South Dakota State seemed ticketed for a tension-filled final stretch against George Mason in the final game of the Mammoth Sports Construction Crossover Classic. Until all of a sudden, they weren't. 
 
Down two with just under 10 minutes left, two of the Jackrabbits' stars played the hits: a Doug Wilson high percentage look, a deep Baylor Scheierman three and then a Scheierman fastbreak alley-oop to Wilson thrown from the halfcourt line.

In a little over three minutes, the Jackrabbits had brought the pro-SDSU crowd at the Sanford Pentagon crowd to its feet and built a seven-point lead that would largely stay in the comfort zone the rest of the game. 
 
That type of punch-after-punch sequence is what teams will need to navigate past with the Jackrabbits on the schedule this season. In Scheierman, Wilson and Noah Friedel, SDSU may well feature one of the most potent mid-major trios in the country. The three have spearheaded a 7-2 start that is the program's best in three seasons, with wins already against teams from the A-10, Mountain West and Missouri Valley. 
 
Having threats up and down the roster has helped fuel the fast start.
 
"We've done a really good job of celebrating each other's successes," head coach Eric Henderson said after a win over Montana State on Nov. 17. "That's something we need to continue to do and we've had different guys step up on different nights, I've talked about that with this team."
 
Friedel, for his part, has stepped up time and time again. The sophomore returned to the court after missing the latter half of last season to focus on his mental health, and has done what he's always done for SDSU: score the basketball. And like in year's past, he's demanded attention on the perimeter as one of the country's most dangerous marksmen.
 
Heading into Thursday's games, no Division I player had taken more spot up jump shots than Friedel according to Synergy Sports, and he's cashed those opportunities in at a high clip. His five made 3-pointers in a topsy-turvy win against Prairie View A&M on Tuesday gave him multiple made triples in each game this season, all adding up to a team-leading 20.3 points per game scoring average that doubles as a career high. 
 
That perimeter potency has paired with Scheierman's continued breakout (14.1 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 4.1 apg) as a playmaker and defensive rebounding whiz. The 6-foot-6 sophomore guard has been arguably the most well-rounded player in the country so far this season, a seemingly hyperbolic statement with stats to back it up. The Aurora, Neb. native has already posted three games with at least 10 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, while no other Division I player has more than two. 
 
He was the best player on the court in the Jackrabbits empathetic, century mark-topping win over Nevada (18 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists), a team that boasts an elite playmaker of its own in point guard Grant Sherfield. 
 
Scheierman was able to play off Wilson in that win over the Wolf Pack, as the senior forward put in a season-high 24 points. 
 
Henderson said that was the start of an uptick for his low post star.
 
"[Wilson] got off to a little bit of a slow start this year, but I think last five games he's really done a nice job of making his impact felt in multiple ways," he said after SDSU's 99-90 win over PVAMU on Tuesday night that was nervier than the head coach likely expected.
 
The Jackrabbits coach also praised Wilson's defensive rebounding and the versatility he brings to the team on defense, but he's been as big a part of SDSU's offensive ascendancy as anyone. The big man has, as has been his collegiate calling card, generated high percentage looks throughout the year, highlighted by a 9-for-11 night from the floor against Nevada. He's not hit the mind-boggling efficiency he did in his debut season in 2019-20, but he's been a force in the offensive paint (15.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg). 
 
It's all added up to a Jackrabbits offense that currently ranks 13th in the country in efficiency per KenPom.com, and that is shooting the ball at a rate that sits within the top 10 nationally. The Friedel-Scheierman-Wilson triad has done much of the heavy lifting, but the Jackrabbits have had plenty of other contributors. 
 
Alex Arians helped stabilize things in the hectic game against PVAMU's frenetic press (12 points, 6 assists), and Charlie Easley (7.0 ppg) has yet again added depth to Henderson's backcourt. On the perimeter, freshman Zeke Mayo has emerged as a reliable defender immediately, while Luke Appel and Matt Dentlinger have both added rim protecting rotation production. 
 
Put together, the preseason league favorite has looked the part thus far, even with the slight scare against PVAMU. Henderson talked about what he saw from his team in that high-scoring win. 
 
"It wasn't a championship effort," he said. "We need to make sure we have elite focus and connectivity on both sides of the floor on a way more consistent basis. It has to mean something to us on every possession...we'll watch it, we'll learn from it and that's how we challenged them after the game."
 
After a home game against Minnesota Morris, the Jackrabbits and their star trio will look to apply those lessons on the road for three non-conference games before Summit play begins.