Last Tuesday South Dakota State beat North Dakota State 75-69 in the Summit League tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to next week’s NCAA tournament. The Jackrabbits are the hottest team in the nation, having won 21 straight games during the past 3 months as they made the NCAA tourney for the 1st time since 2018. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with South Dakota State dancer Jenna Skaggs about being a captain and that amazing winning streak.
You were born in Minnesota: what made you choose South Dakota State? After touring 14 different schools I decided on South Dakota State because it gave me a small-town feel that I was used to growing up with. After meeting with the faculty within HDFS (Human Development/Family Science) at SDSU I had determined that this school was the best fit for my education.
You have been a member of the dance team for 3 years: how did you 1st get into dancing, and what is the best part? I first got into dance in kindergarten when my mom signed me up for a local dance clinic. I had a great time there and was very excited to learn new skills. After this experience I joined a studio in my hometown and have been dancing ever since. The best part about this sport is performing routines in front of people that you have worked on for months at a time. Being that dances are so short you only have about two minutes to show the crowd what you have worked so hard on.
What do you think the role of a college dancer is today, and how has it changed over time? The primary role of a college dancer is to cheer on and support the other teams during the games that we attend. It is extremely important to attend these events with a professional stance and cheer on the teams to victory. Outside of events the role of a college dancer is to perfect choreography and tricks that we are given to compete in routines at competitions such as at nationals. These are other opportunities we have to represent our school so it is important to remain professional and portray good sportsmanship.
You are 1 of the team’s captains this year: what is the key to being a good leader? One key to being a good leader that I have learned throughout this year is keeping a positive mindset at every practice and event. When a leader has a negative mindset, it is contagious to the entire team and makes it almost impossible to accomplish our goals. Staying positive and focusing on the goals we have set as a team is something that I try to do each day to be a good leader.
You are majoring in Human Development/Family Science and double-minoring in Mental Health Services and Psychology: why did you pick those subjects, and what do you plan to do after graduating? The reason I picked these topics is because I have a big heart for advocating for others and working with children. Growing up I had many situations where I was advocated for, and I would love to give back by helping other children who may need the same help. After graduation I plan to begin working as a Behavioral Technician and work my way up to become a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA).
Last Tuesday in the Summit tourney title game the Jackrabbits had a 6-PT win over North Dakota State: how excited was everyone to make the NCAA tournament for the 1st time since 2018? Last Tuesday’s game was something I had never experienced before. The school pride that each Jackrabbit fan brought to the court was what made the game so exciting. All of our fans were on their feet for every point that the players scored, which made the experience so amazing. The dance team was very excited for the players and to get another opportunity to travel with the team to support SDSU basketball. We are very grateful for the opportunity to travel to the NCAA tournament and cannot wait to show off our Jackrabbit pride!
Since losing at Missouri State in mid-December your team has won 21 games in a row: has it reached a point where everyone just expects them to win every time that they step onto the court? This year our men’s basketball team has been very successful…but I do not think that people expect them to just walk on the court and win. The determination and dedication of this team is different than teams from the past: you can tell how hard they are working both on and off the court. I believe that this is why the team has been so successful this year.
How does your school decide who gets to go to the NCAA tourney, and what will it mean to you to see your group doing their thing in front of a national TV audience? Our athletic department generously switches travel between the dance team and cheer team. When the dance team has its opportunity to travel the first people that are chosen are upperclassmen. For this tournament the dance team will be bringing 12 girls. I think that this is an opportunity that is very unique so it will be exciting to perform in front of this audience. Many girls have never traveled with the team due to COVID so we are grateful for this opportunity.
Does your squad have anything extra-special planned for the NCAA tournament? The special thing that we have planned for the NCAA tournament is performing our favorite hip hop routine!
Any predictions for the NCAA tourney? Jacks all the way!
The Hoops HD Selection Committee – Friday, March 11th
Tonight was the second night of meetings of the Hoops HD Selection Committee that took place via Zoom conference call. We had two goals in mind tonight – add four more teams into our field (after most of the night games went final) and begin the seeding process for the top 8 lines of the field.
We began by starting with the top two lines of the field. We debated and each individual member selected their top twelve teams. After the top 12 teams were placed on the voting board, each committee member ranked the teams 1-12 and submitted the votes to committee chair Chad Sherwood. The top 8 vote-getters went on the top two lines.
The next step was for each committee member to again select their top 12 teams. The top eight vote-getters were then added to the four carryover teams from the last round of voting. Again, each committee member ranked the teams 1 through 12 and the top 8 vote-getters were placed on the 3 and 4 lines. This process would be repeated two more times to get the top 8 lines. (Keep in mind we did 2 lines at a time as a time-saving measure; the real committee would have gone one line at a time and voted in groups of 8 teams instead of 12.)
Based on the results of tonight’s games, at-large spots were assured of opening in the Big 12, Pac-12 and the Mountain West. After we got the first 6 lines seeded, we resumed debate on the next 4 at-large spots for the field. Each committee member would ultimately send Chad a list of 8 teams from the remaining teams Under Consideration (except Davidson, Miami, Michigan and Memphis since they were carryovers from the previous round of voting). Indiana (thanks to their win against Illinois), Wyoming, Rutgers and Texas A&M (thanks to their win against Auburn) were nominated and added to the 4 carryover teams. These teams were ranked 1 through 8 and the next 4 at-large teams added were Miami, Davidson, Memphis and Indiana. Since Michigan could not carry over twice in a row, they were sent back to the Under Consideration board and the three remaining carryovers for tomorrow would be Rutgers, Texas A&M and Wyoming. Indiana’s inclusion in the field guaranteed that a Big 10 spot would open up; this means that at a minimum there will be 2 more at-large spots to fill tomorrow along with any other contingencies that could arise tomorrow and Saturday.
At this point, we resumed building the seed list and the #7/#8 lines were added. Here is our current board:
Of the teams remaining Under Consideration, only Dayton, SMU, Texas A&M, UAB and Virginia Tech are still playing. Both UAB and Virginia Tech could potentially win auto-bids on Saturday; the others would be looking to win their respective tournaments on Sunday.
Tomorrow’s plan will be to fill the remaining at-large and contingency spots as well as to build the remainder of the seed list. Our next step would be to do an initial scrub of the seed list and move teams up and down the list based on oral motions and a majority vote for each motion. Tune in tomorrow night to see where your favorite team stands!