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Opponent team records and Sagarin ratings are as of December 23rd.
SDSU, 4-10, Sagarin #323
Part 1:
Dec. 30, at Idaho (1-10, 311): WIN, 5-10
Previous game: lost 74-66 at Frost Arena
The Vandals aren't very good. But, their lone win came November 16th at Frost Arena against SDSU, so how good are the Rabbits? We hope the Jacks have improved more than the Vandals have. So, if you wanted to circle one game on the Jackrabbits' remaining schedule as a "must-win" this would be the one. the Jacks need to atone for their 12-point loss to Idaho at home, and may be coming together enough to take care of business. The Vandals won the previous match with SDSU by hitting ten 3-pointers--a common failing of Scott Nagy-coached teams over the years, even the ones that were winning 25 games in Division II.
Jan. 6, Central Florida (8-2, 120): LOSS, 5-11
SDSU stole a game from the Knights in Orlando last year, but this year's UCF team looks to be much improved over last year's squad. The Knights are lead by sophomore guard Jermaine Taylor and senior forward Josh Peppers, scoring 16 and 11 points per game respectively. If the Jacks can somehow repeat last year's feat, it will bode very well for the remainder of the season. Last year proved that the Jacks can compete with the Knights, but UCF will have revenge on their minds when they come to Frost. I can't put this one in the win column for SDSU, but should the Jacks prevail, it would be a quality win.
Jan. 13, at Butler (#16, 12-1, 5): LOSS, 5-12
Oh, my. Who scheduled this, anyway? The third of the 2-and-1 series with the Bulldogs returns the Jacks to Hickle Fieldhouse. The Jacks have to hope the Bulldogs are off like they were against Indiana State, who beat Butler with superior quickness, and good free throw shooting. Unfortunately, neither of those attributes are particular hallmarks of the 2006-07 Jackrabbits. Beating the Bulldogs on their home floor is an extremely tall order for this SDSU team. Never say never, but this would be an upset of monumental proportions. It Could Happen. That's Why You Play The Game.
Jan. 21, at Cal State Northridge (6-5, 136): LOSS, 5-13
This is possibly the one game which determines whether or not the Jacks finish at .500 with a 15-15 record, or suffer another sub-.500 year. The Matadors have six wins at Christmas, but those wins include victories over Master's College, and the College of the Redlands, so it's not clear exactly how good they are. They scored 159 points on the Redlands, though, so they like to get up and down the court.
The Matadors' have a fairly balanced attack. Their leading scorers are junior swingman Jonathan Heard with 15 ppg, junior forward Calvin Chitwood with 15 ppg, and junior guard Jordan Noblitt with 8.5 ppg, sophomore guard Rob Haynes, with 7.7 ppg, and senior guard Terrell Jones with 7.6 ppg.
The Jacks will need to slow them down to have a shot, but two of their losses have seen the Matadors score 50 or less, so they can be slowed down. If the Jacks can steal this game at Northridge, then a .500 season record becomes a possibility.
Jan. 25, Utah Valley State (7-5, 151): WIN, 6-13
The UBC schedule opens for the Jacks against a team that (with apologies to the NDSU Bison) could be the favorite to win the conference. The good news is that the Jacks get the Wolverines at home. Comparing scores does not give much good news for SDSU fans, with UVSC winning by 12 at UMKC, losing by only 4 at Utah State, beating Montana by 17, and taking two games from Montana State, by 32 at home, and by 7 at Bozeman.
The Wolverines are lead by senior forward David Heck, scoring 13.8 ppg and sophomore guard Ryan Toolson, coming off the bench to score 13.7 ppg.
Hoping that the Jackrabbit freshmen continue to emerge both on defense and on offense, I'll pick the Jacks to win this one at home.
Jan. 27, Texas-Pan American (7-5, 234): WIN, 7-13
UTPA comes to Frost Arena with three players scoring in double figures. Junior guard Brian Burrell, 17 ppg; senior center Colin Lien, 10.9 ppg, and junior guard Dexter Shankle, 10.2 ppg. The Jackrabbits played two of their better games last year with two wins against the Broncs, who are much improved this year. We hope for the Frost Arena crowd and the continued maturation process of the Jackrabbit team to pull out this game at home.
Jan. 29, Middle Tennessee State (4-6, 186): WIN, 8-13
The Jacks gave a gutty performance last year in an overtime loss at Murfresboro that had the MTSU coach saying he wasn't looking forward to a trip to Brookings. Well, here it is. Another must-win for the Rabbits if they hope to have a .500 season, this game is a Monday night special after the Blue Raiders play a Saturday night Sun Belt conference game against Louisiana-Lafayette. Sophomore guard Kevin Kanaskie and the aptly named senior forward Tim Blue lead the Blue Raiders in scoring, with 12.7 and 10.4 ppg, respectively.
Feb. 3, North Dakota State (7-4, 110): WIN, 9-13
OK, I was kidding about Utah Valley State being the UBC favorite. The Bison have been impressing the basketball world since last year's win at Wisconsin. Last year, the Jacks won a close game in the home game of this rivalry, and were blown out in Fargo. The Frost Arena crowd should be rocking for this Saturday night special. The Jacks must win this one too if they have any hope of finishing 15-15 for the year.
SDSU, 4-10, Sagarin #323
Part 1:
Dec. 30, at Idaho (1-10, 311): WIN, 5-10
Previous game: lost 74-66 at Frost Arena
The Vandals aren't very good. But, their lone win came November 16th at Frost Arena against SDSU, so how good are the Rabbits? We hope the Jacks have improved more than the Vandals have. So, if you wanted to circle one game on the Jackrabbits' remaining schedule as a "must-win" this would be the one. the Jacks need to atone for their 12-point loss to Idaho at home, and may be coming together enough to take care of business. The Vandals won the previous match with SDSU by hitting ten 3-pointers--a common failing of Scott Nagy-coached teams over the years, even the ones that were winning 25 games in Division II.
Jan. 6, Central Florida (8-2, 120): LOSS, 5-11
SDSU stole a game from the Knights in Orlando last year, but this year's UCF team looks to be much improved over last year's squad. The Knights are lead by sophomore guard Jermaine Taylor and senior forward Josh Peppers, scoring 16 and 11 points per game respectively. If the Jacks can somehow repeat last year's feat, it will bode very well for the remainder of the season. Last year proved that the Jacks can compete with the Knights, but UCF will have revenge on their minds when they come to Frost. I can't put this one in the win column for SDSU, but should the Jacks prevail, it would be a quality win.
Jan. 13, at Butler (#16, 12-1, 5): LOSS, 5-12
Oh, my. Who scheduled this, anyway? The third of the 2-and-1 series with the Bulldogs returns the Jacks to Hickle Fieldhouse. The Jacks have to hope the Bulldogs are off like they were against Indiana State, who beat Butler with superior quickness, and good free throw shooting. Unfortunately, neither of those attributes are particular hallmarks of the 2006-07 Jackrabbits. Beating the Bulldogs on their home floor is an extremely tall order for this SDSU team. Never say never, but this would be an upset of monumental proportions. It Could Happen. That's Why You Play The Game.
Jan. 21, at Cal State Northridge (6-5, 136): LOSS, 5-13
This is possibly the one game which determines whether or not the Jacks finish at .500 with a 15-15 record, or suffer another sub-.500 year. The Matadors have six wins at Christmas, but those wins include victories over Master's College, and the College of the Redlands, so it's not clear exactly how good they are. They scored 159 points on the Redlands, though, so they like to get up and down the court.
The Matadors' have a fairly balanced attack. Their leading scorers are junior swingman Jonathan Heard with 15 ppg, junior forward Calvin Chitwood with 15 ppg, and junior guard Jordan Noblitt with 8.5 ppg, sophomore guard Rob Haynes, with 7.7 ppg, and senior guard Terrell Jones with 7.6 ppg.
The Jacks will need to slow them down to have a shot, but two of their losses have seen the Matadors score 50 or less, so they can be slowed down. If the Jacks can steal this game at Northridge, then a .500 season record becomes a possibility.
Jan. 25, Utah Valley State (7-5, 151): WIN, 6-13
The UBC schedule opens for the Jacks against a team that (with apologies to the NDSU Bison) could be the favorite to win the conference. The good news is that the Jacks get the Wolverines at home. Comparing scores does not give much good news for SDSU fans, with UVSC winning by 12 at UMKC, losing by only 4 at Utah State, beating Montana by 17, and taking two games from Montana State, by 32 at home, and by 7 at Bozeman.
The Wolverines are lead by senior forward David Heck, scoring 13.8 ppg and sophomore guard Ryan Toolson, coming off the bench to score 13.7 ppg.
Hoping that the Jackrabbit freshmen continue to emerge both on defense and on offense, I'll pick the Jacks to win this one at home.
Jan. 27, Texas-Pan American (7-5, 234): WIN, 7-13
UTPA comes to Frost Arena with three players scoring in double figures. Junior guard Brian Burrell, 17 ppg; senior center Colin Lien, 10.9 ppg, and junior guard Dexter Shankle, 10.2 ppg. The Jackrabbits played two of their better games last year with two wins against the Broncs, who are much improved this year. We hope for the Frost Arena crowd and the continued maturation process of the Jackrabbit team to pull out this game at home.
Jan. 29, Middle Tennessee State (4-6, 186): WIN, 8-13
The Jacks gave a gutty performance last year in an overtime loss at Murfresboro that had the MTSU coach saying he wasn't looking forward to a trip to Brookings. Well, here it is. Another must-win for the Rabbits if they hope to have a .500 season, this game is a Monday night special after the Blue Raiders play a Saturday night Sun Belt conference game against Louisiana-Lafayette. Sophomore guard Kevin Kanaskie and the aptly named senior forward Tim Blue lead the Blue Raiders in scoring, with 12.7 and 10.4 ppg, respectively.
Feb. 3, North Dakota State (7-4, 110): WIN, 9-13
OK, I was kidding about Utah Valley State being the UBC favorite. The Bison have been impressing the basketball world since last year's win at Wisconsin. Last year, the Jacks won a close game in the home game of this rivalry, and were blown out in Fargo. The Frost Arena crowd should be rocking for this Saturday night special. The Jacks must win this one too if they have any hope of finishing 15-15 for the year.
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