SDSU men, women to play in NCAA tournament

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - Both the South Dakota State men and women punched their tickets to the NCAA tournament. The men and women won the Summit League conference tournament, earning an automatic bid.

For the men, they earned a 15-seed and will play 2-seeded Iowa State on Thursday in Omaha, Nebraska. The Jackrabbits and Cyclones have played seven previous times, and Iowa State leads the series 5-2. However, SDSU has won the last two meetings, most recently in December 2020. This is SDSU’s 7th all-time tournament appearance.

“I was pretty excited,” senior guard Matt Mims said. “Even just being from Iowa and playing an Iowa school. I think that makes it even much, even better. I’m really excited for this opportunity. I have a pretty special connection with TJ (Otzelberger), he taught me a lot. I was only with him for a year, but he taught me a lot.”

“There’s just a lot of respect. It’s exciting to be playing close to home,” head coach Eric Henderson said. “It’s great for our fans. We have a couple Nebraska guys, so to be able to get down there and play in front of their families is pretty special. But then obviously with coach Otzelberger just the amount of respect that I have for him, the opportunities that he’s given me in this profession are just really endless.”

“Well I knew it was a potential place we were going to play, and I’m just excited that it happened,” senior guard and Nebraska native, Charlie Easley said. “It’s pretty cool and special for me that I know a lot of my family and friends are going to be able to go to the game.”

On the other hand, the SDSU women earn a 12-seed and are set to face 5th-seeded Utah on Saturday in Spokane, Washington. The year marks the third time in the last four years that SDSU has made the tournament. And it’s the second year in row they’ve won the conference tournament. The Jackrabbits finished with a 27-5 record, winning their last 21 games.

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