North Dakota State Earning Major Mid Major Respect

The Summit League has a new powerhouse: North Dakota State. Just five season’s ago the North Dakota State team was in Division II, struggling to get any sort of attention. But due to an extremely strong recruiting class, they lobbied the NCAA to move the team into Division I in five years.  The NCAA allowed it, and now that the players in that class (who red shirted their freshmen seasons) are seniors, NDSU is really going to town on their competition. According to the Bill Trocchi article about the team, NDSU coach Saul Phillips had this to say about making the Tourney, possibly:

“It would be a dream come true for everyone around this program, a dream that was thought to be unreachable when we started this. The victory is in the fact that we can even talk about it without being laughed out of the conversation.”

So if you’re looking for a mid major to support this season, a good bet might be North Dakota State, a team tied for first in their conference.  Gonzaga and Butler are safe picks, but if you’re truly looking for a Cinderella mid major, it’s North Dakota State.

To get NCAA basketball tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on January 28, 2009 - Post a comment