By Bert Leeson
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – South Dakota State watched its name announced as a part of the 2024 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship Selection Show that aired on CBS on Sunday, March 17. The Jackrabbits were chosen as a 15-seed in the East Region of the tournament bracket. SDSU has been slotted to play No. 2-seed Iowa State in Omaha, Neb., in the first round.
The Jackrabbits and Cyclones will play in the CHI Health Center. Tipoff between SDSU and Iowa State is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. CT on Thursday, March 21.
The game will be televised on truTV. Local radio is available for those that tune into the Jackrabbit Sports Network, however national coverage (which includes online audio) will be provided by Westwood One.
The two teams have played seven previous times. Iowa State has a 5-2 overall record over SDSU, but the Jackrabbits have won the last two meetings. SDSU defeated the Cyclones in Ames, 65-58, on Dec. 23, 2008. The Jacks and Cyclones met during the 2020-21 season which saw SDSU come away with a 71-68 win over Iowa State on Dec. 2 of that season.
Iowa State is 27-7 overall this season and was ranked as high as seventh in the latest national polls. The Cyclones are coming off a Big 12 Championship tournament run that saw Iowa State beat No. 1 Houston, 69-41, in the title game.
South Dakota State enters the NCAA tournament with a 22-12 overall record. The Jackrabbits went 12-4 in The Summit League to claim their ninth regular season title, tied for the conference’s all-time record with Valparaiso. SDSU completed a run through The Summit League Championship with victories over Oral Roberts (69-53), St. Thomas (59-49) and Denver (76-68) en route to earning the conference tournament championship.
The Summit League tournament title is SDSU’s seventh in its program’s history. The Jackrabbits will be making their seventh appearance in the Division I NCAA tournament when they take on the Cyclones.
General fan tickets for the 2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship are on sale at NCAATickets.com.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – For the 23rd time in school history, the Iowa State men’s basketball team has earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Cyclones have reached 10 NCAA Tournaments since 2012, one of 10 teams in the field this year to do so.
Iowa State (27-7, 13-5 Big 12) earned a No. 2 seed in the East Region and will face No. 15 seed South Dakota State (22-12, 12-4 Summit) on Thursday, March 21, in Omaha. Tipoff is set for 6:35 p.m. (CT) on Thursday. The game will be broadcast on truTV.
In his third season as head coach of the team, T.J. Otzelberger joins Tim Floyd as the only coaches in school history to take a team to the NCAA Tournament in their first three seasons at the helm. Otzelberger will be making his fifth appearance in the NCAA Tournament, as he also led South Dakota State to the 2017 and 2018 tournaments.
COURTESY IOWA STATE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
