Oklahoma State Set to Face Stacked South Dakota State Team
Oklahoma State is set for its first NCAA Tournament game in two years and will get all it can handle.
OSU enters the big dance at No. 17 in the AP poll but only a No. 7 seed. Fittingly, the Cowgirls will be facing another underseeded team in South Dakota State, which is a No. 10 seed despite its No. 24 ranking in the AP poll.
The Jackrabbits’ road to Storrs is much different than the Cowgirls’. While OSU had plenty of impressive performances in its conference slate and nearly advanced to its conference title game, SDSU hasn’t lost a game in over two months.
The Jackrabbits have won 19 straight games, dating back to the start of conference play. And while a 19-0 record against Summit League opponents is dominant in itself, winning all but three of those games by double digits.
As for the stars that got them to this point, the Jackrabbits had two players earn first-team all-conference honors in Brooklyn Meyer and Paige Meyer. They were joined by Haleigh Timmer, who earned a spot on the honorable mention team.
Both Meyers made the Summit League All-Defensive team alongside Mesa Byom. Add in All-Freshman selection Katie Vasecka and Coach of the Year Aaron Johnston, and the Jackrabbits had a dominant run on all fronts in Summit League play. While their accomplishments in conference play won’t matter when they take the floor against OSU, those accolades show just how stacked this Jackrabbits team is.
Brooklyn Meyer led the Summit League in field-goal percentage at 63.9%, making her a clear threat anytime she gets the ball inside. She was also the Jackrabbits’ top scorer at 17.4 points per game.
Meanwhile, Timer and Paige Meyer round out the top three scorers for the Jackrabbits as the only others to score in double figures at 13.1 and 12 points, respectively. The Jackrabbits’ top scorers are also mostly great shooters from beyond the arc.
South Dakota State has four players that stand out shooting from beyond the arc on roughly three attempts or more per game. Starting guards Paige Meyer and Madison Mathiowetz shoot better than 37% from deep, while Timmer and Vasecka lead the way in that area by shooting better than 41%.
The Jackrabbits have no shortage of weapons coming into Saturday’s contest, and their impressive roster has a legitimate chance of ending the Cowgirls’ season.
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Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.