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Re: Minnesota
http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs...36/1002/SPORTS
South Dakota State University hasn't played Minnesota in a regular-season women's basketball game since the 1977-78 season, before the sport was sanctioned by the NCAA.
But recently, the two programs have been competing against each other.
"We've gone head-to-head (for recruits) more with Minnesota and the Nebraska and the Iowa States than we have maybe two, three years ago," said Jackrabbits coach Aaron Johnston, whose club plays the Gophers at 2 p.m. today at Williams Arena in Minneapolis. "I don't know a lot of kids coming down to the final decision between Big Ten, Big 12 and SDSU, but right now we're in the running with some of the same kids, which is where you want to be."
Today's game has added significance because few of the major-conference teams located closest to Brookings will schedule steadily successful SDSU. In its third season at the NCAA Division I level, the Jacks (11-5) have an RPI of 36 out of 335 teams with victories against now No. 21-ranked Middle Tennessee State, then-No. 20 USC, Virginia, Kansas, Colorado and Alabama.
Then again, SDSU isn't exactly peaking. The Jacks are 3-3 in their past six games - albeit against top competition - due largely to a defensive letdown, according to Johnston.
However, they're still in contention for a WNIT bid, and the contest against the Gophers will be their last against a club currently in the RPI top 135.
"This is definitely a big game for us before we get into our 'conference play' with the United - that kind of pact we have with the schools remaining on our schedule," Jacks junior center Courtney Grimsrud said, referring to the lackluster United Basketball Conference, basically a scheduling alliance of Independents. "It would help us in RPI rankings and it's just a big game overall."
But recently, the two programs have been competing against each other.
"We've gone head-to-head (for recruits) more with Minnesota and the Nebraska and the Iowa States than we have maybe two, three years ago," said Jackrabbits coach Aaron Johnston, whose club plays the Gophers at 2 p.m. today at Williams Arena in Minneapolis. "I don't know a lot of kids coming down to the final decision between Big Ten, Big 12 and SDSU, but right now we're in the running with some of the same kids, which is where you want to be."
Today's game has added significance because few of the major-conference teams located closest to Brookings will schedule steadily successful SDSU. In its third season at the NCAA Division I level, the Jacks (11-5) have an RPI of 36 out of 335 teams with victories against now No. 21-ranked Middle Tennessee State, then-No. 20 USC, Virginia, Kansas, Colorado and Alabama.
Then again, SDSU isn't exactly peaking. The Jacks are 3-3 in their past six games - albeit against top competition - due largely to a defensive letdown, according to Johnston.
However, they're still in contention for a WNIT bid, and the contest against the Gophers will be their last against a club currently in the RPI top 135.
"This is definitely a big game for us before we get into our 'conference play' with the United - that kind of pact we have with the schools remaining on our schedule," Jacks junior center Courtney Grimsrud said, referring to the lackluster United Basketball Conference, basically a scheduling alliance of Independents. "It would help us in RPI rankings and it's just a big game overall."
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