South Dakota State Basketball: 3 keys to upsetting Providence in Round of 64

1. Shoot threes and shoot them well

If teams from mid-major conferences want to pull first-round upsets, while it is important to stay in a game early and weather any early punches from the favorite to me, the most important thing is the underdog can’t try to change their identity. Teams have to continue to do the things that have gotten them there.

For the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, that is knocking down three-pointers. The Summit League champs are the best team in the country when it comes to knocking down the long-distant shot, hitting at 44.2%. As a team, they average just under 21 attempts per game and make 9.3 of those attempts.

They have four players, Baylor Scheierman, Noah Freidel, Zeke Mayo, and Charlie Easley who have attempted 95 or more on the year and as a foursome, they shoot nearly 45%. Playing Providence is a double-edged sword when it comes to this. The Friars are very good at defending the three at just 31% but nearly a third of the points they give up come from behind the line.

If South Dakota State wants to play in the second round it will be imperative for them not to get caught up in the moment and lose track of who they are. They got to where they are by being the best three-point shooting team in the country and that is what will carry them to an upset.