South Dakota State Jackrabbits

The South Dakota State Jackrabbits have become the Summit League's flagship basketball program, playing home games at First Bank & Trust Arena in Brookings. SDSU has dominated the Summit since joining in 2007, racking up conference titles and a school-record 30-win season in 2021-22. The Jackrabbits carry a genuine national championship pedigree from their Division II days into a modern program built for sustained March relevance. Few mid-major programs have been as consistently good over the past two decades.

South Dakota State University, founded in 1881, won the 1963 NCAA College Division national basketball championship and claimed 20 North Central Conference titles before moving up to Division I in 2004. Since joining the Summit League in 2007, the Jackrabbits have won the conference championship seven times, including five titles from 2012 to 2018 and again in 2022 and 2024. Their 2021-22 team went a program-best 30-4, ran off a nation-leading 21-game win streak, and went a perfect 21-0 in Summit League play. SDSU has reached the NCAA Division I Tournament seven times, cementing its place as the Summit League's dominant program of the modern era.