From Day 1 this season, UND men’s basketball coach Brian Jones has conceded what his team needs to do as it transitions from the Big Sky Conference to the Summit League.
The Fighting Hawks, in their first year in their new league, need to get bigger and stronger to compete with the big bodies in the Summit.
There’s perhaps few players in the country, and certainly not in mid-major hoops, that accentuate that need more than South Dakota State’s 6-foot-9 Mr. Everything Mike Daum.
Daum served the reminder Wednesday night in a competitive, entertaining 78-74 SDSU win over UND in front of 1,880 fans at Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.
Daum’s final stat line: 34 points, a career-high 21 rebounds, three assists, two blocks. He also played in all 40 minutes and didn’t collect a foul, hitting 14-for-24 from the field.
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Daum, who had the NCAA Division I’s fourth 30-20 game of the year, netted his 44th career double-double. He moved into 20th all-time in NCAA scoring with 2,740 career points.
“I think what we saw when he got those deep touches was that he’s so much bigger than Conner (Avants) and older than Filip (Rebraca),” Jones said. “We need to continue to get thicker and stronger and more athletic -- at all positions, not just the front line.”
Daum had seven offensive rebounds, leading the Jacks to a 15-5 edge over UND in second-chance points.
A few of the final team statistics indicate the size mismatch. The Jackrabbits had a 38-24 edge in points in the paint, a 41-30 edge in rebounds and a free-throws attempted mismatch of 20 to 1.
One free throw. UND’s previous lowest number of free-throws attempted this season was eight against Utah Valley. It’s the first time with five or less since shooting five against Monmouth in 2010.
“That was the difference in the game; the foul line and the backboards,” Jones said. “If we get to the foul line a little bit and tighten up not letting him put back his own misses then maybe it’s a different outcome.”
If the Jacks are the cream of the crop in the Summit, there are positives for UND fans to take away from the latest showing.
The biggest of those is Rebraca, a 6-foot-9 Serbian freshman. He came off the bench to go 7-for-9 from the field for 15 points. He added six rebounds, two assists and a block.
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“One, his motor is where it needs to be,” Jones said. “Lots of young guys can learn from him that if you play that hard, good things can happen for you.”
Rebraca’s huge dunk with 14 minutes left cut SDSU’s lead to 53-52 and ignited the crowd.
But Daum countered with an even bigger slam. He threw one down over Rebraca a few minutes later to tie the game at 62.
“That’s one of the toughest matchups in my whole basketball career,” Rebraca said. “He has a 7-4 wingspan, can shoot it and do almost everything. He’s a senior, too, so he knows how to get you off your feet and all the little tricks.”
