Season in Review
The Summit League was once again dominated by South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits have won the regular season title four out of the last five years, and have been to the NCAA Tournament three times in that span. Led by 3,000 point scorer Mike Daum, they rolled through the conference to the tune of a 14-2 record. Behind them was surprising Omaha, as the Mavericks went from a 4-10 season last year to 13-3 this year, and they will be the main challenger to South Dakota State. Finally, Denver was a massive disappointment to myself and many others. With a good backcourt duo returning and two high major transfers joining their ranks, they look poised to challenge for the conference title. Instead, they went 3-13 in the conference and missed the tournament completely.
Bracket
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Contenders
South Dakota State (24-7, 14-2)
The Jackrabbits are the clear favorite to go dancing when you consider a 24-7 overall record, the number one seed, the best defense in the conference, second best offense, two first team All-Conference performers, including the best player in the Summit League, and dominating in Sioux Falls, where the conference tournament is held, for the past few seasons. They also have the second best three point percentage in the nation at 41.9%, and when you have someone like Mike Daum, you're very hard to stop, especially in a mid-major conference. They are also one of the best rebounding teams in the nation, grabbing 38.2 a game and limiting their opponents to just one shot. They should be considered a heavy favorite entering the tournament.
Omaha (19-10, 13-3)
I mentioned that Omaha had surprising success this season. They have one of the best offenses in the country, as well as the best in the Summit League. They don't turn the ball over, with the lowest turnover percentage in college basketball, and they shoot it well from three, making 39.4% of their shots from deep, the ninth best mark in the country. Their defense isn't great, but with how well their offense has been performing this season, it hasn't mattered. If there is a team that can beat the Jackrabbits, it's Omaha, who did so earlier this season.
Sleeper Team
Purdue Fort Wayne (17-14, 9-7)
The Mastodons, what a dope nickname by the way, are, you guessed it, a very good offensive team. They have the eighteenth best effective field goal percentage in the country, and unlike the other two teams, they prefer to do their work inside the arc. They shoot 55.7% on two point attempts, and they are led by do it all forward Jon Konchar, who I'll get to in a second. They have also forced the most turnovers in Summit League play, and their defense has been solid. One thing to note is that they lost their last four games heading into the tournament, so this team needs to figure out what they need to do to win games again. They have the three seed, so they'll avoid South Dakota State until the finals, which is a big advantage, and if they get there, it's just one game to win.
Players to Watch
Mike Daum
Stats: 25.6 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.9 BPG, 51.1/37/83.7
The senior big man has had an incredible career, posting 3,000 points and 1,200 rebounds during his four years in Brookings. He kept up his incredible play this season as you can see from his stats, and it should come as no shock that he leads the conference in both points and boards. He is a multi-dimensional threat, shooting it from deep while also being able to post up and score that way. He's eclipsed 40 points twice this year, had 20+ rebounds thrice, and 20 double doubles on the year. I think he's already on the national radar from the past few March runs, and he is going to be a force in this tournament.
Zach Johnson
Stats: 18.3 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.1 BPG, 49.6/42.2/76.5
The senior guard has powered Omaha to the two seed in the conference tournament with his play this season. He is one of the best shooters in the conference, finishing ninth in three point percentage, and he was the leading scorer for the Mavericks. He also has good speed that allows him to beat his man and score, making him a nightmare to guard. One thing to watch is that he loves playing against Purdue Fort Wayne, putting up an average of 26 points and 8 assists in the two games against the Mastodons this season. Should they face off in the semifinals, Johnson might just have himself a day.
Jon Konchar
Stats: 19.7 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 5.3 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.9 BPG, 55.4/37.6/70.9
Konchar is Fort Wayne's best player, and he stuffs the stat sheet in a way very few players do. He leads his team in points, rebounds, assists, and steals, while ranking second in points, third in rebounds, first in assists and steals, and fourth in blocks in the Summit League. He's had double double with assists and rebounds this season, and he is the best wing player in the conference. He's been playing well of late even when his team has not, averaging 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists over the last 5 games. Look for him to put up some gaudy stat lines in Sioux Falls.
My All Conference Teams
First Team
G: David Jenkins, South Dakota State
G: Zach Johnson, Omaha
F: Jon Konchar, Purdue Fort Wayne
F: Mike Daum, South Dakota State
F: Emmanuel Nzekwesi, Oral Roberts
Second Team
G: Skyler Flatten, South Dakota State
G: Tevin King, South Dakota State
G: Stanley Umede, South Dakota
G: Kobe Webster, Western Illinois
F: Matt Pile, Omaha
My Pick: South Dakota State over Purdue Fort Wayne
It would be irresponsible of me to not pick the Jackrabbits to win the conference tournament. They are clearly the class of the conference, and with the best player, along with some knockdown shooters around him, they are close to impossible to stop offensively. Additionally, I went with PFW over Omaha because of John Konchar. He's too good to not have the opportunity to play with a tournament berth on the time, even if he ultimately falls short to Daum and co.
The Summit League was once again dominated by South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits have won the regular season title four out of the last five years, and have been to the NCAA Tournament three times in that span. Led by 3,000 point scorer Mike Daum, they rolled through the conference to the tune of a 14-2 record. Behind them was surprising Omaha, as the Mavericks went from a 4-10 season last year to 13-3 this year, and they will be the main challenger to South Dakota State. Finally, Denver was a massive disappointment to myself and many others. With a good backcourt duo returning and two high major transfers joining their ranks, they look poised to challenge for the conference title. Instead, they went 3-13 in the conference and missed the tournament completely.
Bracket
Contenders
South Dakota State (24-7, 14-2)
The Jackrabbits are the clear favorite to go dancing when you consider a 24-7 overall record, the number one seed, the best defense in the conference, second best offense, two first team All-Conference performers, including the best player in the Summit League, and dominating in Sioux Falls, where the conference tournament is held, for the past few seasons. They also have the second best three point percentage in the nation at 41.9%, and when you have someone like Mike Daum, you're very hard to stop, especially in a mid-major conference. They are also one of the best rebounding teams in the nation, grabbing 38.2 a game and limiting their opponents to just one shot. They should be considered a heavy favorite entering the tournament.
Omaha (19-10, 13-3)
I mentioned that Omaha had surprising success this season. They have one of the best offenses in the country, as well as the best in the Summit League. They don't turn the ball over, with the lowest turnover percentage in college basketball, and they shoot it well from three, making 39.4% of their shots from deep, the ninth best mark in the country. Their defense isn't great, but with how well their offense has been performing this season, it hasn't mattered. If there is a team that can beat the Jackrabbits, it's Omaha, who did so earlier this season.
Sleeper Team
Purdue Fort Wayne (17-14, 9-7)
The Mastodons, what a dope nickname by the way, are, you guessed it, a very good offensive team. They have the eighteenth best effective field goal percentage in the country, and unlike the other two teams, they prefer to do their work inside the arc. They shoot 55.7% on two point attempts, and they are led by do it all forward Jon Konchar, who I'll get to in a second. They have also forced the most turnovers in Summit League play, and their defense has been solid. One thing to note is that they lost their last four games heading into the tournament, so this team needs to figure out what they need to do to win games again. They have the three seed, so they'll avoid South Dakota State until the finals, which is a big advantage, and if they get there, it's just one game to win.
Players to Watch
Mike Daum
Stats: 25.6 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.9 BPG, 51.1/37/83.7
The senior big man has had an incredible career, posting 3,000 points and 1,200 rebounds during his four years in Brookings. He kept up his incredible play this season as you can see from his stats, and it should come as no shock that he leads the conference in both points and boards. He is a multi-dimensional threat, shooting it from deep while also being able to post up and score that way. He's eclipsed 40 points twice this year, had 20+ rebounds thrice, and 20 double doubles on the year. I think he's already on the national radar from the past few March runs, and he is going to be a force in this tournament.
Zach Johnson
Stats: 18.3 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.1 BPG, 49.6/42.2/76.5
The senior guard has powered Omaha to the two seed in the conference tournament with his play this season. He is one of the best shooters in the conference, finishing ninth in three point percentage, and he was the leading scorer for the Mavericks. He also has good speed that allows him to beat his man and score, making him a nightmare to guard. One thing to watch is that he loves playing against Purdue Fort Wayne, putting up an average of 26 points and 8 assists in the two games against the Mastodons this season. Should they face off in the semifinals, Johnson might just have himself a day.
Jon Konchar
Stats: 19.7 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 5.3 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.9 BPG, 55.4/37.6/70.9
Konchar is Fort Wayne's best player, and he stuffs the stat sheet in a way very few players do. He leads his team in points, rebounds, assists, and steals, while ranking second in points, third in rebounds, first in assists and steals, and fourth in blocks in the Summit League. He's had double double with assists and rebounds this season, and he is the best wing player in the conference. He's been playing well of late even when his team has not, averaging 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists over the last 5 games. Look for him to put up some gaudy stat lines in Sioux Falls.
My All Conference Teams
First Team
G: David Jenkins, South Dakota State
G: Zach Johnson, Omaha
F: Jon Konchar, Purdue Fort Wayne
F: Mike Daum, South Dakota State
F: Emmanuel Nzekwesi, Oral Roberts
Second Team
G: Skyler Flatten, South Dakota State
G: Tevin King, South Dakota State
G: Stanley Umede, South Dakota
G: Kobe Webster, Western Illinois
F: Matt Pile, Omaha
My Pick: South Dakota State over Purdue Fort Wayne
It would be irresponsible of me to not pick the Jackrabbits to win the conference tournament. They are clearly the class of the conference, and with the best player, along with some knockdown shooters around him, they are close to impossible to stop offensively. Additionally, I went with PFW over Omaha because of John Konchar. He's too good to not have the opportunity to play with a tournament berth on the time, even if he ultimately falls short to Daum and co.
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