Brief history of SDSU men's basketball NCAA Tournament appearances
On March 8, SDSU clinched its first tournament birth in nearly four years, outlasting NDSU in the Summit League Tournament final. The Jacks will now meet Providence College, the regular season champs of the Big East Conference, in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
SDSU has been to the tournament five times previously. Is this the year the Jackrabbits break through and win a game?
Before the tip on Thursday, a quick overview of the Jacks previous five appearances:
2012
L (#14 seed) vs. Baylor (#3 seed) 60-68
Location: The Pit. Albuquerque, New Mexico
Pregame line: SDSU +7.5
SDSU 3 pt % - 33%
Baylor 3pt % - 40%
SDSU FG % - 42%
Baylor FG % - 44%
Turnovers - 13
Baylor turnovers - 12
Did the Jacks lead? SDSU went up 19-7 early but spent most of the second half down by two possessions.
How far did Baylor end up going? Baylor ended up making it to the Elite Eight before falling to the eventual national champions, the University of Kentucky Wildcats.
2013
L (#13 seed) vs. Michigan (#4 seed) 56-71
Location: The Palace of Auburn Hills. Auburn, Michigan.
Pregame line: SDSU +11
SDSU 3 pt % - 21%
Michigan 3 pt % - 45%
SDSU FG % - 44%
Michigan FG % - 51%
SDSU turnovers - 12
Michigan turnovers - 9
Did the Jacks lead? The Jacks were up 16-10 midway through the first half but were behind by 4 at halftime. The second half was a two or three possession game until the final 5 minutes.
How far did Michigan end up going? The Wolverines ended up making a deep run in the tournament, highlighted by a stunning comeback in the Sweet Sixteen. Michigan ended up losing to Louisville in the championship game, but that title has since been vacated by the NCAA.
2016
L (#12 seed) vs. Maryland (#5 seed) 74-79
Location: Spokane Arena. Spokane, Washington.
Pregame line: SDSU +8.5
SDSU 3 pt % - 35%
Maryland 3 pt % - 39%
SDSU FG % - 41%
Maryland FG % - 51%
SDSU turnovers - 11
Maryland turnovers - 13
Did the Jacks lead? The game was tied midway through the first half but Maryland extended the lead to 12 at halftime. SDSU made a furious comeback to cut it to three late but was never able to overcome the early deficit.
How far did Maryland end up going? Maryland lost to Kansas in the Sweet Sixteen after beating #13 seed Hawaii in the second round.
2017
L (#16 seed) vs. Gonzaga (#1 seed) 46-66
Location: Vivint Arena. Salt Lake City, Utah.
Pregame line: SDSU +22.5
SDSU 3 pt % - 25%
Gonzaga 3 pt % - 27%
SDSU FG % - 31%
Gonzaga FG % - 40%
SDSU turnovers - 13
Gonzaga turnovers - 9
Did the Jacks lead? The Jacks made the top seeded Bulldogs sweat a little more than anybody in Spokane would have liked when they held a six point lead early. SDSU had the game tied at the 4:30 mark and trailed by only four at halftime. Gonzaga came out firing in the second half however and maintained a double digit lead throughout the second half on their way to the second round.
How far did Gonzaga end up going? Gonzaga cruised to the national title game before losing to North Carolina, 71-65.
2018
L (#12 seed) vs. Ohio St. (#5 seed) 73-81
Location: Taco Bell Arena. Boise, Idaho.
Pregame line: SDSU +8
SDSU 3 pt % - 42%
Ohio St. 3 pt % - 30%
SDSU FG % - 38%
Ohio St. FG % - 38%
SDSU turnovers - 13
Ohio St. turnovers - 9
Did the Jacks lead? SDSU held a four point lead early but ended the half tied at 43. The Jacks were down 11 quickly in the second half but made it a four point game with under two minutes left. Ohio St. was perfect on free throws down the stretch to finish off the Jacks.
How far did Ohio St. end up going? Ohio St. lost in the next round to Gonzaga, 90-84. Gonzaga was bounced in the Sweet Sixteen by Florida St.
Other tournament notes:
Two former SDSU head coaches are back in the tournament. Scott Nagy, head coach of Wright State University, brought the Raiders back to the tournament this year. They are paired with Bryant University in a First Four tilt. TJ Otzelberger did an (admittedly) incredible job reviving Iowa St. The Cyclones have an interesting first round matchup with LSU, who lost head coach Will Wade last week.
Tip is at 11:40 CT time on TruTV
A stream of the game will be here
Get to know the opponent: Providence College
Preview story from the Register
From the Providence Journal: “Tired of upset talk, No. 4 Providence Friars to open NCAAs with a chip on their shoulders.”
More links from the Journal here and the Boston Globe here
Providence head coach Ed Cooley has been using the national buzz of a possible SDSU upset as motivation for his players.
Let me just say that just because the Jacks might be a trendy upset pick, it is ridiculous to call a team who won the Big East regular season title an “underdog” to a 13 seeded team from South Dakota.