Roos Head to Brookings for Battle with Jackrabbits

Sunday, February 23

Brookings, SD

1:00 PM

Kansas City

South Dakota State

Photo by: Francie Wilson

2/21/2025 4:58:00 PM | Men's Basketball

KC will tip off against SDSU on CBSSN at 1 p.m. on Sunday

WATCH | LIVE STATS

First Five

Kansas City Men's Basketball is on the road on Sunday for a mid-afternoon matinee at South Dakota State. The game will be shown on CBS Sports Network, the Roos' third nationally-broadcast game of the season. The previous two came against Creighton on Nov. 16 and against Omaha on Jan. 8.
The Roos are searching for their first road victory since a 74-64 win over Wichita State on Dec. 17. That game saw three Kansas City players reach double-digit scoring, led by 18 points from Babacar Diallo and 17 from Jamar Brown.
Brown has maintained his status as a reliable scoring option for Kansas City, scoring 10-plus points in 20-of-25 appearances. He has reached the 10-point plateau in six-straight games, including a pair of 20-point showings during that stretch. His season average of 16.1 points per game ranks eighth in the Summit League and 168th in the nation.
Melvyn Ebonkoli has shown up as a scoring option for the Roos recently, reaching the 10-point mark in three of the last four games. After a career-high 18-point showing against North Dakota State on Feb. 6, he has gone for 13 points in back-to-back games at South Dakota and against Omaha.
Kansas City has remained one of the best teams in the nation at guarding the three-point line, holding teams to a 31.3% mark from beyond the arc. That clip leads the Summit and ranks 62nd nationally.

Scouting South Dakota State

South Dakota State comes into Sunday's match up off a 77-68 loss to North Dakota State, the Jackrabbits' first home loss of the season. SDSU is 9-4 in league play and currently sits 1.5 games out of first place.
SDSU is led by Oscar Cluff, who ranks first in the Summit in blocks, double-doubles and rebounds per game, also leading the team in points and assists.
The Jackrabbits are dominant on the glass, ranking fifth in the NCAA with a 9.4 average rebounding margin. The squad leads the league in defensive rebounds per game, averaging 28.5.
SDSU leads the all-time series over the Roos, 23-5. Kansas City's last win in Brookings came on Jan. 27, 2011, 63-58.
The Jacks won the first meeting on Jan. 23, a 65-64 decision that saw Anderson Kopp score 19 points.