NCAA Basketball: Top 10 mid-majors from first month of 2018-19 season

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SALT LAKE CITY, UT – MARCH 16: Mike Daum is the best player in the Summit League, and one of the best players overall in the country. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images) /

7. South Dakota State Jackrabbits 7-2

The South Dakota State Jackrabbits are the three-time defending Summit League champions but have yet to break through with a victory in the NCAA Tournament. T.J. Otzelberger and his team are not only looking for an unprecedented fourth conference tournament title this year, but they are also looking to parlay that success into some March Success.

The Jackrabbits are 7-2 and score 82 points per game and after winning their first three games, which included a season-opening win over Grand Canyon, they then suffered through a brief two-game losing streak, falling at Florida Gulf Coast by six and to Tulane by four, since then they have reeled off four straight wins.

South Dakota State may have the top-scoring duo in the country with senior Mike Daum and sophomore David Jenkins. Daum has been on the national radar for a couple of seasons, even garnering some preseason All-American publicity in that time and in his final season he is currently 14th in the country in scoring with 24.1 points and his 11.2 rebounds is 9th best in the country. This season Daum has a formidable sidekick in Jenkins. The Washington native averaged 16 points as a freshman and has upped that number to 20.4 this season, but where he has really improved is in his three-point shooting, knocking down 45.5% of his shots this year, after making just 38.7% last year.

With Memphis, Nevada, and Montana still on the schedule before conference play, the Jackrabbits will be tested before they embark on their quest for a four-peat.

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