South Dakota State Faces UConn in Second Round of NCAA Tournament

South Dakota State Faces UConn in Second Round of NCAA Tournament
Grzegorz
Grzegorz3 months ago

No. 10 South Dakota State secured a victory over 7-seed Oklahoma State on Saturday afternoon, setting up a showdown with No. 2 UConn in the NCAA Tournament’s Second Round at Gampel Pavilion on Monday night. UConn triumphed over No. 15 Arkansas State, and this contest marks the first-ever meeting between the Huskies and the Jackrabbits.

KEY STORYLINES

  • Monday’s game will feature an encounter between two veteran coaches, SDSU’s Aaron Johnston and UConn’s Geno Auriemma. Auriemma and Johnston hold the top two spots in career wins among coaches with their entire coaching tenure at one school, with Auriemma boasting 1,244 wins and Johnston 627. Both possess valuable experience with USA Basketball.
  • Saturday’s win against Oklahoma State was SDSU’s 30th victory of the season, marking the third time in the program’s history they have reached this milestone, all under Johnston’s leadership.
  • The Jackrabbits are riding the longest active winning streak in the country, having clinched 20 consecutive victories.
  • Aaron Johnston is making his 13th NCAA Tournament appearance in 17 eligible Division I seasons. With the first-round win in 2025, SDSU holds a 6-12 overall NCAA Tournament record, with their deepest advancement to the Sweet 16 in 2019.
  • The team is spearheaded by the dynamic Meyer-Meyer duo. Junior Brooklyn Meyer contributes an impressive 17.4 points per game with a 64% shooting accuracy, ranking her sixth nationally. Senior Paige Meyer leads in assists with 5.3 per game, also scoring 12 points per outing.
  • Coach Johnston hailed senior point guard Paige Meyer as being uniquely impactful on the court, highlighting her scoring versatility, strategic vision, defense, and leadership skills.
  • Haleigh Timmer, the team’s second-highest scorer, averages 13.1 points per game and is effective from long-range to the basket, boasting elite shooting skills.
  • The Jackrabbits are ranked sixth nationally in overall field goal percentage at .483 and 15th in three-point percentage at .370, having achieved over 50% from the field on 15 occasions this season.
  • Two of SDSU’s three defeats came against top-tier teams, Texas and Duke, both ranked in the top seven of the AP Poll. The matchup against Duke was narrowly lost by just four points at their home venue, the First Bank and Trust Arena, in mid-November.
  • SDSU concluded the Summit League’s regular season with a remarkable streak of 63 consecutive conference game victories, placing them sixth all-time in the NCAA. With an 81-1 record in season play over the past five years, the Jackrabbits have maintained an unbeaten conference run in four of the last five seasons.

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