Summit League Basketball: Semi-final reactions of the 2018 Conference Tournament

The final match-up of the 2018 Summit League season has been set. Before we unpack that game, here are some closing thoughts on the semi-final games.

It has come down to two teams. After a Monday evening that featured two semi-final contests we have finally ironed out the Summit League tournament finals. Sunday evening saw two unbelievably competitive games with North Dakota State and Denver surviving to play on Monday. Both of the South Dakota teams awaited them in respective tilts. Let’s tie a bow on Monday’s semi-final night before we preview Tuesday’s title game.

Game one saw North Dakota State take on South Dakota State. For the Jackrabbits, it was a chance to regroup after a very poor performance as a team against Western Illinois. The Bison were looking to stay energized after outlasting Fort Wayne the night before. North Dakota State learned that South Dakota State is a far better team than the one they played the night before.

It was all Jackrabbits in the opening 20 minutes of this contest. Thanks to a great defensive performance and some added offensive help from David Jenkins Jr., the Jackrabbits led by 18 at halftime. North Dakota State was limited to only 20 points on 26 percent shooting in the frame. The Bison also turned the ball over seven times which is a testament to how sharp South Dakota State was defensively. I suppose it is worth noting that Mike Daum had 12 points and seven rebounds through 20 minutes.

The second half saw North Dakota State come out with a little more energy than in the first half. They were able to cut the Jackrabbit lead to eight points. However, South Dakota State seemed to have an answer for every Bison run in this game.

Though North Dakota State pushed and pushed to claw their way back into the game, the Jackrabbits were just far too much. In the end, South Dakota State flexed their muscles, winning by a convincing score of 78-57. The Bison finished the game shooting 34 percent from the field, 21 percent from three, and they had 12 total turnovers. Their offense was just too overwhelmed by a stout Jackrabbit defense.

David Jenkins Jr. led the way for South Dakota State. The freshman led the game in scoring with 24 points on 10 of 15 shooting. Mike Daum was not far behind, chipping in 19 points and 11 rebounds. However, it was one of the first games where the Jackrabbits really did not need Daum to win the basketball game.

It was the other Jackrabbit players who won this game, not only Jenkins Jr. but also Tevin King, Skyler Flatten, and Brandon Key. Their offensive output may not “wow” you in the box score, but their contributions are what won South Dakota State the game.

North Dakota State had four players score in double figures, but none of them were overly efficient. Tyson Ward led the team with 15 points while senior Paul Miller finished his Bison career with 14 points on four of 14 shooting. It may seem as though Miller went out with a whimper, but that is far from the case.

Miller was the be-all and end-all for North Dakota State. If not for him, I truly think this team would have finished the season with less than eight wins. The Bison won 15 games this season, Paul Miller meant that much to them. So, before you hastily judge his performance, look back on what he provided this team in 2017-’18.

It was clear that North Dakota State was outmatched in this game. Couple that with their fatigue from Sunday’s game with Fort Wayne and they really did not have much of a chance. However, give credit to South Dakota State, they bounced back in a big way after playing terribly against Western Illinois on Saturday. With that being said, the Jackrabbits now head into the championship game with a boatload of confidence.

The second semi-final game was one I was very much looking forward to. South Dakota took on Denver for the right to play South Dakota State on Tuesday. The Pioneers came into the game having won a double overtime game against Oral Roberts the night before. As for the Coyotes, they coasted past Omaha on Saturday night, giving them some extra time to rest up. The two teams split their season series with each squad taking a game on their home court.

To make a long story short, South Dakota picked up where they left off on Saturday in the first half of this game. Matt Mooney was aggressive early on, taking advantage of a tired Denver defense. The junior finished the half with 13 points on a five of six shooting. Perhaps even more important was the fact that the Coyotes held a 47-25 lead over the Pioneers.

Denver’s offense, which is usually the most efficient in the conference, only shot 30 percent from the field and a dismal 10 percent from three. It was clear that the Pioneers were gassed and that was clearly evident. By half’s end, they had turned the ball over eight times.

The second half did not see South Dakota let up in any regard. They continued to swarm the Pioneers defensively and limit their pace. The Coyotes ability to slow Denver down into more of a traditional half-court set was instrumental in this game.

They were also able to get steady contributions from almost every player on their roster. Matt Mooney led the team in scoring with 20 points, but Triston Simpson and Tyler Hagedorn were vital to the team’s offense. Craig Smith’s team came out with a dominant 76-58 win by the time the final buzzer sounded.

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For the Pioneers and Daniel Amigo specifically, this has to be a sour way to end the season. The senior center scored 16 points and snared 12 rebounds in the loss. It puts a real damper on what was such a successful and quite frankly, an overlooked collegiate career for Amigo. However, Denver just looked far too sluggish and sloppy for them to win this game. Chalk that up to the fact that they played in a double overtime game less than 24 hours earlier.

That is not to take away from South Dakota’s performance at all because they imposed their will in this game for sure. Holding the most efficient team in the conference to 33 percent shooting from the field and 16 percent from three is an accomplishment in its own right.

Now we are given the match-up we all assumed would take place on the outset of this tournament. South Dakota State and South Dakota will fight it out to not only decide who goes to the NCAA Tournament, but also who wins the season series. The Coyotes took the first game in the regular season while the Jackrabbits won late in the season to clinch their regular season title.

You will remember that South Dakota State defeated South Dakota by three points in last year’s Summit League tournament too. That is sure to be a motivating factor for the Coyotes heading into this game. Also, keep in mind that this will be South Dakota’s first trip to the NCAA Tournament if they win.

Next: 2018 Conference USA tournament preview

Both teams are playing their best basketball heading into this contest. The Jackrabbits and Coyotes were flat out dominant on Monday night. Now, we will see which one of them is heading to the big dance and which team will be sulking by night’s end. Either way, it is sure to be a heck of a basketball game.