If you've read this blog enough, you know that while I live in Iowa, I am a South Dakotan by birth, and I attended South Dakota State University. I still love my Alma mater and I follow their sports teams, though primarily I follow football and basketball (both men's and women's).
In 2004, South Dakota State transitioned to Division I Athletics, meaning they would now compete against the big schools. They completed their 5 year transition in 2009 and have done very well. The football team is a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference, and made the playoffs this past year. As members of the Summit League for all sports, except football and wrestling, they have been competitive. In Women's Basketball, they have been downright dominant, winning 2 regular season championships and 2 conference tournament championships. In fact, the women's team has made the NCAA tournament the last 2 years.
Lots of ups there, but there have been some downs too, primarily with basketball. When I attended SDSU, both the men's and women's basketball teams were top notch Division II programs. The men's team made the playoffs every year, making it as far as the Final Four one year. The women's team won the National Championship in 2003, though that was after my time. When they jumped to Division I, a dose of reality hit. The men's team was terrible, and is still struggling. They finished 14-16 this season, their best record in Division I. While the women's team has done well, they have fallen in the NCAA Tournament each of the last 2 years to bigger and quicker teams from the Big 12 Conference (considered 1 of the 6 power conferences).
That's the reality for schools like SDSU, which are considered mid-major programs. A good year in basketball is winning the conference and getting to the NCAA Tournament. As a fan, I no longer have expectations, or really hope of winning a National Championship. It's a different feeling for me. I love the excitement that comes with the increased coverage and higher caliber athletes, but I miss the thoughts of winning it all.
Overall though, I think there are more ups than downs. For example, the Jackrabbits football team plays the University of Northern Iowa every other year. That schools is within 1 hour of my house, so I'll have the opportunity to go to games. The women's basketball team got a top 100 recruit for next year's freshman class, and the men's basketball team signed 2 top Iowa high school players from the same school, so built-in teamwork there. All good things I think. So, with recalibrated expectations, I'm ready to go as a fan of a Division I school.
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