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

2. Take care of the ball and get shots up

The second key to a win over Providence for South Dakota State may sound a little strange, but it will be important. The Jackrabbits have to get shots up on every offensive possession and not turn the ball over. The reason for this is multi-fold, they are the best team in the country shooting the ball, they don’t turn the ball over often and Providence isn’t all that great at forcing turnovers.

South Dakota is the No. 1 team in the country entering the tournament when it comes to effective field goal percentage at 59.7%. Not only are they 1st in three-point percentage, but they are 10th in the country in two-point percentage (56.3%) and are top-40 in free-throw percentage at 76%. All this means if South Dakota State is able to get shots up, there is a good chance they will go through the net.

In order to get shots up, a team must avoid turnovers and the Jackrabbits only turn the ball over 11 times per game and senior Doug Wilson is the only player on the roster that averages over two per game at 2.1.

Also giving the Jackrabbits a slight edge is the fact that Providence doesn’t turn teams over a ton, at just over 10 per game, and rank 308th in steal percentage. If South Dakota State can protect the ball and get shots up, they will have a good shot at putting up enough points to make this game interesting.