South Dakota State women to face USC Trojans in NCAA tournament

The South Dakota State women celebrate at the end of the Summit League women's basketball championship game on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, at the Premier Center in Sioux Falls.

By Matt Zimmer

March 13, 2023 at 11:17 AM

BROOKINGS — South Dakota State's women are headed to Blacksburg.

The Jackrabbits earned a 9-seed in the Seattle Region and will face the 8th-seeded USC Trojans on Friday in Virginia at the home court of top-seeded Virginia Tech. If SDSU beats the Trojans, they'd face the Hokies in the second round.

USC is 21-9 on the year, having gone 11-7 in the Pac-12 this season to earn their first NCAA tournament berth since 2013-14. The Trojans haven't even played in an NIT since then, and they haven't won an NCAA tournament game since 2005-06.

They've been a defensive-minded team this year under second year coach Lindsay Gottlieb, averaging just 64.5 points per game but limiting opponents to a mere 54.8.

The Jacks (28-5) are going to their 11th NCAA tournament. They reached the Sweet 16 in 2019 and have won four tournament games in their history. SDSU will take a 21-game winning streak into this year's tournament after running the table in Summit League play and cruising through the conference tournament.

SDSU and USC have played twice in their history and split the two meetings. The Jacks won the last meeting, at Frost Arena, in 2006.

By Matt Zimmer

Matt Zimmer is a Sioux Falls native and longtime sports writer. He graduated from Washington High School where he played football, legion baseball and developed his lifelong love of the Minnesota Twins and Vikings. After graduating from St. Cloud State University, he returned to Sioux Falls, began a long career in amateur baseball and started working as a sports freelancer. Zimmer was hired as a sport reporter at the Argus Leader in 2004, where he covered Sioux Falls high schools and colleges before moving to the South Dakota State University beat in 2014.

South Dakota State women to face USC Trojans in NCAA tournament

Jackrabbits earn 9-seed, will travel to Virginia