DUNK CITY, Fla. – Coming off a thrilling victory over Atlantic 10 Conference member UMass on Sunday, the FGCU men's basketball team (6-4) faces another formidable opponent Saturday at Alico Arena when South Dakota State (9-2) visits for a 5 p.m. tipoff. The Jackrabbits received one vote in the USA Today Coaches Poll on Monday for the first time in their Division-I history.
 
OPENING TIP
FGCU continues an extremely challenging stretch as South Dakota State will be the first of two home opponents ranked in the top 80 of the official RPI as the Jackrabbits are 54th. The Eagles began a stretch of three straight and nine of 10 at home versus UMass, which entered the contest with an RPI of 137. The stern series of games continues on Tuesday for FGCU when Louisiana Tech comes to town carrying an RPI of 80 and record of 8-2. Combined, SDSU and LA Tech went 51-20 last year and won three games in the NIT. FGCU is currently 148 in the RPI, with two opportunities at home in the next four days to jump significantly.
 
WHAT TO KNOW
Tickets are still available and can be secured by logging on to FGCUAthletics.com/Tickets or by visiting the Alico Arena Ticket Office. For those not able to make it to The Nest, the game – like all FGCU home contests – will be broadcast on ESPN3 and via the WatchESPN app with David Moulton and J. Webb Horton on the call. Saturday is a GREENOUT with all fans in attendance encouraged to wear green.
 
HOLIDAY PUNCH PASS
Saturday also represents the first time the holiday punch pass can be utilized, which provides fans the opportunity to see both the men's and women's teams at a discounted rate during the holiday season. The holiday punch pass allows fans to see three games – one men's contest and two women's contests – for just $15, representing a 50-percent savings. Fans will receive a pass, and upon entry into Alico Arena it will be punched. The punch pass can be used at three of the following games (one men's, two women's):
 
Dec. 19 | 5 PM | Men vs. South Dakota State
Dec. 22 | 7 PM | Men vs. Louisiana Tech
Dec. 28 | 7 PM | Women vs. Quinnipiac
Dec. 30 | 7 PM | Women vs. Auburn
Jan. 2 | 4 PM | Men vs. Eckerd*
Jan. 2 | 7 PM | Women vs. Hartford*
* The games are separately ticketed (would count as two of the three punches)
 
To secure a punch pass, or for more information, visit the Alico Arena Ticket Office Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., call the office at 239-590-7145 or log on to FGCUAthletics.com/Tickets.
 
TOYS FOR TOTS
Fans are encouraged to bring new, unwrapped toys to Saturday's game and Tuesday's contest against Louisiana Tech as part of the Toys for Tots program. Boxes will be available immediately upon entry into Alico Arena at the marketing tables for the toys to be placed. On Thursday, Dec. 17, the men's basketball team delivered previously-donated toys to the Golisano Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida, and video of their visit will be shown for the first time on the Alico Arena video board Saturday night.
 
TWEETABLES
1) SDSU has made more 3-pointers than its opponents in every game this year; FGCU enters with the nation's 6th-best perimeter defense (24.5 percent).
2) All six of FGCU's wins have come when the Eagles have secured more rebounds than their opponent.
3) Since 2013-14, FGCU is 38-2 when leading at the half, 41-3 when out-rebounding its opponent and 31-4 when scoring at least 70 points.
4) FGCU has already overcome two second-half double-digit deficits this year for the first time in program history, and three total second-half deficits.
5) The FGCU bench has posted 35-37 points each of the last four games; it is averaging 32.5 per game this year with a high of 58 versus Bowling Green.
 
RECAPPING LAST YEAR'S MEETING
FGCU started the second half on a 10-0 run to break open a 31-31 halftime tie and turn it into a 71-58 win over South Dakota State on Nov. 30, 2014, in the first meeting between the two teams in Sioux Falls, about an hour from the Jackrabbits' campus in Brookings. The contest was played at the neutral-site Sanford Pentagon, although most in the sellout crowd of 3,250 were clad in blue and yellow in support of the Jackrabbits.
 
SCOUTING SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
^ SDSU has led by at least 20 points in all nine of its wins this year, with the lone losses coming at a UMKC team which has defeated Mississippi State this year and most recently Wednesday night at Texas Tech despite leading at the half.
^ The Jackrabbits received 30 of 34 first-place votes and were the near unanimous favorites in The Summit League this season as they return nearly their entire roster from 2014-15.
^ SDSU has led at the half of every single game it has played this year, including the 64-57 loss at UMKC and the 79-67 setback at Texas Tech.
^ The Jackrabbits have five players averaging double-figure points: Deondre Parks (17.5), George Marshall (12.9), Mike Daum (11.9), Jake Bittle (11.7) and Reed Tellinghuisen (10.1). However, Marshall – a Wisconsin transfer who has played in eight games this year – is not expected to play as he remains sidelined with a stress fracture.
 
A-SUN NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK
Freshman Rayjon Tucker (Charlotte, N.C./Northside Christian Academy) was named the Atlantic Sun Conference Newcomer of the Week on Monday by league officials. With FGCU trailing Massachusetts on Sunday, 76-74, Tucker drove down the lane, drew a foul and hit a floater from about six feet out with 10.6 seconds left. The true first-year player then hit the free throw to complete his 15-point outing in leading the Eagles to a 77-76 victory in their only game during final exam week.
 
Tucker came off the bench to record his second double-digit scoring game of the season with 15, bettering his previous high of 10 set against Youngstown State in a triple-overtime win. He went 7-8 from the free-throw line, 4-7 from the floor and scored 10 of his points in the final 10 minutes of the game. The 6-5 combo guard also secured seven rebounds – three of which came on the offensive end – in 24 total minutes.
 
INCREASE IN SCORING
Several new rules were put into place this year to help increase scoring in men's college basketball, and so far that has been the case. FGCU is averaging 78.1 points per game through its first 10 games of the season, an increase of 10.7 per outing from 2014-15 when it averaged 67.4 for the year. The Eagles aren't alone, either. Entering games this week, every single team in the A-Sun had a higher scoring average so far this year than last season.
 
FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS?
True freshman Reggie Reid (Harlem, Ga./Harlem HS) ranks 7th in the nation in assist rate at 41.7 percent – the percentage of field goals made by a team that a player assists on while he is in the game. Reid is the only freshman in the top 45 in the country on the list. Last year, Brett Comer – who graduated ranking 24th on the all-time NCAA career assist list with 845 – finished the season ranking 2nd in the same category at 45.9 percent.
 
HOME SUCCESS
FGCU is 48-8 at Alico Arena since 2012-13. Three of those eight losses occurred in the final four games of last season, with the eight setbacks overall coming to Lipscomb, Iona, Mercer, FIU, North Florida, USC Upstate, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Bowling Green. FGCU is 5-1 at home this year, was 13-4 last year, went 15-2 in 2013-14 and 15-1 in 2012-13.
 
NATIONAL RANKS
In addition to ranking 6th in the nation in 3-point percentage defense at .254, FGCU ranks 19th in the country in rebounds per game at 43.3. The Eagles are also 38th in the nation in offensive rebounds per game at 14.
 
YOUNG, TALENTED AND DEEP
FGCU has just two seniors on its roster, and so far this year 83 percent of its scoring, 85 percent of its rebounding (excluding team rebounds) and 87 percent of its assists have come from non-seniors.
 
Not only are the Eagles young and talented, but they are deep as already this year 10 different players have reached double-figure points in a game. The only team in the nation with more is Georgia Southern with 11. Additionally, FGCU had four different leading scorers through its first six games.
 
Below is a list of players who have already scored 10 or more points in a game, their season high and how many times they've led the team in scoring.
 
R-Jr. Marc-Eddy Norelia (4): 34
R-Fr. Zach Johnson (1): 26
So. Christian Terrell (4): 24
R-Sr. Filip Cvjeticanin (1): 18
Fr. Reid: 18
R-Sr. Julian DeBose: 16
Fr. Tucker: 15
R-So. Antravious Simmons: 13
R-So. Kevin Mickle: 12
R-Jr. Demetris Morant: 11
 
NEXT UP
FGCU will welcome another strong opponent to Alico in Louisiana Tech on Tuesday, Dec. 22, at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs went 27-9 last year and were considered by many an NCAA Tournament snub. LA Tech's 8-2 record so far this year includes a win at Ohio State and a victory over a very strong UT Arlington team which has already claimed wins at Ohio State and Memphis, and its only other loss is at Texas in overtime. LA Tech's only two losses have come at Memphis and Ole Miss.
 
TICKET INFORMATION
Single-game tickets are currently on sale for all remaining home contests. For the latest ticket information, log on to FGCUAthletics.com or call the Alico Arena Ticket Office at 239-590-7145.

SOCIAL CENTRAL
For up-to-the-minute information and behind-the-scenes access to the men's basketball program, follow @FGCU_MBB on Twitter and Instagram, Like us on Facebook at /FGCUMBB and watch us on Snapchat at FGCU_MBB.
 
COACH DOOLEY 
FGCU is led by head coach Joe Dooley, who is in his third year with the Eagles in 2015-16 and coached six all-conference selections during his first two seasons. He guided FGCU to its first Atlantic Sun Conference Regular-Season Championship and first trip to the NIT in 2014, and in 2015 he led the Eagles to their third-straight 20-win season and third-straight postseason appearance with a berth in the CIT. Prior to arriving in SWFL, Dooley spent 10 seasons as an assistant at Kansas under head coach Bill Self. During those 10 seasons, Kansas produced 300 wins, nine straight Big 12 regular-season titles, six Big 12 Tournament championships, six NCAA Sweet 16s, five NCAA Elite Eight appearances and two Final Fours, including the 2008 National Championship. Dooley is in his seventh season overall as a head coach and has a record of 107-80 (.573), and in his 2+ years with FGCU is 50-28 (.641).
 
SUPPORT THE CAUSE 
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.