Just two games in to the 2015 Summit League basketball schedule and it's already apparent that South Dakota State's men are falling into a dangerous funk.

After a non-conference schedule plagued at times by a lack of energy, the Jackrabbits went out and played two very uninspired first halves in the opening weekend of  conference play, only to see furious second half rallies nearly give them big come-from-behind wins.

At Denver Friday, SDSU allowed the Pioneers to hit for 60 percent from the floor early on, falling behind by as many as 15 on the road, before a second half spark brought the Jacks to within five in the final minute of the game, before falling 76-69.

Two days later in Fargo, the hole was even deeper for South Dakota State, who hit just one of their first 14 shots to trail be as many as 21 at North Dakota State.

But like in Denver, the Jacks caught fire in the second half, with Cody Larson and Deondre Parks going 12-of-18 for 36 points, as SDSU pulled to within one in the final minute, before losing 72-69.

Jacks head coach Scott Nagy told me those first half struggles are just a continuation of what's been a season long theme for his team:

Garret Covington - Western Illinois
(Photo by Dave Eggen/Inertia)
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Wednesday, the Jackrabbits play in front of their home fans for the first time in more than three weeks as they host Western Illinois.

The Leathernecks feature one of the top players in the Summit League in guard Garret Covington, who was the conference's 'Newcomer of the Year' as a freshman in 2014, averaging 15 points and five rebounds a game.

Inside, WIU has one of the top rebounders in the Summit League in 6-7 forward   Mohamed Conde.

I asked Coach Nagy about Covington and Conde:

Tipoff is 7:00pm in Brookings Wednesday night.

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