Men's hoops heads for Indiana

Saturday, November 30

Bloomington, Ind.

4 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. CT

South Dakota State University

Indiana

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

11/28/2019 9:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball

GAME 10: South Dakota State (6-3) at Indiana (6-0)

When	Saturday, Nov. 30 \| 4 p.m. EST / 3 p.m. CST
Where	Assembly Hall \| Bloomington, Indiana
Live Audio / Radio	Jackrabbits All-Access \| Jackrabbit Sports Network I WNAX 570 AM \| Tyler Merriam
Television / Live Video	Big Ten Plus
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State
Social Media	Twitter I Facebook

Previewing the Game
South Dakota State men's basketball heads for Indiana this weekend, taking on the Hoosiers Saturday. Tipoff from Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana is set for 4 p.m. EST / 3 p.m. CST.

The Jackrabbits, under the direction of first-year head coach Eric Henderson, picked up a pair of home victories this week, topping Mississippi Valley State (84-54) and Samford (86-77).

Indiana is off to a 6-0 start on the year and defeated Louisiana Tech, 88-75, last weekend.

This is the first-ever meeting between the schools.

About South Dakota State
The two-time defending Summit League regular season champions bring a new look to the court in 2019-20 with Eric Henderson patrolling the sidelines and seven newcomers (including two redshirt freshman) making their Jackrabbit debut. The fresh start has yielded positive results through nine games, as SDSU is averaging 77.8 points per game with a plus-5.6 rebounding margin (41.8 boards per game).

The Jackrabbits are shooting 46.5 percent from the field and have found their way to the line 203 times, burying 147 from the charity stripe overall.

Douglas Wilson is off to a fast start in his first year at SDSU, reaching double figures in eight of his first nine games alongside a team-leading 17.8 scoring average. The two-time NJCAA All-American and 2018-19 NJCAA Player of the Year has three double-doubles for the Jackrabbits, adding a team-high 7.8 rebounds per game alongside a 60.8 field goal percentage.

Brandon Key (11.7 points per game) has been electric at the point, posting five double-digit scoring performances on the season with 40 assists (4.4 per game). He has a 1.48 assist-to-turnover ratio and is back for the Jackrabbits after redshirting a year ago. The Milwaukee, Wisconsin native had 112 assists in 2017-18.

Matt Dentlinger has turned in a pair of double-doubles in the opening month of the year, most recently in a 17-point, 11-rebound performance against North Alabama. Dentlinger is third on the team with 11.1 points and second at 6.2 rebounds per game, sinking 38-of-58 (65.5 percent) from the field, including a run of 13 consecutive makes between the Arizona and Samford contests (going 8-for-8 against MVSU).

Alex Arians (24.9 minutes per game) and Noah Freidel (24.4 minutes per game) join the three Jackrabbits above as every-game starters.

Arians' 6.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game provide a steady-presence in the three-spot. Freidel, the 2019 Argus Leader Class A Player of the Year, has seen his playing time rise in every game, currently sitting fourth on the team in scoring (8.3 points per game) and first in made 3-pointers (16). He has reached double figures in four of the last six games, burying five 3-pointers in a win over Samford with a 20-point effort.

David Wingett and Baylor Scheierman have been the top two options off the bench for SDSU, sitting tied for fifth, respectively, in scoring average for the Jacks at 7.0 points per game.. Wingett has six steals and is second on the team with 12 3-pointers, while Scheierman has averaged five rebounds and 1.5 assists per contest.

Wingett joined the Jackrabbit squad in late May as a transfer from Memphis and received an NCAA waiver for immediate eligibility. The Winnebago, Nebraska product scored over 2,200 points in his high school career and spent a season at Bull City Prep Academy.

Scheierman is a two-time Class B All-State, All-Area and All-Conference selection from Aurora, Nebraska, and as a senior averaged 22.1 points, 9.8 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game while helping his team to a state tournament berth.

About Indiana
Indiana (6-0) hosts its seventh-consecutive home game to start the season Saturday as the Jackrabbits come to town for the final game of the Hoosiers' Indiana Challenge.

Aljami (Al) Durham is averaging a team-best 15.2 points per game, shooting 60.8 percent from the field with a team-best 10 3-pointers.

Trayce Jackson-Davis (15.0 ppg) is close behind for the team's scoring lead while sitting first among Hoosiers with an 8.8 rebounding average.

Justin Smith (13.7 ppg) and Devonte Green (12.7 ppg) round out the top Indiana scorers. Smith has a Hoosier-best 13 steals on the season while Green has buried six 3-pointers to go with 10 assists, fourth on the team behind Durham (19), Rob Phinisee (18) and Armaan Franklin (17).

Archie Miller is in his third season leading Indiana and holds a 41-31 record in that time. He is in his eighth career season as a head coach and has won 180 games.

A South Dakota State Win Would ...
Make SDSU 7-3 on the year and 1-0 all-time against Indiana ... hand the Jackrabbits their eighth win over a Power Five opponent ... give State a 1,542-1,043-1 program mark.

A South Dakota State Loss Would ...
Snap a two-game winning streak and move the Jackrabbits to 6-4 on the year ... make SDSU 0-1 all-time against Indiana ... give the Jacks a 1,541-1,044-1 program mark.

Wilson Honored by Summit League
Douglas Wilson was selected as the Summit League's Men's Basketball Athlete of the Week, announced Nov. 11.

Wilson posted a monster debut week for the Jackrabbits, averaging 21 points and 8.7 rebounds per contest with a trio of double-figure scoring performances. Wilson helped SDSU to a 3-0 record to begin the year, scoring 24, 13 and 26 against UTRGV, Peru State and CSU Bakersfield, respectively. Wilson tallied his first-career double-double in the win over CSU Bakersfield with a game-high 13 rebounds.

New Faces, New Roles
South Dakota State's lineup will feature new roles and new faces throughout the season, as the Jackrabbits return only 16.9 percent of their scoring from 2018-19, and 10.7 percent of their 3-point makes. SDSU's 15.8 points per game returning ranks sixth-lowest nationally, and the 16.9 percent back is the third-lowest margin (according to available records).

#FearFrost

The Jacks own a 108-6 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. That span includes two home winning streaks of 30 or more games and three of 25 or more.
The Jackrabbits' current home winning streak of 13 games is tied for sixth longest in NCAA Division I.
Since 2011-12, South Dakota State has won 94.7 percent of its home games, a mark that top all Division I programs in that span. 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.
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.
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).

Quick Hits

The Jackrabbits held Mississippi Valley State to 17 first-half points on Nov. 24, 2019. That is the fewest since South Dakota State held Chadron State to 12 first-half points on Nov. 24, 2014.
SDSU's 93-91 victory over CSU Bakersfield saw five Jackrabbits reach double figures for the first time in 2019-20. The feat last happened Jan. 31, 2019 against Oral Roberts.
State posted back-to-back 50-rebound games to open the season. The last time an SDSU program had 50-plus rebounds in consecutive games was Dec. 15 and 27, 2002 against Finlandia (60) and Fort Lewis (58). The Jacks also had three-straight games with 50-plus rebounds that season: Nov. 23, 29 and 30.
Douglas Wilson's 24 points on Nov. 5 are the most in a Jackrabbit debut dating back to 2000-01, when game-by-game statistics were readily available.
South Dakota State has not lost three consecutive games since January 2017.
SDSU went 13-0 when holding opponents under 70 points last season (11-9 when not) and scored 70-plus points in 32 of 33 contests. The Jackrabbits were 12-0 when holding opponents under 70 points in 2017-18. The Jacks have accomplished the feat three times this year.
At least one Jackrabbit has scored in double figures over the last 383 games dating back to Jan. 12, 2008 at IUPUI when Anthony Cordova had nine points to lead the Jacks.
State has made at least one 3-pointer in 413 consecutive games. The last time the Jackrabbits did not make a 3-point field goal was Jan. 25, 2007
SDSU is 94-18 all-time in home openers (where records available). Dating back to 2004-05, SDSU's first year of DI transition, SDSU is 12-4 in those games.
SDSU is 75-39 in season-openers all-time. The Jacks are 8-8 in season-opening games at the Division I level.

State Adds Two on National Signing Day
South Dakota State men's basketball announced a pair of signees on National Signing Day, with William Mfum and Noah King set to join the Jackrabbits in fall 2020.

William Mfum enters his senior campaign at Spring Creek Academy (Plano, Texas) on a high note, earning All-Texas Christian Athletic League and All-City First Team honors as a junior. Mfum averaged 19.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game in 2018-19, burying 34 3-pointers and hitting 47 percent from the field. The 6-2 guard scored 20 or more points in nine games a year ago and had one double-double. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Mfum is the son of Stella Nyarko and Seth Adjei and plans to major in business management.

Noah King averaged 19 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.0 steals per game as a junior, helping his team reach the section 1AA semifinals. The 6-2 guard has scored over 1,900 points in his prep career and is closing in on the school's all-time scoring record. King also led Caledonia's football team to a state championship in 2018 and will compete in the 2019 Class 2A Minnesota State Football Semifinals next week. The younger brother of current Jackrabbit Owen King, Noah hails from Caledonia, Minnesota and is the son of Brad and Susan King. He is undecided on his major.

Jackrabbits in Two Scheduling Agreements
Summit League teams are in year two of scheduling agreements with the Western Athletic Conference and Big Sky.

The Jackrabbits took on Grand Canyon last year in the first year of the Summit League/WAC challenge, defeating the Lopes in the 2018-19 season opener. Year two of the challenge sent SDSU to face CSU Bakersfield Nov. 9, where the Jacks claimed a 93-91 double-overtime win.

The scheduling agreement with the Big Sky is a four-year contract. The Jackrabbits will play the following games as part of the deal:

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 Picked Fifth in Preseason Poll
South Dakota State men's basketball earned two first-place votes and was tabbed fifth in the 2019-20 Summit League men's basketball preseason poll, released in October.

The poll is voted on by league coaches, sports information directors and select media.

Tough Tests
South Dakota State has four Power Five (ACC, SEC, Big 12, Big Ten, PAC-12) opponents on the 2019-20 schedule, facing USC, Nebraska, Arizona and Indiana this season.

South Dakota State has seven wins over Power Five programs since joining The Summit League in 2007, picking up victories 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.

Jackrabbits' Last Time Out
Douglas Wilson tallied his third double-double of the season, Noah Freidel buried five 3-pointers on his way to a 20-point performance and the South Dakota State men's basketball team fought off a pesky Samford Bulldogs squad at home for an 86-77 win Wednesday night.

A single-digit game from start-to-finish, fans at Frost Arena witnessed nine lead changes and nine ties throughout the contest as the Jackrabbits improved to 6-3.

Wilson finished with 30 points and 10 rebounds, going 10-of-12 from the line. Freidel was 7-of-12 from the field, adding seven rebounds and a pair of steals.

Alex Arians reached double figures as well in a 12-point performance, hitting all four of his charity stripe attempts with a pair of 3-pointers.

Brandon Key's six assists came alongside six points, while Matt Dentlinger dished four assists out of the post alongside eight points and eight rebounds.

State led by as many as seven (19-12) in the opening 10 minutes of action, but the Bulldogs rallied to take a 24-21 edge thanks to nine unanswered before the six-minute mark. The Jackrabbits broke out of the slump with a Freidel 3-pointer at 5:47, then used two more treys from the Tea native to go back in front, 34-29 after an 8-0 burst.

That advantage held the rest of the half as the Jacks took a 43-38 lead into the locker room, but the Bulldogs drew even in the first minute of second-half action. Back-and-forth action ensued from there, as Samford flipped the advantage to take control near the midway point of the half.

Down 70-69 after free throws followed the under-eight media break, Freidel buried his fifth 3-pointer of the night to spark the Jackrabbits on a 7-0 run to gain separation down the stretch.
Samford crawled back within two (79-77) with 1:38 to go, but SDSU sealed the win as Wilson scored the final seven points of the game. That capped a stretch that saw the junior transfer pour in the last nine points for SDSU and 11 of the Jackrabbits' 14 final points before the buzzer.

Opponent Last Time Out
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana's dominant November remains, well, dominant.

To a point.

Ditto for Trayce Jackson-Davis.

To a bigger point.

Louisiana Tech took its best shot Monday night as part of the Indiana Challenge at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, but couldn't stop what has become Cream 'n Crimson basketball inevitability.

The Hoosiers delivered a first-half to remember, a second half to fix and won 88-75 to push its record to 6-0, it's best start since opening 9-0 in the 2012-13 season. Jackson-Davis, the 6-9 freshman with an ever-growing upside, boosted his double-double total to three with 21 points and 11 rebounds.

And yet, it could have been so much more.

"We got off to a good start," coach Archie Miller said. "Our guards attacked in transition. They made the game easy. We built a comfortable lead.

"Then it got sloppy."

That was highlighted by 13 second-half turnovers. IU shot 32.0 percent in the second half after going 61.3 percent in the first.

"The second half was embarrassing with how we took care of the ball," Miller said. "We turned it over coming out of halftime. The types of turnovers weren't very good. It hurt us all half. We weren't able to play the right way. It became a dribble fest, a turnover fest."

For this, guard Aljami Durham said, blame him.

"We were facing a good team. We wanted to make a statement, play hard and set the tone. We did that at the start, but we've got to keep that tone the whole game."

As far as the second-half struggles, Durham said, "I take responsibility for that. I have to make sure we don't get in that situation. We can't have a half like that again."

It helped to have Jackson-Davis, who remains a free-throw-shooting beast (11-for-13) and inside catalyst.

"It's his work ethic, his willingness to do the little things," Durham said. "He's going to be a big part of what we do. You see what's going on."

Added Jackson-Davis: "It's a will. You have to want to get the ball. It's timing where the ball is going. Offensively, my teammates are feeding me. I'm letting the game come to me."
Durham contributed 18 points, four rebounds and four assists, but the five turnovers were a problem.

Fellow guard Devonte Green had 16 points and four turnovers. That, too, was a problem.

"Devonte has to grab the reigns of the team," Miller said. "Al has to grab the reigns of the team. We need those guys to say, 'Let's get a stop, get a shot, calm it down.' We can't have that ineptness out there.

"We need leadership, command of the game. That basketball savvy coach on the floor you have to have. We lost it. They have to settle us down, get a quality shot. We weren't able to do that. That was disappointing."

Still …

"When the ball sticks and is dribbled," Miller said, "that's a nightmare for this team. The team that moves and runs hard and plays freely, that team has a chance to be pretty good."

It will be better with guard Rob Phinisee, who was sidelined by a variety if injuries. Miller said he hoped the sophomore guard will be back in a couple of days.

"You can see a stabilizing force is needed at times on both ends of the floor. That's what (Phinisee) is. We've got to get him back."

Remember the slow starts that plagued IU through its first five games? That was as relevant for the first 15 minutes Monday night as the Pony Express.

The Hoosiers attacked a team known for its attack style, and Louisiana Tech blinked until it hurt, falling behind by as many as 23 points.

Then it faded away.

"I won't get bent out of shape," Miller said. "It was a good win."

Louisiana Tech (4-2) was the highest ranked of IU's opponents so far this season. The veteran Bulldogs – starting three seniors and two juniors -- thrived on pressure defense. They had held four of their previous five opponents to 61 points or less. They ranked 20th nationally in scoring defense, allowing 57.4 points, and 17th in defensive field goal percentage (34.9 percent).

They also had a plus-8.2 turnover margin, forcing 18.6 turnovers and scoring 21.4 points off of them.

This was among the reasons why Louisiana Tech had won at least 20 games in three of coach Eric Konkol's first four seasons.

But that hadn't come against the likes of an IU team clicking for a while as it hadn't at perhaps any time under Miller.

The Hoosiers were bigger, stronger and faster at basically every position, and took full early advantage.

With Durham scoring eight points in three minutes, the Hoosiers jumped to a 12-4 lead. Louisiana Tech had no assists and four turnovers.

The offense kept rolling. After nine minutes, IU was shooting 71 percent from the field, was 4-for-6 from three-point range and 5-for-5 from the line. The result was a 29-16 lead.
Green took over the scoring burden as the lead swelled to as many as 23 points with 7:29 left before Louisiana Tech began finding its shooting range. It closed within 14 before the Hoosiers settled for a 52-36 halftime lead.

Ten Hoosiers played in the first 20 minutes and nine scored, led by Green (15 points) and Durham (12).

IU opened the second half with two turnovers, only scored two points in the first three minutes and still extended its lead.

That didn't last as the Hoosier offense continued to stall. Louisiana Tech crept within 13 points, then 11, then 10, then, with under a minute left, nine.

The comeback fizzled. IU's unbeaten season continued.

"We're very fortunate," Miller said. "Hopefully it was one of those deals you've got to be able to get through. It definitely was a hard game to watch in the second half."

-GoJacks.com-