Issue:

Both men’s and women’s basketball teams lost in the early rounds of the NCAA tournament.

Stance: 

The support throughout the state for both of the Jackrabbit men and women’s teams prove we are a tight-knit community.

The Jackrabbit men and women’s basketball team entered the NCAA Tournament with high hopes, but both teams did not make it to the Sweet 16.

For most universities that regularly play in the NCAA tournament, this would be a source of shame, disappointment and anger. This is not the case at South Dakota State University. The teams are upset they did not win their games, but that is not what the SDSU and Brookings communities focus on.

Instead, the university and community are focusing on the small details of the tournament experience, including the fan support, the exposure it provided for the university and the Athletics Department and the joy of playing on the national stage.

The teams may have lost the game, but the support of SDSU and the Brookings community never wavered.

The men’s team lost by five points in their game. The women won their first, but came up short in their second, losing only by one point. Each of these losses are upsetting.

But we, at The Collegian, believe that the most important fact is that our teams made it that far and held their own. They played against teams that had won more games throughout the season than the Jacks did, but our teams pushed themselves until the final seconds to try and win the games. 

There were mistakes made by both teams that should and could have been avoided. The refs called plays that they should not have and should have called plays that they didn’t. And fans at home used anonymous social media to say rude things about the game. 

Those things really don’t matter. History may not remember that the Jacks men and women’s basketball teams almost won, but they will remember the crazy fans who made a scene at the games. The owners of businesses will recall how packed their restaurants were during those games. The players will remember the support they had when they returned home.

Social media exploded after the women’s game showering the players with support. To let them know that even though they lost, their fans at SDSU and in Brookings still supported them and couldn’t wait until next year’s season.

Other sports teams including the football, baseball and volleyball teams shared their support for the basketball team’s on Twitter. They showed the basketball teams as well as the SDSU community the bond between sports teams and the appreciation for each other. 

This support was there all season long, but Rabbit Nation really showed its pride when the Jacks went dancing. The country got to see what it means to be a Jack. We cheer as loud as we can. We play until the buzzer goes off and deal with the outcome.

We, at The Collegian, are proud to be Jackrabbits and you should be too.

The Collegian staff meets weekly and agrees on the issue of the editorial.

The editorial represents the opinion of The Collegian.