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Summit League Basketball: South Dakota State is going dancing, tournament recap

By Doug Winkey

Mar 8, 2016; Sioux Falls, SD, USA; The South Dakota State Jackrabbits team hold up the trophy after the win over North Dakota State Bison at the Summit Conference tournament at Denny Sanford PREMIER Center. South Dakota State defeated North Dakota State 67-59. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 8, 2016; Sioux Falls, SD, USA; The South Dakota State Jackrabbits team hold up the trophy after the win over North Dakota State Bison at the Summit Conference tournament at Denny Sanford PREMIER Center. South Dakota State defeated North Dakota State 67-59. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Summit League basketball final saw a Dakota Marker rematch.

The Summit League final saw the two teams that have combined for the past four titles square off. The reigning two time champions, the NDSU Bison, fought past the IUPUI Jaguars and upset the IPFW Mastodons, but were unable to hold off South Dakota State, losing 67-59.

Carlin Dupree was the Bison’s best player in the loss, hitting 6-of-13 to score 19 points. He also grabbed four boards and two assists, which almost assuredly drops the North Dakota state to the NIT and ends their dominance over the Summit for at least one year.

South Dakota State made the title as the second seed by edging out Oral Roberts and then staging a fantastic comeback over six-seeded Denver.

Mike Daum shined throughout the tournament, averaging almost 20 points in their three wins. He puts up 19 along with nine boards en route to helping the Jackrabbits go to the Big Dance for the first time since 2013. SDSU will likely get slotted on the 12-13 seed line when Selection Sunday announces the bracket.

Related Story: The Summit League Conference Tournament: preview and predictions

The two teams played back and forth through most of the first half. SDSU took an early lead, but the Bison clawed back into the game partway through the first half. The teams would trade baskets through much of the first before Dupree hit a three to end the half.

The second played out much the same way, with both teams hitting shots. The Jackrabbits would go on a run with about six minutes left to extend the lead to nine. It would stretch to 14 at one point before the final 12-point victory.

With South Dakota State representing the league next week in the Big Dance, here is what stood out from this league tournament.

Best Player: The aforementioned Daum is the clear MVP for the tournament. The freshman put up an average of 19.6 points and 8.3 boards in the team’s three victories and shot 55% for the tournament. The 6’9″ kid from Kimball, NE was near unstoppable and seemed to hit a shot every time an opponent tried to make a serious run.

He’ll be a force in Summit League play for the next several years if this season is an indication.

Best Game: Denver-SDSU. Denver nearly pulled off the shocker of the tournament in the semifinal matchup. Dakota was up eight at halftime, but went over seven minutes without scoring to start the second half.

The Pioneers proceeded to go on an 18-0 nothing run to take a commanding 45-32 lead. SDSU would stage a furious rally to cut the deficit to one point with just over a minute left. Daum tied it and then teammate Jake Bittle would hit a game winning free throw to complete the comeback victory.

Most Surprising: Denver’s upset over Omaha. I had picked Omaha to win this game to make the semifinals in my earlier preview of this tournament. Denver played a great game to knock off the third-seeded Mavs.

Omaha saw four players in double figures, but couldn’t figure out how to stop Denver and an adjusted offense rated outside the top 200. Of all the teams, Omaha might be the biggest disappointment from this tournament.

Final Take: This was a fun tourney to watch. It featured two big upsets (Denver-Omaha and NDSU/IPFW), close games, and star performances from multiple players. Two of the conference’s All-Tournament performers were freshman so the future is bright for several of the schools.

More busting brackets: Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament preview

This is a league that has competed hard the past couple NCAA tournaments, so don’t be surprised if SDSU can take a game or two off unsuspecting opponents in the Big Dance.