March Madness!!!

I've never been one to buy into March Madness. It's probably because I went to South Dakota State University (SDSU). Up until 5 years ago, the Jackrabbits of SDSU were a Division II school. Five years ago, they made the jump to Division I, but weren't eligible for the postseason, because of the mandatory transition period. This is the first year the men's and women's basketball teams are eligible for the NCAA tournament. They are members of the Summit League, which has an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament for the Conference Tourney Champ.

The Summit League Conference Tourney started yesterday in Sioux Falls, SD. So, it's almost a home game for both teams. The Women's Team was up first. The Women's team is outstanding this year. They were 28-2 going into the game and ranked 14th in the nation...not bad for a team from little SDSU. In fact, they've garnered some national attention this year, with their top player, Jennifer Warkenthien, being spotlighted in USA Today, and potentially getting All American consideration. So, the Jackrabbit Women are expected to win the Conference Tournament, and get the automatic berth to the NCAA tournament. Even if they don't win, they "should" get an at large berth. Yesterday was a good start, as they won 77-49 to advance to the Conference Semifinals on Monday. Hopefully they'll continue to win out and get the automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. Winning the Summit League Tournament will mean a higher seed and an easier 1st and 2nd round opponent, so these games mean something.

The Jackrabbit Men's team is a different story. They were 13-19 going into yesterday's game, and were the No. 7 seed in the 8 team tournament. They've struggled in their transition to Division I. They were a top notch Division II program, making the Sweet 16 or Elite 8 nearly every year. But, they've had a difficult time managing the 5 year transition period. This season, they have shown signs of turning things around. They've won more games, and they've played a lot of close games. They could easily have been 17-15 had a few games gone differently in the final seconds. Yesterday, they were matched against 3 time league champ Oral Roberts. Again, they played them close, and managed to get it to Overtime. In OT, the Jacks took an early lead, and managed to hold on for a 3 point victory and a berth in the conference semifinals. An unexpected win to be sure! The Jackrabbits are still a long shot to win 2 more games and get the automatic berth into the NCAA tournament, but they have an opportunity, which is all a fan can ask.

Yesterday was a good day to be a Jackrabbit! I have indeed caught March Madness, at least for 1 weekend.