Men host Western Illinois on Senior Day

Saturday, March 2

Brookings, S.D.

4:15 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Western Illinois

Tickets

Photo by: GoJacks.com

3/1/2019 7:49:00 AM | Men's Basketball

GAME 31: South Dakota State (23-7, 13-2) vs. Western Illinois (9-19, 4-11)

When	Saturday, March 2 \| 4:15 p.m.
Where	Frost Arena \| Brookings, S.D.
Radio	Jackrabbit Sports Network I WNAX 570 AM \| Tyler Merriam
Live Video	Jackrabbits All-Access \| Tyler Merriam
Live Audio	Jackrabbits All-Access
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| Western Illinois \| The Summit League
Social Media	Twitter I Facebook \| #NextStep
Tickets	JackrabbitTickets.com

Previewing the Game
South Dakota State and Western Illinois face off Saturday afternoon in the 2018-19 regular season finale from Frost Arena. Tipoff from Brookings is set for 4:15 p.m. following the women's contest, which begins at 2 p.m.

The men's game is sponsored by Farm Credit Services of America.

SDSU's three seniors, Mike Daum, Skyler Flatten and Tevin King, will be honored postgame.

The Jackrabbits, picked first in the league's preseason poll, picked up a 94-89 comeback victory over South Dakota last weekend, and have clinched at least the No. 2 seed in next week's Summit League Tournament. A win today would give State (23-7, 13-2 Summit League) at least a share of the 2018-19 regular season title.

Western Illinois (9-19, 4-11 Summit League) enters the final weekend eighth in the league standings, one game ahead of Denver for the final spot. The Leathernecks dropped a 74-46 contest at Denver on Thursday night, however, after defeating Oral Roberts in WIU's home finale last weekend, 75-66.

This is the 30th meeting between the programs, with South Dakota State holding a 25-4 edge in the series. The Jackrabbits defeated Western Illinois in Macomb, Illinois in December, 100-58.

David Jenkins led all scorers with 23 points, hitting 5-of-8 from deep while netting all of his points in the first half. Mike Daum finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds for his NCAA-best 12th double-double of the season, while Skyler Flatten scored 13 and Alex Arians recorded 12 points.

Tevin King and Owen King each finished with 10 in the scoring column, as the latter King led the Jacks with five assists.

Alou Dillon just missed double-digits in his first start as a Jackrabbit, finishing with a career-high nine points, going 4-of-4 from the field alongside three rebounds.

Western Illinois was led by three in double figures: Zion Young (16 points), Kobe Webster (14) and Brandon Gilbeck (12).

A Look Ahead; Summit League Projections
Entering the final day of Summit League men's basketball action, seeds are still on the line, but the picture has become clearer after Thursday night's games:

South Dakota State earns the No. 1 seed with a win or an Omaha loss on Saturday. The Jackrabbits are locked in to a top two seed.
Omaha is the No. 1 seed with a win at Denver and an SDSU loss. The Mavericks are locked in to a top two seed.
Purdue Fort Wayne (No. 3 seed), North Dakota State (No. 4 seed) and Oral Roberts (No. 5 seed) have all locked in their seeds.
North Dakota and South Dakota face off Saturday in Vermillion, with the winner earning the No. 6 seed. The loser of that game will hold the No. 7 slot.
Western Illinois will be the No. 8 seed with a win or a Denver loss, though the Pioneers could snag the last spot if the Leathernecks fall in Brookings and Denver tops Omaha at home.

About South Dakota State
All-American Mike Daum paces the Jackrabbit offense with a double-double average of 25.8 points and 11.8 rebounds per game, shooting 51 percent from the field with 60 3-pointers. He is one of two players nationally averaging over 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. As well, Daum has dished 53 assists on the year and is playing 33.0 minutes per contest.

The two-time Summit League Player of the Year now has 3,006 career points is just the 10th player in NCAA Division I history to score 3,000 points. Daum is coming off a monster week where he averaged 31.5 points and 16 rebounds over two games, including a 38-point, 20-rebound double-double against Purdue Fort Wayne, where he became the third Division I player with multiple 30-20 games in the last 20 years (according to ESPN Stats and Info).

He has scored 40 or more in two games this season, has reached the 30-point mark in 10 contests and now has 51 career double-doubles. Daum has pulled down 15 or more rebounds in eight games, including a run from January 16-26 as he became the first player in over 20 years to have 30-plus points and 15-plus rebounds in three straight games.

David Jenkins is second in scoring for the Jacks, dropping 19.6 points on average with 14 20-plus scoring performances, including a career-best 35 against Memphis when he hit 8 of 11 from beyond the arc. The Tacoma, Washington native reset the school's single-season 3-point record last week and now has 98 treys on the year. He has hit eight or more 3-pointers in a game three times, including a 10-trey showing Feb. 14 against Omaha that tied the school's single-game 3-point record. He is shooting 46.2 percent on the year with a 46.8 percent mark beyond the arc.

Skyler Flatten rounds out the top scorers for South Dakota State with 15.3 points per game, as the sixth-year senior has hit 76 3-pointers, tallied 39 steals, dished 65 assists and reached double figures in 26 contests this season. He has five 20-plus scoring performances, hitting 28 against UTSA, 29 against Savannah State, 20 versus Nevada, Eastern Washington and South Dakota, and 36 at Denver. In that contest with the Pioneers, Flatten buried eight 3-pointers and went 14-of-18 overall from the field.

Tevin King leads the team with 131 assists and is averaging 9.2 points per game. He is a 53 percent shooter from the field and has 51 steals to go with a 5.8 rebounding average. Tevin King has reached double figures in 16 games this year, and on Jan. 12 against ORU reset the school's Division I record (and tied the overall program record) with eight steals. He also reset his career high in scoring on Feb. 23 against South Dakota, when he buried 10 field goals on his way to a 22-point showing.

Alex Arians has started 21 games for the Jacks and is averaging 6.2 points per game with two double-doubles, including a 19-point, 10-rebound and five-assist showing against South Dakota. He is posting 4.7 rebounds per game and has 25 steals in 28.5 minutes per game.

Owen King is second on the Jacks with 71 assists, dishing 2.4 per game to go with 4.3 scoring and 1.6 rebounding averages. He has tallied three or more assists in 13 contests.

Matt Dentlinger (2.9 points and rebounds per game), Ryan Krueger (2.2 ppg, 11 3-pointers) and Alou Dillon (1.9 ppg, 1.3 rpg) have provided valuable minutes as well.

The Jackrabbits are the league's top offense in terms of points per game, scoring 85.1 per contest while shooting an impressive 50.5 percent as a team from the field. SDSU is 300-of-727 from beyond the arc and has hit 452-of-582 (77.7 percent) at the charity stripe. All told, the Jacks have nine players (out of 10 active on the roster) shooting better than 46 percent from the field with three hitting 40 percent-plus from deep.

On the boards, the Jacks hold a plus-4.8 edge in rebound margin and are pulling down 38.2 per game as a team.

About Western Illinois
Head Coach Billy Wright is in his fifth season leading Western Illinois and holds a 47-92 mark on the bench.

Western Illinois is averaging 70.7 points per game and shooting 43.6 percent combined. The Leathernecks have held opponents to 72.6 points on average and hold a 43.8 field goal percentage defensive mark.

WIU is minus-1.7 in rebounding margin at 35.7 board per contest, while ranking in the top 60 nationally in blocks per game (4.4). The 'Necks have buried 216 3-pointers on the season and are 74.2 percent at the line, hitting 10.5 free throws per game.

Individually, Western Illinois is led by three double-figure scorers: Kobe Webster (16.7 points per game), C.J. Duff (11.3 ppg) and Isaac Johnson (11.0 ppg). Webster and Duff both shoot 42 percent from the field, as Webster has hit 66 3-pointers and Duff is second on the team with 55 treys. Johnson is 40.7 percent on his field goals and sits second among Leathernecks with 5.3 rebounds per game.

Brandon Gilbeck leads the team with 8.3 rebounds per contest and 100 total blocks (first nationally), swatting 3.5 per contest to go with a scoring average of 9.3 a night.

A South Dakota State Win Would ...
Give SDSU its 24th win of the season ... lock up the No. 1 seed in next week's Summit League Tournament and give State its second-consecutive outright regular season conference title ... move the Jacks to 26-4 all-time against Western Illinois and give SDSU the 2018-19 series' sweep ... make Otzelberger 70-31 at South Dakota State ... give the Jacks a 1,535-1,038-1 program mark.

A South Dakota State Loss Would ...
Hand State its eighth loss of the year and split the season series with WIU ... give State a share of the regular season title ... move SDSU to 25-5 all-time against the Leathernecks ... make Otzelberger 69-32 at South Dakota State ... drop SDSU to 1,534-1,039-1 all-time.

Daum Joins 3,000-Point Club
South Dakota State's Mike Daum joined the illustrious 3,000-point club on Feb. 23, becoming the 10th player in NCAA history to reach 3,000 points. Daum is currently 19th on the NCAA's all-time scoring chart with 3,006 points, and is less than 150 away from the top five.

Daum entered Feb. 23's game needing just 19 points to reach 3,000 points, and the historic bucket came with 1:02 to play, putting State ahead for good in a comeback win.

He is second among active scorers and has been in a back-and-forth race with Campbell's Chris Clemons (3,074 points). A look at Daum's latest scoring chart listing can be found on page five of the game notes.

A Feat Unlike Any Other
Mike Daum's ascension into the ranks of NCAA's all-time scoring greats have come alongside numerous accomplishments, career records and once-in-a-lifetime achievements.
Daum sits as the only known player to actively hold an NCAA Division I program's career record for points, rebounds and 3-pointers.

Additionally, through surveying Division I Sports Information Directors, it is believed Daum is the only individual to actively hold a program's record for field goals, free throws and 3-pointers at the same time.

Daum Named USBWA National Player of the Week
South Dakota State's Mike Daum added another accolade to his collection Feb. 26, as the U.S. Basketball Writers Association selected Daum as its Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week.

As the Summit League's Player of the Week, Daum was nominated for the weekly award, which was chosen by a representative of the USBWA board of directors from a list of Division I conference players of the week. This is the eighth season that the USBWA has selected a national player of the week.

Daum became the 10th member of the NCAA's 3,000-point club over the weekend, passing Alfredrick Hughes, Danny Manning and the USBWA's weekly award namesake, Robertson, in the process.

The Kimball, Nebraska native posted a 38-point, 20-rebound double-double in SDSU's win against Purdue Fort Wayne Thursday, followed by a 25-point showing against South Dakota Saturday.

Daum also earned the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week honor in 2017 following a 51-point, 17-rebound game the week of Feb. 21.

Senior Salute
Mike Daum, Skyler Flatten and Tevin King have gone 95-38 over the past four seasons and are three wins away from becoming the winningest senior class in South Dakota State's history.

Daum Sets All-Time Scoring and Rebounding Marks
Mike Daum has become the new leader in career points and rebounds at South Dakota State during his senior season.

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.

The Kimball, Nebraska native broke Mark Tetzlaff's rebounding record on Feb. 3 at Denver, using a putback layup to move past Tetzlaff (1,132 rebounds).

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) at the time after beginning the season eighth in Summit League points.

Additionally, the senior became the Summit League's rebounding king on Feb. 21 with 1,197 career boards, passing Caleb Green's career record of 1,189 boards.

Daum Part of Historic Duo
Jackrabbit basketball student-athletes Mike Daum and Macy Miller both rank as their respective programs' all-time leading scorers, and as of Feb. 24 have done something no other same-school, male/female combination has done in the history of NCAA Division I: score more than 5,200 points between the two. Overall, the duo is part of a select group to combine for over 5,000 points at the same school in the same time frame, joining three other known pairs to achieve the mark.

Young Guns
South Dakota State is one of six teams nationally with more than 50 percent of its roster made up of freshmen (true and redshirt). The Jackrabbits have three true and four redshirt freshmen, accounting for 58.3 percent of their active roster, the second-highest percentage nationally.

All four redshirts have seen playing time, led by Alex Arians, who has worked his way into the starting lineup and is logging 28.5 minutes per contest. Owen King, the lone true freshman to see time, has appeared in all 30 contests and is averaging 2.4 assists over 17.5 minutes per game.

Jenkins Joins 1,000-Point Club
David Jenkins became the 48th member of South Dakota State's 1,000-point club on Jan. 26, reaching the mark in 57 career games (tied for third-fewest games in SDSU's history). Jenkins entered a Saturday matchup with Omaha needing 19 points to join the club, and buried a 3-pointer with 2:33 left in the game to give him an even 1,000 points for his career.

He is now 28th on SDSU's all-time scoring list after 64 career games with 1,134 points. A look at SDSU's all-time scoring chart is on page 13 of the game notes.

Daum Picks Up Summit League Honors
South Dakota State's Mike Daum has been named the Summit League's Player of the Week 19 times in his career and eight 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. He also broke his own record (shared with Nate Wolters) for single-season weekly awards.

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.
Jan. 21 -- In SDSU's lone contest for the week, Daum put together a monster 34-point, 21-rebound showing to help the Jackrabbits defeat the North Dakota Fighting Hawks last Thursday. Daum set a new career-high in rebounds and notched his 12th double-double of the season. The Kimball, Nebraska native recorded the fourth 30-20 game in NCAA Division I this season and had SDSU's first-ever 20-plus rebounding total in its Division I history.
Jan. 28 -- The Kimball, Nebraska native averaged a monster double-double of 31.5 points and 16.5 rebounds over two games last week, helping the Jackrabbits go 2-0 and gain sole possession of first place in the league standings. Daum had 30 points and 17 rebounds against North Dakota State and followed with a 33-point, 16-board performance against Omaha.
Feb. 25 -- Daum joined the NCAA's 3,000-point club with an average of 31.5 points and 16 rebounds per contest. He opened the week with a monster 38-point, 20-rebound double-double in the Jackrabbits' victory over Purdue Fort Wayne Thursday, becoming just the third player in the last 20 years to have multiple 30-20 games in a season. Daum followed that with a 25-point showing against in-state rival South Dakota, helping the Jackrabbits in a 94-89 victory. Daum buried nine of 10 free throws in the game and added seven rebounds.

Senior Trio Leads Nation
South Dakota State seniors Mike Daum, Skyler Flatten and Tevin King have combined for 4,801 total points in their time as Jackrabbits, which currently leads the nation among highest-scoring senior trios. In terms of active scoring trios that includes all classes, the Jackrabbits' group of Mike Daum, David Jenkins and Skyler Flatten paces the nation as well in career points (5,076).

Three-Tiered Attack
South Dakota State's top three scorers rank first nationally in combined scoring average entering the weekend.

The Jackrabbits are one of two schools nationally to feature three scorers in the top 300 for scoring average, as Mike Daum, David Jenkins and Skyler Flatten have accounted for more than 60 points per game for SDSU. Additionally, Daum (3,006), Jenkins (1,134) and Flatten (936) have combined for more career points (5,076) than any other group in NCAA Division I this year.

Jenkins Honored by Summit League
Fresh off one of the more memorable buzzer-beaters in Jackrabbit basketball history, South Dakota State's David Jenkins was announced Feb. 18 as the Summit League's Co-Player of the Week.

Jenkins, who averaged 29 points over two games, also set the school's single-season 3-point record and tied SDSU's top mark for 3-pointers in a single game during the Jacks' final road trip of the year.
The Tacoma, Washington native finished with 34 points against Omaha, going 10-of-15 from beyond the arc to match teammate Mike Daum's single-game record. He capped the week by scoring 24 against North Dakota State and dishing a career-high six assists. Additionally, Jenkins buried all nine of his attempts at the free throw line against the Bison, and with time running out on the road sank a half-court, game-winning shot off the glass to complete a 17-point Jackrabbit comeback.

This is Jenkins' first weekly honor for the 2018-19 season and second of his career. He shared the honors this week with Omaha's Zach Jackson.

Dynamic Duo
South Dakota State's Mike Daum and David Jenkins sit fourth and 55th nationally in scoring average entering the week, averaging 45.4 points per game combined. SDSU is one of three schools in NCAA Division I to feature three players in the top 55 in scoring average. The Jackrabbit duo's per game average is the nation's highest through Feb. 27, sitting 0.5 points per game ahead of Duke's R.J. Barrett and Zion Williamson.

Daum a Finalist for Senior CLASS Award
South Dakota State's Mike Daum was among 20 NCAA® men's and women's basketball student-athletes selected as finalists Wednesday for the 2018-19 Senior CLASS Award® in collegiate basketball. To be eligible for the award, student-athletes must be classified as NCAA Division I seniors and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their athletic platforms to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

The finalists were chosen by national media from the list of 30 men's candidates and 30 women's candidates announced earlier in the season. Nationwide fan voting begins immediately to help select the winner, and fans are encouraged to submit votes online at the Senior CLASS Award website through March 25. Fan votes will be combined with those of the media and Division I head coaches to determine the winners. The Senior CLASS Award recipients will be announced during the 2019 NCAA Men's Final Four® and NCAA Women's Final Four®.

Additional information can be found at www.seniorCLASSaward.com.

Tacoma Talent
Tacoma, Washington native David Jenkins has made a statement throughout the 2018-19 season to erase any doubt of a sophomore slump, posting four 30-plus scoring performances and hitting the 20-point mark in 15 games. He has reset his career-high in scoring twice this year, tallying 32 against Colorado State and 35 at Memphis. Jenkins now has 1,134 points in 64 career games with 27 double-figure scoring performances on the season.

He tied the school's single-game record for 3-pointers against Omaha (Feb. 14), burying 10 from beyond the arc. Following that performance, Jenkins reset the program's single-season 3-point mark against North Dakota State (Feb. 16). He now has 104 treys this year and sits at No. 10 on the Summit League's single-season 3-point record list.

The Sunrise Christian Academy product has reached double figures in 55 career games (out of 64 available, missing one game due to injury this season).

Jenkins finished the 2017-18 season as the eighth-highest scoring freshman nationally, and this year sits sixth among sophomores for point. For his career, Jenkins is third among active sophomores, trailing only RJ Cole (1,394 career points) and Ja Morant (1,165).

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).

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.

Fellow Tacoma native Isaiah Thomas, currently with the Denver Nuggets, had 1,045 points and 54 double-digit scoring performances through 64 career games at Washington.

#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 a 102-6 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 10-1 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 94.4 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. This season, the team currently sits in the nation's top 50 in all makes and percentage while ranking first in the Summit League in makes (452) and attempts (582), and second in percentage (.777).

South Dakota State got to the free throw line more than its opponents in 27 of 35 games last year and has done it 20 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 776 of 916 in his career.
Daum moved into first in career makes on Dec. 7 against Southern, passing Nate Wolters' record of 648. He is also first in career attempts.

Somebody's Watching Me
South Dakota State's Mike Daum had been named to numerous watch lists through his senior season, while David Jenkins earned his first watch list nod in early January.

Daum was named among 30 players on the 2019 Citizen Naismith Trophy Player of the Year midseason watch list, announced Feb. 13 by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. On March 4, 2019, the list will narrow even further to 10 national semifinalists. The four finalists will be announced on March 19, 2019, and fans will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite player leading up to the final announcement. The 2019 Citizen Naismith Trophy will be awarded at the Naismith Awards Brunch presented by Mortenson on April 7, 2019, during the Final Four in Minneapolis. Only players on the midseason team are eligible to advance to the next round.
The John R. Wooden®,presented by Wendy's® announced its Late Season Top 20 Feb. 4 and featured Daum on the list. Chosen by a poll of national college basketball experts, the list has been narrowed throughout the year from 50 in the preseason, to 25 mid-season, and now the 20-member list of late-season front-runners for college basketball's most prestigious individual honor. Daum has been on both pre- and mid-season lists this season and was a pre- and mid-season contender in 2017-18.
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Jackrabbit senior Mike Daum as one of the top 10 candidates for the 2019 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award Thursday. Named after Hall of Famer and two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Karl Malone, the annual honor in its fifth year recognizes the top power forwards in Division I men's college basketball. Daum, who was among the preseason favorites, was one of five finalists for the 2018 Karl Malone Award and is a repeat selection to the midseason (top 10) watch list.
Daum was named to the 2018-19 Lute Olson Award Midseason and Preseason Lists, announced Jan. 8 and Nov. 12, respectively. 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.
Daum and Jenkins were both featured on the Lou Henson Award Midseason Watch List. The Lou Henson Award is presented annually to the nation's top mid-major player in Division I College Basketball at the College Insider awards event in April. Daum was on the preseason list as well.
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 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.

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. The Jackrabbits are in the top 10 nationally in 3-pointer makes (300) and percentage (.413) while sitting in the top 50 in attempts (727).

David Jenkins enters the weekend fourth nationally in 3-pointers made this season. He also ranks as the seventh-most accurate 3-point shooter at 46.8 percent. Teammate Skyler Flatten is 19th nationally in 3-point field goal percentage (43.9 percent).
Jenkins broke the program's single-season 3-point record on Feb. 16 at North Dakota State. He has now buried 104 from deep in 2018-19, breaking Mike Daum's previous record of 96 (set in 2017-18). He is tied for 10th on the Summit League's single-season record list alongside North daktoa State's Lawrence Alexander.
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). The Jackrabbits have hit 300 3-pointers so far this season, the third-highest total in program history.
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).
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 18 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 50 times since then, hitting 10 or more in 21 games last year and 17 times in 2018-19.
Under Otzelberger, the Jackrabbits have attempted 30 or more 3-pointers in a game 20 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.
Mike Daum became the school's all-time 3-point leader on Feb. 14 at Omaha when he hit his 257th career trey, passing current graduate assistant Reed Tellinghuisen for the top mark. He now has 264 3s as a Jackrabbit.
In addition to Daum's ranking, two other Jackrabbits are in the top 10 for career 3-point makes: David Jenkins (9th; 188) and Skyler Flatten (10th; 175). Those same three rank throughout the top five in single-game 3-pointers, with Jenkins (three times) and Flatten joining the rankings this season.
Jenkins' 10 3-pointers against Omaha tied Daum's single-game record set in 2017-18 against Fort Wayne.

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)

Quick Hits

All five starters reached double figures in scoring against Oral Roberts, marking the first time the Jackrabbits accomplished the feat in 2018-19. SDSU had six players in double figures against Western Illinois earlier in January.
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 nine times this season, including a plus-25 showing Dec. 11 against Savannah State.
Skyler Flatten has reset his career high three times this season performances of 28 (UTSA), 29 (Savannah State) and 36 (Denver). He became the first player in SDSU's Division I history to go 6-for-6 from beyond the arc Nov. 20 against UTSA in a 10-of-11 overall shooting effort, and against Denver buried eight 3-pointers and finished 14-of-18 from the field.
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 12-0 when holding opponents under 70 this season (11-7 when not) and have scored 70 or more points in 29 of 30 contests.
Since T.J. Otzelberger's arrival three years ago, the Jackrabbits are 54-5 when winning the rebounding battle and 15-26 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 372 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 78 games with at least one 1,000-point scorer on the court.
State has made at least one 3-pointer in 402 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 7-5 in Summit League openers.

Jacks Back in Top 10 of Mid-Major Poll
One week after slipping to No. 15 in the College Sports Madness Mid-Major Top 25, the Jackrabbits rose six spots to No. 9 in the latest poll, released Feb. 25.

South Dakota State has been ranked in the top 15 for the last six weeks, and has been included in the top 25 of every version of the 2018-19 poll. The Jackrabbits were as high as No. 3 in November.

2018-19 opponents Montana (No. 14), Omaha (RV-8) and Grand Canyon (RV-3) are also in the poll.

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)

Basketball Coaches Show Every Monday
The Jackrabbit Basketball Coaches Show returns to Cubby's Sports Bar and Grill in downtown Brookings for another season. The hour-long show covering the Jackrabbits' 2018-19 season tips off every Monday at 6 p.m. through March 4.

Hosted by Tyler Merriam, the weekly look at the South Dakota State basketball teams features interviews with head men's coach T.J. Otzelberger and head women's coach Aaron Johnston, as well as segments with Jackrabbit student-athletes and members of the coaching staff.

Fans can attend in person and will be eligible for weekly drawings. The show also airs live on flagship radio station WNAX 570 AM and Jackrabbit Sports Network affiliates and can be heard live or on-demand for free via Jackrabbits All-Access.

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 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.

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.

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.

Daum stacks up well against previous Oscar Robertson Trophy and John R. Wooden Award winners over the last 25 years, reaching the 2,000-point mark faster than any previous winner. Daum was named to the 2018-19 Wooden Preseason and Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List earlier this season.

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.

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.

SDSU Last Time Out (Feb. 23)
A season-high crowd of 4,614 fans were treated to a historic performance Saturday afternoon at Frost Arena, as Mike Daum surpassed 3,000 career points and the South Dakota State men's basketball team stormed back from a double-digit halftime deficit to knock off in-state rival South Dakota, 94-89.

Needing just 19 points to join the illustrious club, Daum reached the 3,000 mark with a bucket late in the second half, completing a Jackrabbit comeback that was sparked by gutsy performances from fellow seniors Tevin King and Skyler Flatten.

King tallied a career-best 22 points, hitting 10-of-15 from the field with four assists and four steals. Flatten buried four 3-pointers and scored 18 points, and Daum finished with 25 points for the Jackrabbits. He was 9-of-10 at the charity stripe and added seven rebounds.

David Jenkins was 7-of-9 at the free throw line and had 11 points.

South Dakota's Cody Kelley scored 21 points as the Coyotes had five in double figures.

SDSU, now 23-7 overall with a 13-2 mark in Summit League action, shot 56.1 percent on the day with a 23-of-27 effort at the free throw line.

The Jackrabbits saw USD shoot a red-hot 64.5 percent in the opening period, but limited the Coyotes to a 3-of-13 performance from beyond the arc in the second half to fuel the comeback.

"That was a tremendous college basketball game," head coach T.J. Otzelberger said. "We're thankful and grateful for our fans for the awesome environment and atmosphere. I'm proud of our guys for their resiliency. They've been in spots like that before, and they're winners and competitors. We were fortunate to come out with a win today."

Back-and-forth early, the game saw 10 lead changes in the opening 10 minutes and sat even at 26 after a Tevin King dunk forced a USD timeout at 9:57. The Coyotes built a double-digit lead (41-28) over the next four minutes, though, as the Jackrabbits worked through a shooting slump.

USD pushed its lead to as high as 16 in the before half, but a quick 7-2 rally for the Jacks to end the opening frame sent the Jacks to the locker room down 11 (55-44) after a buzzer-beating 3 from Flatten.

The Jackrabbits carried the momentum from Flatten's trey into the second period and stormed out of the break, drawing even with the Coyotes (63-63) with 13:37 to play behind a 12-2 rally. King scored 10 points during the stretch.

South Dakota answered with a brief 7-0 run of its own, but the Jackrabbit attack preserved and soon had it tied once more at 72.

The teams returned to trading buckets the rest of the way, with Daum's historic bucket putting State in front for good, 86-85, with 1:02 to play. The Jackrabbits held off the Coyotes with a clinical effort from the charity stripe inside the final minute, sinking all 10 free throw attempts to seal the victory.

Opponent Last Time Out (Feb. 28)
DENVER, Colo.- The Western Illinois (9-19, 4-11) men's basketball team scored its fewest amount of points all season in a 74-46 loss at Denver (8-21, 3-12) on Thursday night (Feb. 28).

"There were some breakdowns defensively that do not show up in stats," head coach Billy Wright said. "We had a great postgame discussion about solution driven behavior and the kids understand what needs to be done. You can never relax in the Summit League no matter what the circumstances are."

The Pioneers got off to an 8-0 start in the first two minutes after a 3-pointer by David Nzekwezi. Western ended the first half on a 7-0 run capped off by a wing triple from Jeremiah Usiosefe as Denver led 34-20 at halftime.

Five minutes into the second half, Young connected on a trey to help the Leathernecks go on a 10-0 run and cut the deficit to just 34-30. From there, the Pioneers went on a convincing 22-2 run over a six-minute stretch to take a 56-32 advantage at the 9:34 mark. Denver cruised as Western Illinois finished 17-for-56 (30.4 percent) from the field.

Young poured in a career-high 21 points while pulling down four rebounds. Brandon Gilbeck swatted one shot to become the fourth player in Summit League history to block at least 100 shots in a single season. Kobe Webster did not score in double figures for just the second time this season with four points and a team-high seven rebounds.

-GoJacks.com-