Sixth-seeded Jackrabbits draw No. 11 Quinnipiac in first round

2019 NCAA Division I Women’s Tournament

Posted

BROOKINGS – South Dakota State earned a No. 6 seed – the highest in Summit League history – in the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament and will face 11th-seeded Quinnipiac in the first round of the Portland Regional on Saturday at 10 a.m. CT at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y.

“We kind of thought 6 or 7 seed; that’s where we kind of mapped out with everybody else that was in that kind of group,” said SDSU coach Aaron Johnston following a Selection Show gathering Monday night at Cubby’s Sports Bar & Grill in downtown Brookings. “I’m really happy for the team. I think it’s remarkable; I mean, you have to have a really good year to be in that group – you’re not just sneaking in the tournament.

“So it was a great accomplishment for the ladies and I’m really happy for them.”

The game will air live on ESPN2.

“It’s really cool to get a 6 seed,” said Macy Miller, the Summit League and SDSU leader in career points with 2,295 in 141 games. “That’s probably the highest we’ve ever been and it’s pretty cool. Pretty cool that our coaches gave us a really tough nonconference, so that kind of got us ready.

“We will be ready for the NCAA Tournament and it’s pretty cool just the level we’re playing at right now and we want to carry that into the tournament.”

Host and third-seeded Syracuse (24-8) takes on No. 14 Fordham (25-8) on Saturday at noon.

The winners face off in the second round Monday.

“It’s really exciting,” said Madison Guebert, the league and school recordholder in career 3-pointers (360) and one of SDSU’s top scorers all-time. “Being the highest seed for us, that’s just something that’s such an honor for the university and our team and just speaks to the hard work and dedication that the women’s basketball program has had – not just this year and not just in the last couple years, but really from the beginning to really build this program up the way it has been built up.”

Jackrabbits

SDSU has a 26-6 record with victories in each of its past 16 games.

The Jackrabbits won the Summit League regular-season title with a 15-1 record. They beat fellow NCAA Tournament qualifier South Dakota 83-71 in the postseason tourney title game March 12.

SDSU and USD split during the regular season.

“It’s been good,” Johnston said of his team’s play as of late. “The first couple days after (the Summit League tournament) we were kind of banged up so we were just taking some time off and trying to keep people healthy. We had a lot of people kind of sick and in and out of practice. So just kind of trying to keep our legs under us.

“But now that we know who we’re playing and when we’re playing, it just brings a lot of energy and focus to what we do. And I know the team is looking forward to getting at it and trying to get ready to play.”

The Jackrabbits are healing up.

“Everybody’s in a really good place,” Johnston added. “Most people are practicing and I don’t suspect anybody would be out this weekend.”

The Jackrabbits were in the 27th spot in the final AP poll, released Monday.

SDSU is making its 13th consecutive postseason appearance and ninth in the NCAA Tournament in 11 years of eligibility.

SDSU has won 20 or more games in 13 of its 15 seasons in the Division I era, picking up 19 victories in the other two (2005-06 and 2010-11). The Jackrabbits have a 362-122 record (.748) over that stretch.

SDSU has reached the 25-win mark seven times.

SDSU – DIVISION I POSTSEASON

Overall: 9-12.

NCAA: 2-8 (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019).

WNIT: 7-4 (2007, 2008, 2014, 2017).

NCAA TOURNAMENT

2009 – No. 7 Raleigh Region

Lubbock, Texas

First round (March 22): Def. No. 10 TCU 90-55

Second round (March 24): Lost to No. 2 Baylor 60-58

2010 – No. 14 Kansas City Region

Norman, Okla.

First round (March 21): * Lost to No. 3 Oklahoma 68-57

2011 – No. 15 Spokane Region

Cincinnati, Ohio

First round (March 20): * Lost to No. 2 Xavier 72-56

2012 – No. 13 Fresno Region

West Lafayette, Ind.

First round (March 17): * Lost to No. 4 Purdue 83-68

2013 – No. 13 Norfolk Region

Boulder, Colo.

First round (March 23): Lost to No. 4 South Carolina 74-53

2015 – No. 14 Spokane Region

Corvallis, Ore.

First round (March 20): * Lost to No. 3 Oregon State 74-62

2016 – No. 12 Lexington Region

Pala Alto, Calif.

First round (March 19): Def. No. 5 Miami 74-71

Second round (March 21): * Lost to No. 4 Stanford 66-65

2018 – No. 8 Spokane Region

Notre Dame, Ind.

First round (March 16): Lost to No. 9 Villanova 81-73 (OT)

2019 – No. 6 Portland Region

Syracuse, N.Y.

First round (March 23): vs. No. 11 Quinnipiac

   * true road game

Miller, the two-time Summit League Player of the Year and three-time Tournament MVP, leads the way with 18.06 points per game while adding 5.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists. She’s shooting 54.7 percent from the field, 44.8 percent from long range and 84.6 percent at the foul line.

Guebert, a three-time all-Summit League first team selection, adds 14 points per contest. She’s 94-of-221 (42.5 percent) on 3-pointers.

Guebert ranks fourth in school history and 11th in the Summit League with 1,787 points. She needs 19 to move into a tie for 10th in the latter category.

Myah Selland contributes 12.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. She was an all-Summit League honorable mention. Selland missed a pair of games with a foot injury during conference play.

Tagyn Larson averages 11 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. The all-Summit League second team performer is shooting 56.4 percent from the field.

Tylee Irwin adds 7.7 points, starting all but one game.

Paiton Burckhard, a member of the Summit League All-Newcomer team, is shooting 60.2 percent from the field while contributing 5.7 points.

The Jackrabbits go at least eight deep, as Sydney Palmer, Lindsey Theuninck and Rylie Cascio Jensen have appeared in all 32 games this year.

South Dakota State scores 80 points per game while giving up 62.5.

The Jackrabbits are shooting 48.4 percent from the field with 250 treys. They are plus-7.5 on the glass and plus-1.4 in turnover margin.

Bobcats

Quinnipiac (26-6) is on a 21-game winning streak, running the table in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular season and then picking up three wins in the postseason tourney, including an 81-51 defeat of Marist in the final for its third consecutive MAAC tournament crowns.

Quinnipiac is making its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance since 2013. The Bobcats made a run to the Sweet 16 as a No. 12 seed in 2017 and beat Miami 86-72 in an 8/9 first-round matchup a year ago.

Defense appears to be the Bobcats’ calling card.

They allow just 50.5 points per game, limiting opponents to 35.9 percent shooting. They force 21 turnovers and come up with 11.5 steals and 3.6 blocks per contest.

Quinnipiac averages 65.3 points offensively, shooting 38.3 percent.

“We’ve never played them; we’ve seen them play as we’ve kind of prepared for other teams,” said Johnston. “I think they’re always really good defensively. Offensively, really fundamental; take care of the ball; get good shots.

“They’re really not that different than some of the really good mid-majors we’ve played or ourselves. I think there are a lot of good similarities.

“Really, the difference between a 6 and an 11 seed is just a couple of games. I know on the bracket you feel like there’s a big difference there but really you’re talking about one or two wins and that’s really it. We’ll have to get ourselves ready to play someone that’s similar to us and obviously going to defend really well.”

Jen Fay leads a balanced attack with 12.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.8 steals per game.

All-MAAC first team selection Aryn McClure totals 10.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and a pair of steals per outing.

Paula Stautman, an All-MAAC second team pick, adds 9.3 points, 5.1 boards, two dimes, 1.7 steals and 1.8 blocks.

Brittany Martin scores 8.3 points and MAAC Sixth Woman of the Year Taylor Herd eight to go with 3.3 rebounds. Edel Thornton contributes 6.3 points, 2.7 assists and 1.8 steals.

“It’s always exciting to play a team that you don’t know that much about,” Guebert said. “It’s just a different challenge for us. Like I said before to a lot of people, everyone has that extra energy and extra edge, especially in the first round because everyone is just excited to be in the tournament.

“So, yeah, I think it’s just really exciting to play a team we haven’t played before.”

What will be the keys for the Jackrabbits?

“I’d say just playing at the level we were playing at in the Summit League tournament,” noted Miller. “We had a bunch of key contributors and we had the depth off the bench – we had a lot of people step up and play well.

“Like always, defense is a big thing and I think that really motivates our offense and I think if we play like we did in the Summit League, we can make a run.”

Quinnipiac University is located in Hamden, Conn.

Coyotes

South Dakota received an at-large bid and is also in the Portland Region.

“I think it’s great,” Johnston said. “People always ask ‘do you root against USD in these situations’ – any other Summit League team that can do well and play in postseason tournaments is good and this year it’s USD. We hope that there are other teams. We hope that we continue to be in that conversation and the more teams we get there, the better it is for all of us.”

The eighth-seeded Coyotes face ninth-seeded Clemson in the first round Friday at 6 p.m. in Starkville, Miss.

USD (28-5, 14-2) finished second in both the Summit League regular-season standings and postseason tourney.

The Coyotes were ranked as high as 23rd in the AP poll on Feb. 18. They finished tied for 29th in the final.

“I think it’s so great for our state just to have two South Dakota teams in the tournament,” said Larson, a Sioux Falls native. “It really puts us on the map. We’re two great teams competing, so I think it’s a really great thing.”

USD also qualified for the NCAA tourney in 2014 and was a No. 15 seed, falling 81-62 at No. 2 Stanford in the first round.

Mississippi State is the No. 1 seed in the Portland Region and takes on Southern University in the first round Friday at 8 p.m.

The USD/Clemson winner and MSU/SU winner square off in the second round Sunday.

Round IV?

The regional semifinals (Sweet 16) and regional final (Elite Eight) are March 29 and 31, respectively, in Portland.

SDSU and USD would both need three wins to meet up again – in the Elite Eight.

In the rest of the Portland Regional, No. 2 Oregon takes on No. 15 Portland State and No. 7 Texas faces No. 10 Indiana on Friday in Eugene, Ore., and No. 4 Miami plays No. 13 Florida Gulf Coast and No. 5 Arizona State squares off with No. 12 UCF on Friday in Coral Gables, Fla.

Summit League

The conference, which began sponsoring women’s basketball for the 1992-93 season, put two women’s teams in the NCAA Tournament for the second time.

The first occurrence came in 1994.

That year, Green Bay (18-11, 13-5) beat Northern Illinois (24-6, 18-0) in the Summit League tourney final. The Phoenix were a No. 15 seed in the NCAA Tournament after earning the automatic bid, while the Huskies were a No. 11 as an at-large.

It’s happened twice – 1990 and 1991 – in 33 years on the men’s side

In 1990, Northern Iowa (23-9, 6-6) dropped Missouri State (22-7, 11-1) in the title game. The Panthers picked up the 14th seed in the NCAA Tournament and went on to record a victory, while the Bears were a No. 9 seed as an at-large.

In 1991, Green Bay (24-7, 13-3) defeated Northern Illinois (25-6, 14-2) in the title game. The Phoenix earned a No. 12 seed in the NCAA Tournament and the Huskies were a No. 13 as an at-large.

Summit League teams are 12-61 in the Big Dance – 9-34 on the men’s side and 3-27 on the women’s.

Cleveland State (1986) and Valparaiso (1998) both reached the Sweet 16 in the men’s tournament. No women’s program has ever advanced past the second round.

Bracket drama, or lack thereof

ESPNU accidentally leaked the bracket early on Monday during one of its regularly-scheduled programs.

The Selection Show was then moved up to 4 p.m. CT and re-aired at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN.