1. Nate Wolters was fantastic per usual in South Dakota State's win over IUPUI. The junior point guard had 22 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals, and just 2 turnovers. Beyond the floaters, the put-backs, and the "take and makes," what impressed me most about his performance was that he got his assist total on a night when the Jacks made just four shots from beyond the arc. As noted in our Conference Metrics Guide, 68 percent of Wolters' in-conference assists came on three-pointers this season. Tonight, just two of his six dishes were on buckets from downtown. That's a considerable break from the norm, and yet Wolters got his assists and the Jacks maintained their impressive offensive efficiency.
2. On the other end of the floor, the Jacks bottled up IUPUI, forcing the opponent into 15 turnovers on approximately 62 possessions. What's striking about that number is that the Jaguars were very good at taking care of the ball this season. Their turnover rate in conference games was just 17 percent -- a value that trailed only South Dakota State for lowest in the league. While coach Scott Nagy has had his squad playing as crisp as ever on offense, tonight its defense was just as impressive.
3. While he committed 5 of those 15 turnovers, Ian Chiles otherwise had a strong outing on a night when Alex Young struggled from the field. The sophomore attacked the basket and went 7-of-13 on his two-point attempts. He also chipped in four assists and three steals. Once he won a spot in the starting line-up, Chiles became a solid contributor for coach Todd Howard. He could be in-line for an even larger role next year. If he continues to take it to the basket more in the future, one can imagine he'll be rewarded with more than the one free throw attempt he received tonight.
Senior Send-off
Christian Siakam, Stephen Thomas, and Alex Young played their final game in an IUPUI uniform on Saturday night.
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