GAME NOTES: In the second round of the 2015 NIT, the eighth-seeded South Dakota State Jackrabbits square off with the fifth-seeded Vanderbilt Commodores at Memorial Gym on Friday night.

The Jackrabbits scored a huge upset in the opening round of the NIT when they knocked of the top-seeded Colorado State Rams, 86-76, on Wednesday night. It was the first ever Division I postseason victory for South Dakota State, which now sits at 24-10 on the season.

Vanderbilt advanced to the second round of the NIT with a 75-64 win at fourth- seeded Saint Mary's on Wednesday. The win bumped the Commodores overall mark to 20-13.

This bout marks the first meeting between these two programs on the hardwood.

George Marshall netted 24 points and dished out six assists for South Dakota State in its win at Colorado State. The Jackrabbits converted 44.8 percent of their field goal tries, including 42.9 percent from beyond the arc. The Rams were held to a .406 shooting percentage which included just 22.7 percent from distance. Colorado State also struggled at the foul line, as it connected on only 19-of-34 free-throw attempts. SDSU outscored the Rams 36-15 on 3-point field goals.

Deondre Parks is the top scorer for South Dakota State with 14.2 ppg while Cody Larson is second with 13.8 ppg and is the Jackrabbits' top rebounder with 7.1 rpg. SDSU scores 73.4 ppg and only allows opponents 64.3 ppg, which gives it a scoring margin of +9.1. The Jackrabbits also convert 45.5 percent of their total shots, which includes a 38 percent performance out on the perimeter. Defensively, South Dakota State yields a mere 40.5 percent success on opposing field goal attempts, which includes 32.8 percent beyond the arc.

Damian Jones led the Commodores with 21 points and seven rebounds in their recent win over Saint Mary's. Vanderbilt shot an impressive 49.2 percent from the field against the Gaels and limited them to a .381 field goal percentage, which included a paltry 16.7 percent from 3-point distance. Vandy scored more points off of turnovers (15-6) than the Gaels, and the Commodores finished the game with only seven turnovers.

Jones is the top scorer for Vanderbilt with 14.6 ppg, and he is also the team's top rebounder with 6.5 rpg. The Commodores score 69.8 ppg and allow opponents to net 63.5 ppg, which gives them a scoring margin of +6.3. The team is efficient from the field (.471), and that includes the effort from distance (.382). Defensively, opponents are hitting only 40.5 percent of their field goal attempts.

This appears to be a great matchup between two teams that score plenty of points and also defend well. Both have also been playing well as of late, with each going 7-2 in its last nine games. The difference could be turnover margin, as South Dakota State is in the black (+0.8) while Vandy is in the red (-1.2). Expect the Jackrabbits to win that particular battle and win a close one on the road.