Kansas City Looks to Keep Rolling in Road Trip to USD

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First Five

Kansas City Men's Basketball got back to the win column last Saturday with an 80-69 victory over North Dakota. Now, the Roos are back on the road for a game against South Dakota on Thursday evening. The Roos hold a 2-9 record in true road games this season.
Jamar Brown was named Summit League Peak Performer of the Week and Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week after a pair of great showings against NDSU and UND. Brown averaged 28.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game on the week, logging his fifth double-double of the year and tying his career-high with 29 points in the win over North Dakota.
The Roos have used 10 different starting lineups this season and there has been just one constant throughout all 10: Melvyn Ebonkoli. He is the only player to have started in all 26 games, averaging 6.1 points and 4.7 rebounds in 24.6 minutes of play.
Sharing the ball continues to be a marker of success for the Roos, and this was no different in KC's win over UND. When surpassing the 15-assist mark, Kansas City holds an 8-0 record this year. The Roos went for exactly 15 assists against the Fighting Hawks, led by seven from Babacar Diallo.
Entering the 2024-25 season, Kansas City had logged just three wins when being out-rebounded in Head Coach Marvin Menzies' tenure. The Roos have more than doubled that mark in this season alone, logging four wins when losing the battle of the boards.

Scouting South Dakota

South Dakota enters Thursday's meeting with a 15-10 overall record and a 6-4 mark in Summit League play. The Coyotes are on a hot tear, winning three-straight and four of their last five.
The Yotes are led by senior guard Chase Forte, who averages team-high marks in points per game (16.2), assists per game (3.1) and steals per game (1.9).
USD is among the best in the nation in getting to the charity stripe, ranking second in the NCAA in free throw attempts and makes per game.
Kansas City leads the all-time series, 11-8, thanks to a three-game winning streak across the past two seasons. KC is 5-3 in games played in Vermillion.
The Roos won the first battle this season, 68-54 in Kansas City, a game that saw Jamar Brown go for a 19-point, 11-board double-double.

University of Missouri Kansas City Athletics