South Dakota State Jackrabbits
2018-2019 Overall Rank: #68
Conference Rank: #1 Summit
Back on December 15th South Dakota State lost a thrilling double overtime game at Colorado. After that they lost only one more time before entering the 2018 NCAA Tournament. The Jackrabbits absolutely dominated the Summit League and they should do it again thanks to the return of Mike Daum. The 6-9 senior has had an amazing collegiate career and averaged 23.9 points and 10.3 rebounds last season. Daum is not just an interior scorer though and he connected on an impressive 42.5 percent of his 226 attempts from beyond the arc. It will not be easy for Daum to do any better than he did last season, but it seems likely that he is saving his best for last.
2017-18 Record: 28-7, 13-1
2017-18 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: T.J. Otzelberger
Coach Record: 46-24 at South Dakota State, 46-24 overall
Key Departed Players:
Reed Tellinghuisen, Guard/Forward, 12.0 ppg
Ian Theisen, Forward, 4.5 ppg
Lane Severyn, Guard/Forward, 3.1 ppg
Chris Howell, Guard, 4.7 ppg
Key Returning Players:
Mike Daum, Senior, Forward, 23.9 ppg
David Jenkins, Sophomore, Guard, 16.1 ppg
Tevin King, Senior, Guard, 9.1 ppg
Skyler Flatten, Senior, Guard, 6.8 ppg
Brandon Key, Senior, Guard, 6.3 ppg
Key New Players:
Alex Arians, Freshman, Guard
Matt Dentlinger, Freshman, Forward
Alou Dillon, Freshman, Forward
Owen King, Freshman, Guard
Ryan Krueger, Freshman, Forward
Matthew Mims, Freshman, Guard
Michael Carter III, Sophomore, Guard, Transfer from Washington, not eligible
Projection:
Joining Daum as returning starters are fellow seniors Tevin King and Skyler Flatten and sophomore David Jenkins. King is a great all-around player who does everything for this team. On top of his 9.1 points, he averaged 5.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.7 steals last season. Flatten is an amazing shooter and hit 49.1 percent of his three-point attempts. Most of his shots will come from long range, but with efficiency like that, Flatten does not need to do much else. Jenkins emerged as the team’s secondary scorer during his freshman campaign, averaging 16.1 points per game. Jenkins has proven that he can score from anywhere on the floor and he should again provide a great secondary scoring option behind Daum. With Brandon Key likely adding a secondary ball handler off the bench again this season, this team does not lack in backcourt talent. The problem South Dakota State has this season is finding a replacement for Reed Tellinghuisen. He was not a traditional power forward, but at 6-7 he could throw his weight around in the paint and help create space for Daum. Flatten, at 6-6, may have to play that role unless some of the freshmen forwards are ready to play a big role right away. But even if this team is forced to play small, Daum will do more than enough to get this team back to the NCAA Tournament, but they may need another big body to make noise in the NCAA Tournament.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 84.5 (7th in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 74.3 (227, 5)
Field-Goal Percentage: 46.7 (67, 4)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.7 (101, 4)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 10.7 (11, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 40.3 (10, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 76.2 (31, 1)
Rebound Margin: 3.4 (65, 3)
Assists Per Game: 13.3 (192, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 10.1 (11, 1)
