RAPID CITY, S.D. – Following a weekend sweep for the first time this season, the South Dakota Mines men's basketball team looks to extend it with a pair of rivalry games on tap.
GAME INFORMATION
Chadron State
Date/Time: Jan. 28 / 7:30 p.m.
Site: Rapid City, S.D.
Arena: King Center
Series Overall: Chadron State leads 118-68.
Streak: Chadron State Won 5
Series at South Dakota Mines: South Dakota Mines leads 15-7 (since 1994).
Streak at South Dakota Mines: Chadron State Won 2
Watch Live: RMAC Network
Tickets: Ticket Central
Black Hills State
Date/Time: Feb 1 / 7:00 p.m.
Site: Spearfish, S.D.
Arena: Donald E. Young Center
Series Overall: Black Hills State leads 110-93.
Streak: South Dakota Mines Won 3
Series at Black Hills State: Black Hills State leads 19-17 (since 1994).
Streak at Black Hills State: South Dakota Mines Won 1
Watch Live: RMAC Network
DISCIPLINED BASKETBALL
South Dakota Mines plays with discipline, especially regarding fouling and taking care of the ball.
Regarding fouling, SDM averages 15.5 fouls per game, fourth in the RMAC.
Another crucial area of the game in which the Hardrockers excel is turnovers. Despite a weekend where they turned the ball over often, on the season, the Hardrockers average just 11.7 turnovers per game, third in the RMAC.
STRONG FROM BEYOND THE ARC
In conference play, the Hardrockers are one of the league's top three-point shooting and defending teams.
SDM hits 32.5% of their threes, fourth in the RMAC, while they allow opponents to hit just 28.7% of their attempts, second-best in the league.
SMITH FINDING FORM
Keagen Smith has been hovering just above double digits for most of the season thus far but has been a double-digit machine of late, doing it again against Western Colorado.
DEFENSE FIRST
South Dakota Mines has been strong on the defensive end all season, allowing 70.4 points per game, the fourth-best in the RMAC.
TRE TURNING IT UP
Freshman
Tre Dowdell has continued to improve throughout the season, and that continued as he scored 23 against Westminster.
After the most recent contest, Dowdell scored in double figures in six of the past seven games.
SCOUTING CHADRON STATE
Chadron State is at .500 in conference play and is 5-5 and 9-9 overall this season.
Defensively, they allow just 41.9% shooting from opponents, the second-best in the RMAC. They also lead the league in rebounding with 36.93 per game.
Jalen Thomas is third in the RMAC in assists, averaging 3.7 per game.
SCOUTING BLACK HILLS STATE
Black Hills State is 6-4 in the RMAC and 10-8 overall.
Defensively, they are tops in the league, allowing opponents to hit just 40.9% of their shots.
The Yellow Jackets are also a strong rebounding team, averaging 35.4 per game, fourth in the RMAC.
BHSU hits 38.9% of their threes as a team, the best in the RMAC.
Caelin Hearne and Cam Lowe are a top pair in the RMAC, with Hearne averaging 15.7 points per game and Lowe shooting 51.1% of our team.
LOOKING AHEAD
Next week, the Hardrockers take on UCCS and Colorado Christian at home on Feb. 6 and Feb. 8.
You can find the latest on South Dakota Mines men's basketball all year long on X and Instagram (@hardrockermbb), and you can also follow on Facebook at Hardrocker Men's Basketball. The latest on South Dakota Mines athletics can be found by following us on X at @GoHardrockers, hardrockerathletics on Instagram, and Hardrocker Athletics on Facebook.
About South Dakota Mines
The South Dakota School of Mines & Technology is a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and NCAA Division II, offering 13 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletic programs. The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is a premier NCAA Division II conference with 15 members and four associate members located in California, Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Utah.
