Budding rivalry hits full bloom

Men's basketball team is leading the NCC by two games, but still has some work to do this

Media Credit: scott theisen SCSU senior forward Jason Kron attempts a pass while running a play during practice on Tuesday.

Payback is oh so sweet. That's exactly what the SCSU men's basketball team got against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits on Jan. 11 in overtime. After losing both conference games to the Jacks last year, and having their season ended by them in the Wells Fargo semifinals, the 94-89 triumph at Halenbeck let the Huskies know that they can compete with anyone in the NCC. Now they have to prove they can beat SDSU on the road in the raucous atmosphere of Frost Arena in Brookings.

That chance comes Friday night. The Huskies (15-1, 5-0 NCC) are coming off another impressive win during their 13-game winning streak with a win over Jerome Beasley and North Dakota last Thursday. This allowed SCSU to move even higher in the NABC/Division II National Rankings to No. 15. The win also bolstered their lead in the NCC to two games over the Jacks, South Dakota and Nebraska-Omaha. However, right behind them in the poll is SDSU at No. 16.

The rivalry between the two teams is a budding one. However, it's downplayed by the Husky players and head coach Kevin Schlagel.

"They're just one part of the picture," sixth man Nate Miller said about the Jacks being the biggest roadblock for SCSU and an NCC title. "We've have to take care of business every night in the NCC. It's just another game. The hype is there, but whatever the outcome is we still have to finish off the other schools in the conference."

"It's one of, if not the most difficult place to play in the league because of their tradition and fan base," Schlagel said about Frost Arena. "They're not used to losing at home, so it's going to be tough."

The key to stopping the Jacks lies on the defensive end for St. Cloud. SDSU leads the NCC in scoring, rebounding offense, rebounding margin and offensive rebounding. Basically, if SCSU keeps them off the glass and plays like they normally do on defense, the better shot they have at winning.

Currently, SCSU is holding their opponents to only 67.3 points per game.

The players to be on the watch for are senior sharpshooter Austin Hansen, senior guard Chris Stoebner and senior center Adam Robinson. Hansen is averaging 16.6 ppg and leads the league in three-pointers made. Stoebner is averaging 12.1 ppg and leads the team in rebounding with 6.9 a game (quite an accomplishment for a guard). Robinson comes in averaging 13.3 ppg and 5.7 rpg. He also leads the NCC in offensive rebounding.

Schlagel admits that winning the rebounding battle will determine who wins the game.

"We know that we have to get back on defense and stop their transition game," he said. "We have to do a better job on the boards. They're such a good rebounding team. They give themselves a lot of extra opportunities that most teams don't because they get extra possessions off rebounds."

The Jacks would have an even more impressive roster were it not for injuries to key players such as forward Derrick Schantz, point guard Andy Moeller and center Matt Jones. All were Husky-killers last season and important cogs in SDSU's run in the NCAA tournament.

The one thing SCSU doesn't want to have happen is the end of their hot shooting streak. The Huskies have a 50.2 field goal percentage for the season and are averaging nearly 85 points a contest.

Their three-point shooting is also tops in the league at 41 percent. Forrest Witt and his backcourt mates are the reason for the success beyond the arc. Witt's averaging 16.2 ppg and is shooting 54 percent from the floor. He's also third in the NCC in treys made and fourth in three-point percentage.

"We have a lot of great shooters on this team," Miller noted of his team's outside prowess. "We're always making that extra pass to the open shooter. We have confidence that every player on this team can knock it down if they're open."

"Forrest is a guy that the opponent has to guard all over the floor," Schlagel said. "We see every trick defense thrown at us during the course of the year trying to stop him. When he goes off like he did at UND (30 points), it stretches the defense and gives us some more looks on the inside."

St. Cloud concludes their trip on Saturday against Minnesota State, Mankato. The Mavericks are struggling in the conference at 2-4, but are 11-6 overall. One of those two wins came against second-place Nebraska-Omaha. That just shows how dangerous the Mavs can be. They're also 8-1 at home, with their only loss coming to the Jacks.

Mankato has a trio that rivals anyone's in the NCC with seniors Jermaine Brown, Nick Ellenberger and Drew Carlson. Brown leads the team with 16.1 ppg and is shooting 52 percent from the field.

Ellenberger, the man in the middle, is averaging 11.5 ppg and leads the team in rebounding at 6.3 per game. Carlson is second in scoring at 15.1 ppg.

"Mankato's starting five is as good as anybody's in the league," Schlagel said. "If you can get to their bench you might be able to gain an advantage."

All kidding aside, South Dakota State will be the first marquee game for the Huskies this year because it's on the road. Win or lose, if SCSU can keep the game close, they'll gain the confidence that they can play with their biggest rival on their own court.

Payback comes in different forms, but the biggest reward comes from beating your nemesis in their joint.

Around the Rim
-SCSU's 13-game winning streak is the team's longest since last year when they started 11-0. The longest winning streak in SCSU history came during the 1985-86 season when that squad won 19 in a row.
-SCSU ranks fourth in Division II in scoring margin at 20.2.
-Witt has won NCC Player of the Week honors three times already this season.
-The Huskies have won five straight games over Mankato and eight of the last 10.
-South Dakota State leads the all-time series with St. Cloud 39-21.
-Game times for both games this weekend are at 8 p.m.