SDSU gets key reinforcement tonight; ALM will be there

No live chat today. Why? Because I'll be en route to Logan, Utah, to cover the South Dakota State's men's basketball team for a three-game stint at the World Vision Classic hosted by Utah State.

Why make that trip? Because it will mark the Jackrabbits debut of touted transfer George Marshall, a former starting point guard at the University of Wisconsin. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound junior from Chicago is listed as the probable starter tonight for a 6:30 CT contest against Idaho State. (I'll have a live game blog.)

After the Jacks' most recent outing, a narrow home victory over Idaho, coach Scott Nagy gave a lengthy list of what he expects Marshall to provide based on what he's seen over a year of practices: He can handle, he can score; he'll prevent teams from doubling post Cody Larson, he'll open up space for shooting guard Deondre Parks; he'll add depth and he's good at defending ball screens.

Other than that ...

It's an unusual situation, SDSU getting a supposed star-type veteran player at a key position in the middle of a season. That's very different than, say, picking up a young wing like Griffan Callahan for second semester a few years back.

Nagy cautioned that there may be a transition period. However, it's not like Marshall is new to the program or his teammates. And none of the first three games are against world beaters. Idaho State and Bakersfield are ranked in the 300s in terms of RPI. Saturday foe Utah State is by far the best at No. 99. (SDSU is 163rd).

What's more, the Jacks are getting Marshall while being in relatively good standing, having avoided any sort of spirit-crushing start. If anything, it's been the opposite: A 6-3 mark with a young squad is reason to be encouraged rather than discouraged.

Now it's time for Phase 2 of the three-part season – the last five non-conference games on the schedule. None of those will be at home, and two will be against top-25 teams (Utah and Northern Iowa). Can SDSU make a statement before jumping into a Summit League race that figures to be unusually wide open? Stay tuned.

Terry Vandrovec also posts regular updates on his Twitter page.