South Dakota and South Dakota State tip-off in the championship game of the Summit League Tournament at 1 p.m. Tuesday inside the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, S.D.
The Game
South Dakota and South Dakota State meet in Tuesday's Summit League Tournament championship game for the fifth time in seven years. The Coyotes are 13-5 all-time in the Summit League Tournament with their lone win coming in 2014. In the four years since, the Coyotes have played in the Women's National Invitation Tournament, winning it all in 2016. The Summit League, by its current name, has never had two bids to the NCAA Tournament. Its only two-bid season came back in 1994 when it was known as the Mid-Continent Conference with Northern Illinois and Green Bay both qualifying. Bracketology and projections have both teams in the field of 64... both regular season meetings between this pair went to overtime... could this be the year?
The Coyotes
No. 25 South Dakota (28-4) had one of the most successful regular seasons in program history, tying the program record 26 regular season victories. The Coyotes reached today's final with a 74-51 win over North Dakota State followed by an 84-61 win over North Dakota. South Dakota had four players reach double-figures in both wins. The Coyotes are led by all-Summit League first team guards
Allison Arens and
Ciara Duffy. The lone senior on the Summit's top defensive team, Arens was also named the Summit League Defensive Player of the Year. The sophomore duo of
Chloe Lamb and
Hannah Sjerven were honorable mention selections. Sjerven also brought home the league's Sixth Woman of the Year and Transfer of the Year awards. Also recognized was USD head coach
Dawn Plitzuweit, who was named the Summit League Coach of the Year for the second-straight season. She has 80 wins in her first three seasons.
The Jackrabbits
South Dakota State (25-6) captured its first regular season Summit League title in five years. The Jackrabbits reached today's final with an 88-50 win over Purdue Fort Wayne followed by an 86-55 victory over Oral Roberts. South Dakota State is led by the Summit League's Player of the Year Macy Miller who runs the Jacks' offense, while fellow senior Madison Guebert compliments her as one of the program's best 3-point shooters in history. Junior forward Tagyn Larson garnered second-team honors as the Jacks' leading rebounder. Three of SDSU's six losses this season came to ranked opponents.
The Series
South Dakota State leads the all-time series 57-30 with the Jacks winning four of five meetings in Sioux Falls. The Coyotes and the Jackrabbits split the regular season series with three overtimes between the two games.
One Last Thing
The 3-ball has not dropped in the last five games against the Dakota schools. The Coyotes instead turned inside, averaging 42 points in the paint in the last five.
Mick and John: Summit League Tournament Preview
John Thayer of the Coyote Sports Network and Mick Garry, a special contributor to GoYotes.com, sat down to discuss the Coyote men's and women's basketball teams at the Summit League Tournament in Sioux Falls. Check out their takes on what to watch for as you head to the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center.
