SDSU Picked to Win Summit League Men's Basketball Title

If the pre-season prognostications are correct, we could be in for one heck of a college basketball season in the Mount Rushmore State.

South Dakota State has been picked to win the Summit League regular season title for the 2017-18 season, but the margin over second place South Dakota is razor thin.

In the vote of league coaches, sports information directors, and media, the Jackrabbits, last season’s league tournament champion, garnered 339 points, including 13 first-place votes, to finish atop the poll. The Coyotes, last season's regular season champs, were just one first place vote shy of SDSU and a mere 12 points back in the balloting .

South Dakota State's junior forward Mike Daum, the reigning Summit League Player of the Year, is also the pre-season pick for the award. He is nation’s leading returning scorer from last season, where he averaged 25 points per game.

Senior guard Reed Tellinghuisen is also back for the Jackrabbits. He scored 11 points a game in league play last year and was fifth in blocked shots. He's a pre-season second team selection.

South Dakota junior guard Matt Mooney was the Summit's Transfer of the Year last season, after coming to USD from Air Force. He finished third in scoring and fifth in made free throws.

Junior forward Trey Burch-Manning is on the pre-season second team after finishing fourth in the conference in rebounding last season.

2017-18 PRE-SEASON POLL (first place votes)