South Dakota State Basketball – Syndication Server

South Dakota State coaches, players react to OT win vs USC in March Madness

South Dakota State battled #USC for 45 tough minutes. Here’s how the Jackrabbits’ coaches and players reacted.

South Dakota State 62, USC 57, in overtime. It was a thrilling, tense, always-close NCAA Tournament game the Trojans lost in Blacksburg, Va., on Friday evening. The Trojans’ season ended, but they put up a great fight, just as they had done all season long.

Tim Thomas of the Tech Lunch Pail is based in Blacksburg. He attended the postgame presser and passed along audio from both USC and SDSU. South Dakota State had to work extremely hard to fight past the Women of Troy, whose defense held the Jackrabbits far below their season average for points scored. SDSU came into the game averaging 79.4 points per game. USC held the Jacks to 45 in regulation, 62 in the extended-length game.

Here’s how South Dakota State coach Aaron Johnston and his players processed this game against USC. Our thanks to Tim Thomas for this audio file:

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5 keys for USC women’s basketball vs South Dakota State

The tested strengths must be there for #USC, but the Trojans can’t view South Dakota State the way they view #Pac12 teams.

The USC women’s basketball team knows what it does really well. It defends the ball, guards the 3-point line, and avoids shooting fouls. When those components are all in place, USC usually thrives, as it has for most of the season. When one of those cornerstones doesn’t exist, the foundation can crumble, as it did against Oregon State in the Pac-12 Tournament.

USC’s simple formula is to not allow extra possessions or cheap points. That limits opponents’ opportunities and forces teams to go through the Trojans’ rugged halfcourt defense to win games. It’s a sound formula.

However, unlike a lot of Pac-12 teams, South Dakota State has a souped-up offense. If SDSU does get on a roll, this game will be hard to manage for USC. The Trojans have made comebacks against good Pac-12 teams (19 down to win against Washington State in late February) because they know the scouting report and can ride out a hot streak in one quarter. They can be strong for the other 30 minutes of a game and find their way back. It might not be the case with South Dakota State.

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Here are five game keys for Friday evening’s contest:

Like USC, South Dakota State players enjoy being together on the court

SDSU players love playing with — and for — each other, which mirrors the dynamic #USC’s players have created this season.

Culture is something coaches always talk about. The good coaches change it when it’s broken. The great ones sustain it across many years and graduating classes. Both coaches in this upcoming USC-South Dakota State NCAA Tournament game have proved they can change and sustain cultures.

Lindsay Gottlieb sustained a winning culture at California with the Golden Bears. She is building a new culture with the Trojans and hopes to lock it in place for a long time.

USC players — including those who transferred in from other programs — have mentioned this season that they feel at home in ways which did not previously apply to their collegiate careers at other schools. Gottlieb has helped foster a sense of belonging. It’s a big reason why USC is in the NCAA Tournament in Year 2 of Gottlieb’s tenure.

It’s similar at South Dakota State.

Coach Aaron Johnson has maintained a winning culture for multiple decades with the Jackrabbits. Players love playing for him and at SDSU.

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Consider these quotes from Jackrabbit players:

(h/t Trent Abrego of the Sioux Falls Argus Leader)

“I think our team does a good job of just staying focused in those moments and we all just play off each other so well. And like I said, it could be anyone today on this team, we’re just so deep,” Haleigh Timmer said. “So, I think yeah, they just hit me.”

South Dakota State doesn’t depend on the individual; it depends on the team, with everyone chipping in.

Players love being in that kind of an environment. Consider Dru Gylten, a South Dakota native who played for Utah but then transferred to South Dakota State and has been an important part of this year’s Jackrabbit roster:

“My decision to come to SDSU — there’s no regrets at all,” Gylten told the Mitchell Republic. “It’s been an amazing season here. Everyone has welcomed me with open arms. The culture here is just so different than in other places. Being able to say I’m a part of that, and then making it to March Madness again has been a blessing. It’s been awesome.”

Both USC and South Dakota State have a healthy, winning culture. Friday’s game won’t be decided by that. It’s a tie. The winner will be the team which executes better.

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South Dakota State’s balance, unselfishness and depth create a winning formula

South Dakota State really does play team basketball. It’s not a cliche. It’s a philosophy. #MarchMadness

Want some insight into how South Dakota State plays basketball? Jackrabbit head coach Aaron Johnston, who has been immensely successful in a two-decade career with the program at the Division I level, explained why his 2023 team functions so well on offense, and will be a thorny opponent for USC at the NCAA Tournament.

(h/t Trent Abrego of the Sioux Falls Argus Leader)

“This team is really hard to defend because they are so unselfish. They pass the ball really well, they move very well on the floor, their spacing is good. I do believe that our guard play is a huge, huge positive for this year’s team,” said SDSU coach Aaron Johnston. “They make 3s, and pass the ball so well … They create a lot for each other. Then you have someone like Myah (Selland), Paiton (Burckhard), Kallie (Thiesen), Brooklyn (Meyer) inside that really requires sonme attention, too. So there’s just a lot of people that can make plays, but a lot of really unselfish people too.”

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Balance, unselfishness, depth — these qualities will make South Dakota State a challenging opponent for USC on Friday evening in Virginia.

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South Dakota State coach Aaron Johnston has built an empire

Johnston has coached the Jackrabbits through their entire life as a D-I program. He has never won fewer than 19 games in any season.

South Dakota State played the 2004-2005 women’s college basketball season as an independent Division I program, part of its transition from Division II. Aaron Johnston led the Jackrabbits through that transition, coaching for three seasons as an indie before finding a conference home in the Summit League in 2007. The program still competes in that conference today.

South Dakota State was immensely successful in Division II, but if the change to Division I ball might have been imposing or overwhelming for other programs making the jump to a higher level of competition, it wasn’t smothering or stifling for SDSU.

Johnston won 21, 19, and 25 games in those first three independent seasons. When he went to the Summit League in the fourth year of the Jackrabbits’ Division I journey, he won 23 games. In the 2008-2009 season — Year 5 of Division I play — Johnston and the Jackrabbits won 32 games.

That year marked SDSU’s first Division I NCAA Tournament appearance. In the subsequent 14 years since that journey, the program has missed the Big Dance only four times. In each of those four seasons, the team still won at least 23 games.

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In 19 seasons of Division I competition, Johnston has never won fewer than 19 games. He has 465 Division I wins and a winning percentage higher than .750. That’s right: Aaron Johnston has won over three-fourths of his games as a Division I head coach at South Dakota State.

USC is facing a proven winner in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

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USC – South Dakota State is compelling due to the contrast of styles

Great sports battles often involve contrasting identities. Federer-Nadal. Evert-Navratilova. #USC – South Dakota State? We’ll see.

The USC Trojans and South Dakota State Jackrabbits will not look across the way on Friday evening in Blacksburg, Va., and see a mirror image of themselves. Anything but.

This is a battle of opposites, teams from opposite realms of basketball philosophy.

USC tries to make the game hard for its opponent. South Dakota State tries to make halfcourt offense easy for itself. USC tries to disrupt. South Dakota State tries to flow and take flight. USC is cohesive on defense, South Dakota State on offense.

The numbers back up these identity statements.

USC allows 54.8 points per game, a number which is actually lower if limited to regulation time due to the fact that several Trojan games have gone to overtime.

South Dakota State scores 79.4 points per game, the product of a symphonic offense which makes sweet music on the court with ball movement and shared success. No one feels the need to take the credit. A team-oriented mentality guides the Jackrabbits on offense, much as the same team mentality exists for the Trojans on defense.

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You can tell how much pride both teams take in what they do best: SDSU scoring big in most games this season, USC handcuffing elite teams such as Stanford multiple times at the offensive end of the floor.

Great sports contests are often forged in and through a contrast of styles: Martina Navratilova’s slashing, attacking net play versus Chris Evert’s baseline consistency and defense. Roger Federer’s fluid first-strike tennis versus Rafael Nadal’s defense, enhanced by his left-handed topspin and signature tenacity. The Los Angeles Lakers’ fast-break engine versus the Boston Celtics’ rugged halfcourt toughness.

USC’s defense versus South Dakota State’s offense could create that same contrast. We will see if the game is remembered as something special.

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Trojans Wired previews USC vs South Dakota State in Women’s NCAA Tournament

Our #NCAAW Tournament preview episode is here. We look at #USC vs South Dakota State. @IanHest produced the show.

The USC Trojans women’s basketball team hasn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2014. A nine-year wait comes to an end this Friday evening in Blacksburg, Va. The Women of Troy make the cross-country flight to Virginia to face the South Dakota State Jackrabbits in an 8-versus-9 game, with the winner to likely face subregional host Virginia Tech on Sunday.

USC has had two whole weeks of rest after its loss in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament to Oregon State. The fact that the women play their conference tournaments one week before the men do gives the women an extra-long break before the start of NCAA Tournament play. USC will have gained ample rest for this game. We will find out if that two-week break leaves the Trojans rusty or sharp, ragged or precise. That is an obvious talking point surrounding the game against South Dakota State. We tackle that and more in our latest USC women’s basketball podcast.

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Ian Hest produced the show:

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How to watch USC vs South Dakota State in the NCAA Tournament

Be sure you know where to find ESPNEWS on your cable package, because that’s where you’ll find #USC WBB on Friday.

The USC women’s basketball team makes its much-anticipated, long-awaited return to the NCAA Tournament this Friday evening in Blacksburg, Va.

The Trojans are a No. 8 seed in the Big Dance. They will face No. 9 seed South Dakota State on Friday evening in the Blacksburg subregional, hosted by the No. 1 seed Virginia Tech Hokies. USC is part of the second game in the subregional, following Virginia Tech’s game against Chattanooga. Will all the Virginia Tech fans in the arena stick around for the USC game, or will some of them leave? It will be interesting what kind of game atmosphere will exist, given that Virginia Tech will have already played.

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Regardless, the Trojans will have had two full weeks off in which to rest and recharge. Can they find some offensive momentum, flow, and continuity to supplement their defense? Lindsay Gottlieb and assistant coach Beth Burns have figured out the defensive side of the equation. If they can get a reasonable amount of production from their offense, USC will become a difficult team to handle.

Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch USC versus South Dakota State:

South Dakota State Women’s NCAA Tournament profile: USC’s next opponent

Get some fast facts on an impressive #SouthDakotaState team. That’s #USC’s foe in the Trojans’ #NCAATournament return.

The South Dakota State Jackrabbits will meet the USC women’s basketball team in the first round of the 2023 Women’s NCAA Tournament. The game will be on Friday, March 17, at roughly 5 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time.

USC is the No. 8 seed in what is called the “Seattle 3″ Region. The Women’s NCAA Tournament is breaking away from the four-location format for the regionals this year. Usually, there have been four different regional sites — East, West, Midwest, South — but this year, Greenville, S.C., and Seattle are two regional sites with two different regional finals being played in those two locations. So, there are two Greenville brackets (Greenville 1 and 2) and two Seattle brackets (Seattle 3 and 4). USC-SDSU is part of the Seattle 3 bracket. If the Trojans can win here and then upset top-seeded Virginia Tech on Sunday, they would go to Seattle for the Sweet 16 the following week.

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Here’s a look at the South Dakota State team USC will face on Friday evening:

USC women’s basketball will face South Dakota State in NCAA Tournament

#SouthDakotaState didn’t lose a game in conference play. #USC meets the Jackrabbits in the Round of 64. #NCAAW

The USC Trojans women’s basketball team is going dancing for the first time since Lindsay Gottlieb took over as head coach. The Women of Troy will be in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014.

The Trojans lost to Oregon State in the Pac-12 Tournament opener, but their resume was more than enough to get them in the field of 68. Now, they will face the South Dakota State Jackrabbits on Friday in the Round of 64.

South Dakota State is 28-5. The Jackrabbits are unbeaten in conference play. They rolled through the Summit League without absorbing a loss. Accordingly, they have not lost a game yet in the calendar year. They are perfect in 2023 and will try to keep that unblemished mark intact when they take on the Trojans.

USC is the No. 8 seed. SDSU is the No. 9 seed. The two teams have been placed in what is called the Seattle 3 Region. There are only two regional sites this year: Greenville, S.C., and Seattle. USC went into one of the two Seattle brackets (Seattle 3 and Seattle 4). The other brackets are Greenville 1 and Greenville 2.

You can think of the Greenville brackets as the South and East Regions. The Seattle brackets are the West and Midwest Regions.

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