HHS Top 25: A Few Notes on the ‘Yotes, Our Newest Ranked Team

Throughout the 2018–19 season, parity has been a major talking point. It seems less clear this season than in a long time who should be in the top 25 or who will make the Final Four. UConn was not the nation’s last unbeaten team, and last year’s champion, Notre Dame, has already taken two losses in conference play. The ACC, Pac-12, and Big Ten are all loaded with tough teams, while the Big 12 currently has the nation’s top-ranked team. And several mid-majors burst onto the scene in non-conference play, with teams like Drake and Gonzaga getting marquee wins against ranked opponents and finding themselves on the Her Hoop Stats top 25 ballot.

This week, the spotlight returned to mid-majors as South Dakota entered the AP Poll at No. 25 and regained a spot on our HHS top 25 ballot. Here is the full ballot we submitted to the STI/Hoopfeed Top 25 Poll for Week 14. This week’s poll covered games played from Tuesday, February 5 through Monday, February 11. Movement up or down from our Week 13 ballot is denoted in parentheses.

1. Baylor
2. Oregon
3. Louisville
4. UConn
5. Mississippi State (↑1)
6. Notre Dame (↓1)
7. Marquette (↑1)
8. Stanford (↓1)
9. Oregon State (↑1)
10. Maryland (↑1)
11. North Carolina State (↓2)
12. Iowa
13. Gonzaga (↑1)
14. Syracuse (↓1)
15. Texas
16. Michigan State
17. Iowa State
18. Arizona State
19. Miami (FL) (↑6)
20. South Carolina
21. Drake
22. Florida State (↑2)
23. Kentucky (↓1)
24. Rutgers (↓1)
25. South Dakota (NR)
Dropped out: Utah
Also considered: Texas A&M

Although South Dakota’s AP ranking was the first in school history, Her Hoop Stats ranked the Coyotes (pronounced ky-oats, not ky-o-tees) earlier this season. They entered our Week 6 ballot, covering games through December 17, at No. 20; dropped to No. 24 for Weeks 7 and 8; and fell out of our Week 9 ballot on January 7.

South Dakota has not lost since that January 7 ballot; in fact, its last loss came against Denver four days prior. South Dakota is 20–3 this season and 10–1 in the Summit League, including a thrilling double-overtime win over archrival and fellow mid-major power South Dakota State. The Coyotes also boast non-conference wins against Iowa State, which is currently ranked No. 17 on our ballot, and at Missouri, which has been ranked at various points in the season and has lost only one other home game. (That loss was to Green Bay, another team that South Dakota beat in non-conference play.)

Along with that sparkling record, the Coyotes’ stats also look impressive. Led by head coach Dawn Plitzuweit, South Dakota is ranked 24th in Her Hoop Stats rating and outscores teams by an average of 16.7 points per game, which ranks 13th nationally. The team has strong fundamentals, ranking second nationally in free throw shooting (79.2%) and defensive rebounding rate (75.5%) and 26th in turnovers per game (13.3). Finally, the team’s offense is extremely efficient, ranking among the top 30 in field goal percentage, 3-point shooting percentage, points per scoring attempt, and points per 100 possessions. (It certainly helps to have four double-figure scorers and three players who shoot at least 40% from behind the arc.)

South Dakota has five regular-season games remaining this season, with the third of those being the rematch against South Dakota State. That game could determine the Summit League regular season champion, as both teams are currently 10–1 in league play and 2.5 games ahead of third-place Western Illinois. But the Coyotes cannot overlook their rematches with Western Illinois on February 16 or Denver on February 21.

Something is brewing in South Dakota, which now counts one team in the AP top 25, one team on our HHS ballot, and two teams with HHS ratings in the top 25 (South Dakota State is No. 14 despite having six losses this season). Don’t miss the in-state showdown on February 24, and let us know who you’re rooting for in the comments section below or on Twitter (@herhoopstats). Make sure to check out the STI/Hoopfeed Top 25 Poll on the Hoopfeed website throughout the season.

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