When the NCAA Tournament gave the South Dakota State women’s basketball team oranges, it made the sweetest orange juice.

Our women’s team, the No. 6 seed, made history Monday night as it punched its ticket to the Sweet 16 after crushing the No. 3-seeded Syracuse Orange 75-64. Never before has this happened and we, at The Collegian, can’t help but feel ecstatic and proud. 

Last time the Jackrabbits were in this position in 2016, they fell to Stanford by a single point. 

History, however, did not repeat itself this year, and the women have given the state and the school an incredible opportunity to make our mark in the basketball community.

The Collegian covers big football games, but no team in all of SDSU athletics has ever accomplished something as huge as a trip to the Sweet 16 — making them, in our opinion, the most successful team in school history. 

We also want to take a moment to give a hat tip to the seniors, especially the homegrown South Dakota girl, Summit League MVP and the school’s leading scorer, Macy Miller, who has long deserved a trip to the Sweet 16. 

“I’m very proud of our girls and very happy we got it done. We made history together …,” Miller said after the game. 

Ditto, Miller. We couldn’t be more proud of the team’s hard work throughout the season and are so excited that the rest of the country gets to watch the Jacks wipe the court with such prominent teams. 

The women play Oregon next for a chance to make it to the Elite 8. Last time the Ducks faced the Jackrabbits, they beat SDSU 87-79. The game will be aired on ESPN2 at 10 p.m. CT Friday night. And you better believe we’ll be watching sipping a glass of victory orange juice as we support our team.

The Collegian Editorial Board meets weekly and agrees on the issue of the editorial. The editorial represents the opinion of The Collegian.