Despite running the table in Summit League league regular season play last year, the South Dakota women's basketball team is a distant second to rival South Dakota State in the conference's pre-season poll.

The Jackrabbits, who went 12-2 in the Summit in 2017-18 losing only to the Coyotes in the regular season, grabbed 23 of the 32 votes in the balloting of the league’s head coaches, sports information directors, and select media.

SDSU did beat USD in the 2018 Summit League Tournament title game.

South Dakota grabbed the remaining nine first-place votes. League newcomer North Dakota is sixth in the pre-season poll.

South Dakota State senior Macy Miller is the conference's pre-season Player of the Year and on the first team all-league for the third time.

The Mitchell native was last season's Player of the Year and is a two-time Summit League Tournament MVP.

Miller averaged a league-leading 18 points per game and ranked in the top 10 in six of the eight statistical categories last year. This season she has her eye on becoming the all-time scoring leader at SDSU and in the Summit League.

Madison Guebert - SDSU
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Joining Miller on the first team is her Jackrabbit teammate Madison Guebert, who grabs the honor for the second time.

The senior from Apple Valley, Minnesota, led SDSU in three-pointers and finished second in scoring last season with 15 points per game. She led The Summit League with a 91.3 free-throw percentage.

Allison Arens - USD
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South Dakota has a pair of players on the first-team.

Senior Allison Arens is a two-time all-Summit League first-team pick. The Crofton, Nebraska native average 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals per game in 2017-18.

Ciara Duffy - USD
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Junior Ciara Duffy was on last year’s all-Summit League first team and the Summit League all-tournament team. The Rapid City native led the Coyotes with 12 points and five rebounds per game, while also contributing three assists and one steal per game.

Taylor Higginbotham of Western Illinois and Lexi Klabo of North Dakota are also on the first team.

Summit League Pre-Season Women's Basketball Poll (first place votes)

  1. South Dakota State (23)
  2. South Dakota (9)
  3. Western Illinois
  4. Oral Roberts
  5. Denver
  6. North Dakota
  7. North Dakota State
  8. Omaha
  9. Purdue Fort Wayne

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