NCAA Basketball: 4 under-the-radar games on opening night of 2020-21
No. 11 Creighton Bluejays vs. South Dakota State Jackrabbits
As a part of the Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic, one of the favorites in the Summit League, the Jackrabbits of South Dakota State take on the No. 11 Creighton Bluejays in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
This is a pseudo home game for the Jackrabbits with the game being played at the Sanford Pentagon and while the atmosphere won’t be the same as a regular home game for obvious reasons, but South Dakota State gets a chance to take on a team with second-weekend of the NCAA Tournament aspirations.
Not only does Eric Henderson’s Jackrabbits return a Player of the Year candidate in senior forward Douglas Wilson who netted 18.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists, but they also return seven of their top eight scorers from the team that went 22-10 last season. Junior forward Matt Dentlinger also returns to the frontcourt as does the guard trio of Noah Friedel, Alex Arians, and David Wingett who combined to shoot over 37% from beyond the arc last season.
Creighton was seen as a potential top-10 team by some and begin the year just outside at No. 11, thanks to national Player of the Year candidate, Marcus Zegarowski. The junior guard averaged 16 points, 3.8 rebounds, five assists, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting nearly 43% from beyond the arc.
Even though Ty-Shon Alexander is gone, Zegarowski has plenty of company in the backcourt with Mitch Ballock, Denzel Mahoney, and Shereef Mitchell all returning and the addition of Memphis transfer Antwann Jones. Forwards Christian Bishop and Damien Jefferson get some help with the return of Jacob Epperson from injury.
Unfortunately for head coach Greg McDermott, some of the much-needed depth on the roster took a hit over the last couple of weeks as they lost two freshmen, guard Rati Andronikashvili and forward Modestas Kancleris to torn ACLs within days of each other.
Next. Preseason top-25 power rankings for 2020-21. dark
This will be a good test for both teams to begin the season and even without fans and the usual fanfare of a mid-major trying to pull an upset, this very well may have an early-March feel to it.