Jackrabbits Meet Villanova in First Round

GAME 33: No. 8 seed South Dakota State [26-6] vs. No. 9 seed Villanova [22-8]

When	Friday, March 16, 2018 \| 6:30 p.m.
Where	Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center \| South Bend, Ind.
Radio	Jackrabbit Sports Network I WNAX 570 AM I Jackrabbits All-Access I Scotty Kwas
Television	ESPN2 \| Roy Philpott and Brooke Weisbroad
Live Video	ESPN3
Live Audio	Jackrabbits All-Access
Live Stats	GoJacks.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| Villanova \| Summit League
Social Media	Twitter I #EarsUp

After winning its eighth Summit League Championship in 10 years, the No. 8 seed South Dakota State women's basketball team (26-6) plays No. 9 seed Villanova (22-8) Friday at 6:30 p.m. in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament at the Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center in South Bend, Indiana.

Joining the Jackrabbits in the Spokane Region are No. 1 seed and host Notre Dame and 16th-seeded CSUN. With two wins in South Bend, State would advance to the regionals in Spokane, Washington, March 24 and 26.

SDSU won its eighth tournament title with a 65-50 victory over top-seed South Dakota March 6. Summit League Player of the Year and tournament MVP Macy Miller led four Jackrabbits in double figures with a game-high 16 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and three steals.

All of South Dakota State's NCAA Tournament games will air on The Jackrabbits Sports Network with Scotty Kwas calling the action. Friday's game will air on ESPN2 with Roy Philpott and Brooke Weisbroad calling the game.

NCAA Tournament - 10 Things to Know

South Dakota State is making its eighth NCAA Tournament appearance in 10 years. It missed the 2014 and 2017 tournaments.
State sports a 2-7 (22.2) NCAA all-time record. It reached the round of 32 in the 2016 tournament with a 74-71 win over No. 5 seed and 19th-ranked Miami.
The Jackrabbits are making their 12th straight postseason appearances overall—eight NCAA and four WNIT. They are 9-11 in Division I postseason games.
SDSU is 0-0 all-time as a NCAA Tournament No. 8 seed. This year is the second-highest seed for the Jackrabbits (No. 7, 2009).
South Dakota State is 2-5 in the first round and 0-2 in the second round. It has wins over the No. 5 (Miami, 2016) and No. 10 seeds (TCU, 2009).
Four Jackrabbits have played in a NCAA Tournament. Seniors Ellie Thompson and Alexis Alexander and redshirt junior Macy Miller have played in two tournaments and have a 1-2 record. Madison Guebert played in the 2016 tournament.
South Dakota State is the only non-power five school to have both its men's and women's teams in three of the last four NCAA Tournaments. The Jacks' 2018 combined record of 54-12 (81.8) is highest among the seven power five men's and women's teams (Baylor—49-15; Duke—48-15, Kentucky—39-27; Miami—43-19, Oklahoma—34-27; Notre Dame—49-17 and Texas—45-20) who have competed in three of the last four years.
Only two non-power five teams—South Dakota State and Green Bay—have won automatic bids in eight of 10 NCAA Tournaments.
The Jackrabbits are one of four teams—Green Bay, Baylor and Stanford—in the NCAA Tournament who have had automatic bids in eight of 10 years.
SDSU is one of 17 non-power five teams who have won two or more NCAA Tournament games since 2009.

Five Top Storylines

Villanova: The Jacks are 0-1 against Villanova. The Wildcats won the first meeting, 71-47, in Minneapolis, at the Best Buy Classic hosted by Minnesota Nov. 10, 2012. The game was the season opener for the Jackrabbits, who finished that season 25-8. At the time, SDSU was playing for its first win over a BIG EAST opponent.
Defense: Defense has been a key element in the Jackrabbits' success, as the team is 16-2 when holding an opponent to 70 points or less. State has limited 21 of its 32 opponents to 65 or fewer points, including seven to less than 50. South Dakota State has held 24 of its 32 opponents to a lower scoring output than they averaged coming into the game. Fifteen of 32 opponents were limited to single-digit scoring quarters.
Offense: SDSU head coach Aaron Johnston thinks this year's team is his most offensive-minded squad. The Jackrabbits are second in The Summit League in scoring (78.3). In the last five games, the Jackrabbits are averaging 76.8 points per game and giving up just 59.6 an outing. SDSU ranks 23rd in scoring offense and 13th in scoring margin (16.7) in the NCAA.
3-Point Shooting: State is one of the top teams in The Summit League in 3-point shooting, sinking 8.8 treys per game while shooting 36.7 percent. It ranks in the NCAA:

            - 17th in 3-point field goals made (281);
            - 19th in 3-point field goals per game (8.8);
            - 27th in 3-point field goals attempted (765); and
            - 29th in 3-point field goal percentage (36.7).

Leading the way are guards Madison Guebert and Macy Miller. The duo is shooting a combined 41.1 percent (137-333) this season. Guebert, who ranks fifth in career 3-pointers in The Summit League and second at SDSU, is second in 3-pointers per game (2.6) in the league and Miller is second in percentage (46.2).
Balanced Scoring: The Jackrabbits are known for balance, playing an average of nine players per game. At least three Jackrabbits have scored in double digits in 23 of 32 games. They have had five or more scoring in double figures in six games and six or more twice.
Four of the five starters have led State in scoring, including a team-best 22 times by Macy Miller. Four starters and 10 of 12 Jackrabbits are shooting 40 percent or higher, led by Miller's 50.1 shooting percentage.

A Quick Glance at South Dakota State

Eighteenth-year head coach Aaron Johnston's probable starters for the Villanova game are:

            - Alexis Alexander, point guard
            - Madison Guebert, guard
            - Macy Miller, guard
            - Tagyn Larson, forward
            - Ellie Thompson, forward

The starting lineup is 13-2 overall this season.
The Jackrabbits have won 10 of their last 11 games, enter the NCAA Tournament on a four-game winning streak and won in their last five neutral-site games.
Summit League Player of the Year Macy Miller leads SDSU and is second in The Summit League in scoring (18.1). Madison Guebert averages 14.8 points per game and ranks fourth in the league.
SDSU averages 78.3 points per game and limits foes to 61.6 points per outing.
On the boards, Miller and Tagyn Larson are SDSU's leading rebounders, grabbing 5.7 caroms an outing. The Jackrabbits are outrebounding opponents by 7.8.
The Jackrabbits' top 3-point threat is Guebert, who is sinking 2.6 treys per game.
Miller is the Jacks' top playmaker, dishing 3.1 assists per game.
The Jacks have a plus-1.3 assist to turnover ratio and 1.4 turnover margin.
SDSU is shooting 45.5 percent from the field, 36.7 percent from 3-point range and 78.5 percent from the free-throw line.

Previewing Villanova

Villanova makes its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2013 and its 11th overall.
The Wildcats, who won their first 10 games of the season, including a victory over then-No. 11 Duke, finished the regular season 26-6. They lost in the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST Tournament, falling 63-53 to Georgetown.
Nova is led offensively by second-team All-BIG EAST selection Alex Louin. The six-foot guard is averaging 12.0 points per game. Mary Gedaka (11.6), Kelly Jekot (11.3) and Adrianna Hahn (10.7) also average double digits in scoring.
The Wildcats average 66.9 points per game and give up 59.3.
Louin averages a team-leading 6.9 rebounds. The Wildcats are being outrebounded by 1.9 caroms a game.
Hahn and Louin are each dishing 2.8 and 2.7 assists per game, respectively.
Jannah Tucker is Villanova's top 3-point threat, sinking 37.6 percent (60-160) of her shots.
Villanova leads the country in fewest turnovers (291), is seventh in fewest fouls (399) and 10th in assists/turnover ratio (1.5).
The Wildcats are shooting 43.1 percent from the field, 32.9 percent from 3-point range and 73.9 percent from the free-throw line.

For more information on the South Dakota State women's basketball team, follow the Jackrabbits on Twitter (@GoJacksWBB) or like South Dakota State women's basketball on Facebook.

-GoJacks.com-

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