Summit League notes: Sunday
Some extra items - leftovers, if you will - from Day 2 of the Summit League basketball tournament at the Arena, including mini previews on tonight’s semifinals.
Also, remember to stop by ArgusLeader.com for live preview shows at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. plus live game chats from the three semifinals involving South Dakota State and South Dakota:
North Dakota State women’s coach Carolyn DeHoff broke down at the end of her postgame press conference when asked about the season, one rife with injuries and a cancer recurrence for senior Hannah Linz. The guard was on the bench with the team Sunday in its quarterfinal loss to South Dakota.
“This is the first time I’ve had a chance to really break down,” she said, “and this is not the place to do it.”
USD became the third rookie in a row to win its debut in the Summit women’s tournament. Also, this marks the third time in five years that the top four seeds made the semis.
Craig Bohl, coach of two-time defending Football Championship Subdivision winners NDSU, was at the Arena on Sunday for the Bison men’s quarterfinal. He sat front row behind the NDSU bench.
Oakland coach Greg Kampe said that his squad received an invitation to a postseason tournament late in the regular season. But he’s unsure if he’ll accept it in light of finishing 16-16. The Golden Grizzlies had won at least 20 games and appeared in a postseason event in each of the past four seasons.
“That’s life in college basketball,” he said. “We’ve got to start over.”
NDSU men’s coach Saul Phillips joked (?) that he’s going to get a Sanford Health tattoo in light of the medical work that company did to get leading scorer Taylor Braun back from a broken bone in his foot.
All-time Summit tournament win-loss records by seed in the men’s semifinals: No. 1 22-6; No. 2 16-6; No. 3 7-12; No. 5 1-14.
The two-day attendance total of 20,250 is well ahead of last year’s record pace of 17,625.
And, finally, a brief look at the four semifinals. There’s one Dakota school in each game. SDSU has two teams in the field for the second year in a row and both will be facing Fort Wayne:
Women
No. 1 SDSU (23-7) vs. No. 4 Fort Wayne (13-16), noon
Sagarin says: Jacks by 14
Series: SDSU leads 19-1
Season results: SDSU won 66-64 on the road and 72-62 at home
Of note: The Dons led by eight with 3:30 to go in the home loss on Jan. 12. They’ve lost to four-time defending champ SDSU in each of the last three league tournaments.
No. 2 IUPUI (20-10) vs. No. 3 USD (16-14), 2:30 p.m.
Sagarin says: Jaguars by 1
Series: USD leads 3-1
Season results: USD won 76-56 on the road and 56-39 at home
Of note: IUPUI is in the semifinals for the third time in five years since the tourney moved to Sioux Falls.
Men
No. 1 SDSU (23-9) vs. No. 5 Fort Wayne (16-16), 6 p.m.
Sagarin says: Jacks by 9
Series: SDSU leads 10-8, winning seven in a row
Season results: SDSU won 83-57 at home and 80-74 on the road
Of note: Jacks guard Nate Wolters has 82 points in two meetings this season, going 27 of 46 from the field. Fort Wayne has won six in a row, its longest win streak at the NCAA Division I level.
No. 2 Western Illinois (22-7) vs. No. 3 NDSU (23-8), 8:30 p.m.
Sagarin says: Bison by 3
Series: WIU leads 7-6, winning five in a row
Season results: WIU won 50-42 at home and 49-36 on the road
Of note: The Necks are likely to be without all-league center Terell Parks for a fourth game in a row due to a foot injury. Both teams are in the top 10 in the country in scoring defense.
Terry Vandrovec also posts regular updates on his Twitter page.
