March Madness: The South Dakota State Jackrabbits will do the Summit League proud

It came as no surprise when South Dakota State won the Summit League tournament. Now, it is time for them to prove themselves on a national stage.

They were by far the best team in the league all season, but the South Dakota State Jackrabbits were challenged to a degree. Though they only lost one Summit League game all season, they were tested in all three of their contests against South Dakota. They also struggled against Western Illinois in the conference tournament. During the regular season, they came out with narrow victories against Fort Wayne, Oral Roberts, Denver, and North Dakota State too.

Now, that may have little to do with the Jackrabbits’ performance when the NCAA Tournament commences the next week. They do have nice wins over Iowa, a lower rung Big Ten team and Ole Miss, a bad SEC team. South Dakota State also lost to big-name schools like Kansas, Wyoming, Wichita State and Colorado. However, their only bad loss was to Missouri State, who ended up finishing 7th in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Given that body of work, the jury may still be out on the Jackrabbits. They did not necessarily “wow” us in the non-conference. Although the wins over the Hawkeyes and Rebels seemed decent on paper, they now seem somewhat moot. Both Iowa and Ole Miss play in Power Five conferences, but they were two of the worst team in their respective leagues. Therefore, we cannot solely judge the Jackrabbits’ potential solely on wins and losses.

We must look at their performance in terms of their roster. Obviously, that begins and ends with Summit League Player of the Year Mike Daum. In his junior season, Daum averaged almost 24 points and 11 rebounds per game. He did all of this while shooting 46 percent from the field and 42 percent from three. It has been overstated that Daum has been looked at by NBA scouts already and that he may leave after this season for the pros.

Quick tangent before we move forward, Mike Daum going to the NBA early is a dumb decision on his part. While he is talented and could be an okay player in the league now, why waste an impending successful senior season? South Dakota State will no doubt win the conference again if he stays as four of their five starters will return. Not only that, I am not sure if Daum has an NBA ready body. He still has some baby fat on him (and I don’t mean that personally) that he could turn into muscle in the offseason. I just feel like it would hurt Daum more than help to head to the NBA now. Anyway, I digress.

A positive to be taken away from the conference tournament is how much the players not named Daum stepped up. Freshman David Jenkins Jr. averaged 16 points per game during the regular season. However, he coasted in the Summit League tournament, scoring 24 and 29 points consecutively. Their only senior starter, Reed Tellinghuisen is also a huge benefactor in the offense. He averaged 12 points per game this season on 47 percent shooting from the field.

Tevin King, Brandon Key, and Skyler Flatten also provide offensive energy for the team. The trio averages roughly 23 points per game with Flatten and Key coming off the bench. Altogether, the Jackrabbits rack up an impressive 85 points per game. They also shoot the ball efficiently with a 47 percent mark from the field and 40 percent from three-point range. By the way, their points per game clip are eighth best in America.

More from Busting Brackets

You may think their offense is remarkable, but there are many more layers to this South Dakota State team. They pull down 39 rebounds per game which is in the top-30 in the NCAA. Though they give up a semi-robust 74 points per game, they can defend when they set their mind to it. We saw this during the Summit League tournament. The Jackrabbits limited North Dakota State and South Dakota into tough shots throughout both of those match-ups.

In all honesty, it is the guards that set the tone for South Dakota State defensively. Tevin King and Brandon Key are excellent on-ball defenders. Key is especially good with his lightning quickness. This allows him to catch up with offensive players who may get a step on him as they drive into the lane. Even so, the Jackrabbits are very good about coming to help their teammates in the lane. However, that gives the offense the option for a kick-out three-point attempt.

Looking at a few Bracketology experts, it seems that South Dakota State will end up being a 12 or 13 seed. The renowned Joe Lunardi has the Jackrabbits as a 13 seed taking on Gonzaga in the first round in the West region. This would be a rematch of last season’s first round NCAA Tournament game. The Bulldogs beat South Dakota State 20 points in that game en route to a National Championship appearance. South Dakota State has brought the same team back as last year plus David Jenkins Jr. Gonzaga lost their primary contributors in that game to graduation, so it may be a favorable match-up for the Jackrabbits.

Our own Lukas Harkins believes the Jackrabbits will also be a 13 seed. This time, they will be playing West Virginia in the East region. That would be a true battle as both teams are a buzzsaw on opposite ends of the floor. The Mountaineers are obviously one of the stoutest teams on defense whereas South Dakota State is dominant offensively. West Virginia has been quite unpredictable as of late and the Jackrabbits have succeeded against a good defensive team this year too.

Next: Bracketology: March 8th Update

Whatever seed they end up receiving, the South Dakota State Jackrabbits will be a tough out in this year’s NCAA Tournament. Whoever they play will have to be on high alert. If they do not adequately prepare, they will run into a seasoned and talented squad. For those of you who like to gamble, I would put my money on South Dakota State (but do not ask to fight if you end up losing your money). As for those who like to fill out brackets, the Jackrabbits are one of the most alluring upset picks in the field.