BROOKINGS South Dakota State will look to bounce back on Thursday night as the Jackrabbits take on Omaha at Frost Arena at 7 p.m.
The Jacks (9-9, 2-1) began last week with a big 81-80 comeback victory over St. Thomas but then dropped a 99-80 contest to Denver. SDSU has gone 3-2 since Christmas and head coach Eric Henderson said despite the loss to the Pioneers, hes been pleased with the way his team has played over the past five games.
I mean, all things aside, obviously we didnt play our best in Denver, but since Christmas break, Ive been really pleased with our team. I think our connectivity and our intent has been in a good spot. So, I love our progression. I think were getting better. I think were close, but we need a little bit more intent, a little bit more urgency and a little bit more pride on that defensive end of the floor, Henderson said.
Henderson has talked about consistency being one of the main issues that the Jacks have faced this season. Theyve played really good in portions of games or one game, but havent put things together in long stretches. He said its on him to get the consistency out of his team, but they also have to do their part.
You know, everybody has a responsibility. I and our staff have a responsibility to make sure our guys are connected. Hey, what are we going to do in certain situations? And [the players] have to understand, we have to do a good job of teaching that and explaining that so theyre connected and theyre playing in unison. But their responsibility is a mentality and a buy-in and a pride and an understanding that we need to play with this level of urgency to be successful and I have some responsibility with that as a motivator. You know, an educator at heart. You want guys to enjoy, you want them to have fun, you want them to play free because when they do that, they play harder and they play more engaged, Henderson said.
One of the things that has been consistent as of late is the Jackrabbit shooting. SDSU has shot over 50% from the field in each of its past five games and is shooting 48.2% overall for the season. That ranks 33rd in the country.
Omaha enters Thursdays contest with an overall record of 10-9. The Mavericks have won three of their first four conference games, including a sweep of the North Dakota schools last week.
Theyre led by three upperclassmen in juniors Frankie Fidler and Marquel Sutton and senior Nick Davis. Davis is a transfer from Southern Nazarene who is averaging 9.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and has 21 blocks on the season. Fidler enters the game averaging 18.7 points per game, which is third in the Summit League
Henderson said he has been impressed with the way the Mavericks have been playing as of late.
[Omaha has] great positional size. They brought in the Davis kid at the five spot and he is super, super physical and very effective down there. We all know about Frankie [Fidler] and his ability to score the basketball but hes also averaging three assists in the league. I just think theyre fitting together better. I think theyre a little more connected than theyve been in the past and theyre playing very, very confident and they believe in each other, Henderson said.
Fidler has been a tough guard for the Jacks in past seasons. In five career games against SDSU the junior is averaging 13.4 points per game. This season hes averaging 30.5 points per game in conference play and scored 34 points in an overtime win over North Dakota State in the Mavericks last game.
Henderson said SDSU is going to have to try different things to slow him down.
Hes got great size and hes averaging 30 points a game in league play, and so hes playing super, super confident. Hes a hard matchup, you know, he can play in multiple areas of the floor. So were going to have our hands full and well mix up whos guarding him and well throw some things at him, Henderson said.
This will be SDSUs fifth game against a Division I opponent at Frost Arena this season. The Jacks have played 11 games away from Brookings and will have to hit the road again on Saturday as they play at South Dakota (8-10, 1-2) at 1 p.m. Henderson said the schedule has been tough but its what the coaching staff wanted the team to go through when they put it together in the offseason.
Its been hard. I mean, theres no doubt about it, Henderson said. We can sit here and talk about [the travel], and what [it is] is excuses. Were dealing with 20 year old dudes that love this game. I mean, every opportunity that you get, you have to embrace, you have to love. So to me, its all about a process.
Weve been put into some tough spots, and sometimes weve been successful and sometimes were going to use them as learning experiences because we havent maybe had the outcome that we wanted, but that doesnt mean you cant learn from them. So, we put together this schedule on purpose. Some of its in our control and some of its not, but I do know one thing, we will never make excuses and well always try to learn from every situation were in.
You can watch Thursdays game on the Summit League Network. Saturdays game between SDSU and USD will be broadcasted on the Summit League Network and Midco Sports.
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