The Border Battle for the Summit League Crown
It’s March folks, and when March hits we dial in all of our attention on mid major basketball. There are a lot of tickets being punched for the big dance this week but boys at Loon HQ have their eyes on one championship matchup in particular. As an NDSU grad and a follower of Summit League basketball, I look forward to tonight not only because it should be a fantastic game, but because I view it as an opportunity to make a lot of money. Before I tell you how we’re going to make some bread, I’ll get those readers who are not familiar with the Summit League caught up.
Tonight in Sioux Falls at the Sanford Pentagon, the SDSU Jack Rabbits and the NDSU Bison will face off in what could be one of the best Summit League Finals in recent memory. The two schools aren’t only familiar foes on the football field where they fight for the Dakota Marker each year, they’re rivals on the hardwood as well. The final round matchup comes with no surprise as SDSU came into the season ranked #1 with NDSU right behind them in the #2 spot, according to the Summit MBB Preseason Coaches’ Poll. South Dakota State ran through their Summit League regular season schedule with virtually no issues, finishing 18-0. On the other side, NDSU finished second in the conference at 13-5 respectively. In their two matchups thus far SDSU prevailed, pulling out a 4 point victory each time. It’s clear this is setting up to be another fantastic battle.
The Case for South Dakota State:
For Jack Rabbit fans, this season has been one to remember. SDSU won a school record 29 games. They became the first team in the history of the Summit League to go undefeated in conference play. They came into the Summit League tournament on an 18 game win streak and have since extended said streak to 20 games. They’re as hot as any team in the country and show no signs of slowing down. The Jack Rabbits have received votes for four consecutive weeks in the Associated Press Top 25 poll and have a real shot at getting an at-large bid for the big dance, should they lose to NDSU this evening.
Before we even mention an at-large bid or let alone a loss in the final, the newly named Summit League Player of the Year, Baylor Scheierman would have something to say. The stand out averaged 16.3 points per game, along with 7.9 rebounds and 4.6 assists. In the two matchups with the Bison this year, he’s put up impressive numbers. 22 points, 7 boards and 5 assists in game one, followed up with 23 points, 8 boards and 2 assists in game two. But this isn’t a one man show in South Dakota. The Jack Rabbits have a number of guys including Douglas Wilson, Noah Freidel, and company who can light it up on any given night. South Dakota State scores more points on average than any other team in the country that’s not named Gonzaga (87.1 points per game). In fact, they shoot the 3 ball better than every other team in the NCAA, hitting at an unreal 45% clip.
No matter how you look at it, South Dakota State is supposed to win this game and they are not to be taken lightly come the big dance.
The Case for North Dakota State:
Everyone has heard this before, it’s hard to beat a team three times in one season. No matter how often you hear it and how overrated you might think it is, the matter of fact is that it’s true. And to add to that, all streaks must come to an end… even SDSU’s impressive win streak. As I mentioned before, the Bison fell to the Jack Rabbits in both previous matchups this season. But with that being said, I see no reason that this won’t be another awesome ball game where the Bison definitely have a shot at pulling off the upset.
NDSU came into the tournament as the two seed and have been nothing but dominant so far, winning each game by 20 points. The 23-9 Bison have been playing their best basketball down the stretch (13-2 in L15), with their two all-conference players, Rocky Kreuser and Sam Griesel leading the way. The two make up one of the best duos in the Summit League. Kreuser (forward) is averaging 16 points and 7.8 rebounds on the year, while shooting 40.1% from beyond the arch. On the other hand, Griesel (guard) averages 13.9 points, 6.5 boards and 3.3 assists. Both guys are complete players and are not shy of the spotlight.
Expect Dave Richmond and his squad to come prepared. He’s one of the best coaches in the conference and they’re not going to back down to anyone, especially not South Dakota State.
My Prediction:
NDSU has been playing with a chip on their shoulder all season after falling to Oral Roberts in the title game last year. For the bison, this game is a shot at revenge and this game has been marked on the calendar for a year now. Despite all the accolades and the phenomenal season they had down in South Dakota, I truly believe that it’s incredibly hard to beat the same team 3 times in one season, and that’s exactly the situation we have in front of us.
I expect the bison to come out firing, just as they did last night against Oral Roberts where they started the game sinking 8 in a row. Senior forward Rocky Kreuser will leave it all on the court, don’t be surprised if/when he drops 30 tonight. As I’m writing this, the Bison are +6 and +210 on the money line. I love the value and for those who care, as a fan I will be playing NDSU money line. But from the perspective of the Loon, we will be dialing up a (slightly biased) Loon Lock tonight. NDSU +6. ROLL HERD BABY. We’ll see you at the big dance.
-Beast
loonstatesports.com 