Fresh off a split in its first home conference set this season, the SUU men's basketball team will travel to Purdue-Fort Wayne on Thursday and Oakland on Saturday in hopes of moving up in The Summit League conference standings.
The T-Birds (5-11, 1-4 Summit League) defeated North Dakota State 85-79 in overtime Thursday but backed the win with a loss to South Dakota State on Saturday.
"We played overall pretty well," men's basketball head coach Roger Reid said. "(It was a) great win in an overtime game; I liked the way our guys hung in there and came back.
Against (SDSU), we started off good, but we had seven minute period where we didn't get a field goal. You can't let them have a run like that and we had a great comeback, but it just wasn't enough."
During the two games, senior guard Davis Baker averaged 25 points per game, and because of his late game heroics against NDSU, he received Summit League Player of the Week.
Baker said he wasn't too excited to win the award because he said he believed the outcome of the games was more important.
"I'm glad I played well in those games and I'm glad we got that win against (NDSU)," Baker said. "I wish we could've gotten one against (SDSU), but that was the most important thing ... getting that win."
SUU will begin the new week with IPFW (6-9, 1-4 Summit League) in Fort Wayne, Ind. Thursday night.
"They're a team a lot like us," Reid said. "Our stats with IPFW are just about identical, but the biggest thing is them being at home, so we need to go win on the road."
The Mastodons are led by 6-foot-6 senior forward Deilvez Yearby, who averages nearly 17 points and nine rebounds per game.
"That's going to be a big challenge for (freshman center Matt) Hodgson because (Yearby) gets out on the perimeter," Reid said. "He's quicker than (Hodgson) and that creates a problem because for a guy 6-foot-11 to move his feet like that — it's a mismatch."
IPFW also has junior guard Ben Botts and Zach Plackemeier, who average 11 and nine points respectively this season.
"Botts is one of the best shooters in our league," Reid said. "He can shoot it from anywhere. It's his third year in the league and he started as a freshman. Plackemeier is also a good, so they have great quickness and also some good outside shooters."
Baker said focusing on only one player could have devastating consequences because of their opponent's ability to shoot.
"It's not just one player, it's a team thing," he said "So we need to where everyone is at all times when they set screens."
After the Mastodons, SUU will face Oakland (11-7, 5-0 Summit League), which slipped into the no.21 spot in the Mid-Major top 25 rankings this week.
"They're the most talented team in the league," Reid said. "I haven't studied much of them yet because I've focused on IPFW, but (junior center Keith) Benson and (senior guard Johnathon Jones) and all that, they're just a great team."
Benson lead the Golden Grizzlies heading into the game, averaging 17 points 10 rebounds for a double-double, while Jones averages 11 points and six assists per game.
Benson is coming off a strong December, which helped him receive Summit League Player of the Month award for that month. Jones was tabbed as "pre-season Summit League Player of the Year"
Oakland was picked by Summit League coaches to finish first in the conference and haven't disappointed yet, winning all five games played in conference.
As for the T-Birds, Reid said he has been pleased with the effort in the first five games played in conference this season.
"We've really competed well in every game," he said. "Our guys are competing, it's just sometimes the maturity of the younger guys and understanding how to finish and know what it takes to finish games (is not there). That comes with a lot of experience and confidence, we just need to know — especially with the lead — to keep that mental toughness and hold onto that lead."
Reid also said he was concerned with a bug traveling around the locker room. He said it was the same illness that spread around SUU's women's basketball team and freshman guard Damon Heuir was one of the players on his squad feeling under the weather.
"I've got some guys that are coming down with the flu or some kind of sickness," he said. "It's hard enough just trying to win, but to keep healthy too."
Tip-off against IPFW is slated for 7 p.m. Eastern in Fort Wayne, Ind. on Thursday, while tip-off against Oakland is scheduled for 7 p.m. Eastern in Rochester, Mich. on Saturday.
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