Matt Zimmer: Jackrabbit win over Kansas State a big one for SDSU, Bryan Petersen and the Summit League

Nov. 4—MANHATTAN, Kan. — Kansas State paid South Dakota State $90,000 to come to their arena for a men's basketball game Tuesday night. The Jackrabbits repaid them with a 68-66 victory in Wildcat coach Casey Alexander's debut. It was SDSU's first win over a power conference foe since Washington State (then of the old Pac-12) in 2021, or if you prefer, Iowa State in 2020. Either way, it was one of the bigger wins Jackrabbit men's basketball has enjoyed, and certainly the biggest under second-year coach Bryan Petersen. "It was just really gratifying," Petersen said Wednesday from the team bus as they made their way back to Brookings. "Honestly, it was, you know, we worked at it pretty hard last year and just didn't get a lot of the results that we wanted. So I'm just really proud of the staff and everybody that's a part of this thing. And then the players, you know, they've had an awesome, really good offseason, from our returners and then our newcomers buying in. It's just one game but that moment in the locker room after was pretty special." In the long run it won't mean a whole lot if the Jacks don't win the Summit League tournament in March (it's not like this aids them in some pursuit of at-large consideration — it doesn't), but the win is symbolic and important on a few levels. * It validates Petersen. Not to suggest anyone was souring on Petersen after one year, but his 14-18 debut was kind of a slog. The Jacks weren't very fun to watch and lost a lot of close games. Having spent seven seasons on staff prior to taking over, Petersen took the losses hard, and he understands fans expect consistent winning. A win over K-State while shorthanded (more on that in a sec) suggests this team has made big strides under Petersen in just one offseason. "We always talk about stacking days and moments, and last night was a really good moment," Petersen said. "And we can learn from all the moments, whether they're positive or negative. And last night was a really good positive one. So we're going to run with it, but we also know we've got to get better and there are some things we can clean up. But there's no doubt it gives our guys a lot of confidence moving into the next phase, their next game. Hopefully we just kind of keep on stacking those moments." * It shows the Jacks are confident and resilient Especially impressive was the way the Jacks weathered K-State's comeback coming out of halftime. SDSU led by seven at the break and K-State quickly erased that deficit, starting the 2nd half on a 22-8 run. Anyone watching surely assumed the Big 12 team had figured things out, righted the ship and would go on to a double-digit win. Petersen kept his guys in it and guided them to the finish line. "Coach Alexander's teams have been elite offensively," Petersen said. "We knew they'd go on a run. We really preached to our guys a next-play mentality and that really showed up for us." * It's good for not just the Summit League but mid-major basketball. NIL and the transfer portal have wreaked havoc on college sports but you could argue mid-major men's basketball has been hit the hardest. Major programs pay their players big money. Good players leave. The Summit League and others like it are almost like JuCo feeders for the big boys. That has quickly eroded the opportunities for true March Madness and led to one of the most boring NCAA tournaments ever last year. Adding to the field will not change that, if anything it might make it worse. It will be harder and harder for low and mid-major teams to have any shot of beating teams in the Big Ten or Big 12 or whatever. So enjoy this win, Jacks fans, you may not see too many more of them. * It suggests this team, as some predicted , can win the Summit League. The Jacks had a strong nucleus returning with preseason player of the year Joe Sayler, senior Kalen Garry and big man Alec Squires, and they made several key additions in the transfer portal that addressed the weaknesses from last year. And apparently big man Davis Kern, who started in place of Squires and scored 24 points in his college debut against the Wildcats, is the next Mike Daum (OK, maybe it's a tad early to put that on the kid but wow). EJ Ryans had zero points on 0-of-5 shooting but was exactly what the Jacks needed badly. A capable steady hand running the point (he had four assists and zero turnovers). Jon Mekonnen showed the kind of athleticism and versatility the Jacks hoped for, finishing with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting. "(Kern) has always been a very skilled player, always been a kid that can really shoot the basketball," Petersen said. "But you know, when he first got up here last year, his body and some other things just weren't quite ready for the day to day grind of Division I basketball. And so we've always seen flashes. But I'll say this — he's had a really good offseason. We've been confident in his ability for a long time. "And then EJ and Jon, they've been great additions. EJ's leadership and grit mentality really showed up for us last night. He's just so consistent in what he brings to his teammates and he's only going to get better, and same with Jon. We needed someone to make plays in the paint last night with the guys that are out and he stepped up." * It shows they have depth, because injuries have already hit Now the bad news. Jesse Van Kalsbeek, last year's NAIA player of the year at Northwestern, is going to be out for "a long time", according to Petersen with a back injury. He's already been sidelined for more than a week and the only timeline Petersen would really commit to was expressing confidence that it won't be a season-ending injury. "We're anticipating him being back this year, but it's a delicate deal," Petersen said. "It's not going to be a quick turnaround." The 6-foot-6 Van Kalsbeek averaged 27.8 points, 12.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists last year for the Red Raiders, and was to be the Jacks starter at the four. Squires, a 6-9 center, is also down with a back injury, though the Jacks are more optimistic about his return, hoping he could be back as soon as next week. But if there's a silver lining it's that this is mid-major basketball. The only games that truly matter are the ones in Sioux Falls in March. The Jacks just beat a Big 12 team without two starters whom they both plan to have back by then. If Tuesday night is any indication, this year is going to be a lot more fun than last.