After nearly advancing to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 and ending the season with 27 wins, South Dakota State was ranked No. 1 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Women’s Basketball Poll to end the season.
The Jackrabbits (27-4) earned 25-of-32 first-place votes to become the first Summit League team slotted at the top position. It also marked the first time a league school has received first-place votes.
South Dakota State defeated No. 19 Miami, 74-71 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and followed that with a near upset of No. 13 Stanford, falling in the final seconds, 66-65. The Jacks recorded a pair of wins over ranked opponents this season, had three wins against teams in the top 50 of the RPI and finished the year No. 44 in the RPI (according to Collegiate Basketball News).
Not to be outdone, South Dakota (32-6) was ranked No. 6 in the poll following its run to the WNIT Championship title. The Coyotes reeled-off six consecutive wins to claim the first-ever national postseason tournament title in league history.
USD, the Summit League regular season champions, also had three wins against RPI top 50 programs and seven against teams that finished in the top 100. South Dakota ended the season ranked No. 37 in the RPI, the highest for a Summit League team since SDSU ended the 2009 season at No. 26.
The Summit League was the lone conference with two teams ranked in the top 10 of the final poll.
