenkins each had 12. Tevin King added six rebounds and dished three assists, second on the team behind Owen King (four assists).

SDSU and Montana traded punches throughout, though Montana used a 22-11 rebounding advantage in the first half to establish itself in the opening 20 minutes,turning 11 offensive boards into a 12-4 advantage in first-half, second chance points.

Back-and-forth early, State took an 11-9 lead on a Flatten dunk at 13:08, but over the next three minutes saw the Grizzlies break out on a 10-2 run to go up six (19-13).

SDSU used free throws to stay within striking distance until 7:20, when Daum sank two more from the charity stripe and sparked the Jacks on a 14-3 run (ending with 10 consecutive) as State went up 31-27 near the under-four break.

The teams returned to trading buckets the rest of the half, but a late burst from Montana sent SDSU to the locker room trailing, 42-36.

Daum started the second-half scoring with a 3, but Montana responded with six straight to go up nine (48-39) and put the Jacks down double figures at 13:07 (57-46). State climbed back within seven (64-57) over the next five minutes and made it a four-point game with just under six minutes to play, but a comeback wasn't in the cards as Montana held off the charge to end SDSU's claim to the nation's longest active home-winning streak.

Opponent Last Time Out (Dec. 20)
MACOMB, Ill. – Guided by its mantra of 'All In,' Western Illinois men's basketball concluded the non-conference portion of its schedule Thursday (Dec. 20) with every available player suiting up in the team's 81-52 victory over Chicago State.

In the decision, the Leathernecks (5-8) also wrapped the inaugural Summit League-Western Athletic Conference Challenge with a win. The WAC narrowly claimed this season's series, 5-4.

"We definitely wanted to bounce back from a tough stretch," said head coach Billy Wright. "We've been on the road a lot, and our guys understood the importance of this game. We understood that Christmas vacation comes after, and I was proud of our guys for not getting caught up in travel plans and things like that. We had a job to do today, and I was proud of their effort.

"We want to play the right way on both ends of the floor for 40 minutes, whether we're up 10 or down 10, and it starts with the defensive end for us."

C.J. Duff entered halftime was almost as many points as the entire Cougar team combined. The Waukegan, Ill., native was nearly perfect in his shot selection, swishing five of his first seven attempts, with four made 3-pointers.

He managed 14 points at the break, helping to power the Leathernecks to a 41-17 edge, before tagging Brandon Gilbeck and Kobe Webster to finish the game.

The Leathernecks led the entire way and held their largest lead of the game at 39 points as the scoreboard read 72-33 with 7:10 remaining.

Duff finished the game with a team-high 17 points, while Webster added 16 and Zion Young 10. For Gilbeck, the outing marked his first double-double of the season on 14 rebounds and 12 points with six blocks.

-GoJacks.com-