Jackrabbit men’s basketball season by the numbers

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Joclyn Haven

SDSU guard Matt Mims looks to pass the ball on North Dakota State’s Jarius Cook in the Summit League Championship Game at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls. After winning the Summit League Tournament title and putting up historic number along the way, SDSU’s season came to an end against Providence in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Skyler Jackson, Sports Editor (He/Him)

The South Dakota State men’s basketball team saw its season end Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

After a historic season that saw them win the Summit League tournament title, break numerous school and Summit League records along the way, the Jackrabbits suffered a 66-57 loss to fourth-seeded Providence in Buffalo.

The Jacks had a chance to pull off the upset so many predicted, but crucial plays late in the game went the Friars’ way, and SDSU’s all-time tournament record fell to 0-6.

“I can guarantee you this, our season will never be defined by one game,” coach Eric Henderson said after the game. “But I love our guys and nobody can take away what we accomplished this year.”

Despite the loss, the Jackrabbits have a lot to be proud of with all they’ve accomplished this season. Here’s a look at some of the historic numbers the Jackrabbits put up this season.

9 – The final score margin against Providence. In that game, the Jackrabbits trailed by three points in the final minute with a chance to potentially tie the game. But Providence pulled away late to advance to the round of 32.

57 – The number of points SDSU scored against Providence. The 57 points the Jacks scored against the Friars was the least they scored in a game this season. After a hot start early in the first half, the Providence defense began to settle in, making things difficult for one of the highest-scoring offenses in the nation.

1,394 – The number of career points from Douglas Wilson. The 6-foot-7 senior ends his Jackrabbit career in 13th place on the program’s all-time scoring list. In his final game, Wilson scored 13 points in 34 minutes against Providence.

2 – The number of Jackrabbits that have entered the transfer portal. Noah Freidel and David Wingett have entered the Division I transfer portal. Freidel was the 2019-20 Summit League Freshman of the Year before stepping away from the team during his sophomore season to deal with mental health issues. He returned to the team this year but didn’t play much for the second half of the season. Wingett was also a starter on the team his freshman year but has recently been relegated to a bench role.

12 – The number of double-doubles from Baylor Scheierman this season. The sophomore guard averaged 16.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game on his way to becoming Summit League Player of the Year. His final double-double of the season and 25th of his career came against Providence in an 18 point, 10 rebound effort.

30 – The number of wins the Jackrabbits had this season. One of the many records the Jackrabbits broke this season was the number of total wins in a season. Their 30 wins are the most in program and Summit League history.

21 – The number of consecutive wins SDSU had this season. Before their loss to Providence Thursday, the Jackrabbits won 21 games in a row, which was the longest in the nation at the time. It is the longest winning streak the Jacks have ever had and is the longest in Summit League history. During that win streak, the Jacks also became the first Summit League team to ever finish undefeated in conference games, going a perfect 21-0 (including the tournament).

85.9 – SDSU’s points per game average this season. The Jacks finished the season second in the nation in scoring, only behind Gonzaga’s 87.8 points per game. And the Jacks were efficient in doing so, also finishing second in the nation in field goal percentage (52.1 percent).

44.5 – SDSU’s three-point percentage this season. The Jacks also had an efficient season from the three-point line. Their 44.47 percent shooting from behind the arc led the nation.