We're still a few weeks away from final preparations for the upcoming college basketball season, and leagues and conferences have been putting out their preseason rankings and players to watch.

This week, the Summit League did just that, and it came with some good news for SDSU and USD fans.

Both programs from the Mount Rushmore State are in the top 3 of the league's preseason poll, and several individuals have also been recognized on the preseason all-conference teams.

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Per the official release, here is the preseason poll:

2022-23 Summit League Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll

RankSchoolPoints (1st)2021-22 Record (SL)
1.Oral Roberts731 (28)19-12 (12-6)
2.South Dakota State668 (11)30-5 (18-0)
3.South Dakota602 (1)19-12 (11-7)
4.North Dakota State54923-10 (13-5)
5.Denver43211-21 (7-11)
6.Kansas City31019-12 (12-6)
7.Western Illinois29416-16 (7-11)
8.St. Thomas28910-20 (4-14)
9.Omaha2795-25 (4-14)
10.North Dakota1746-25 (2-16)

SDSU won the league title last season, and finished the campaign with a trip to the NCAA Tournament and a 30-5 overall mark.

For the Coyotes, they finished last season at 19-12 and will look for a strong first year under new Head Coach Eric Peterson.

Here are the Summit League's preseason All-Conference Teams:

2022-23 Preseason Summit League Player of the Year
Max Abmas – Oral Roberts

Preseason All-Summit League First Team
Max Abmas, Oral Roberts, Jr., G (24.1 ppg/3.6 rpg/3.9 apg)*
Luke Appel, South Dakota State, Gr, F (11.1 ppg/4.2 rpg)
Frankie Fidler, Omaha, So., F (15.2 ppg/4.1 rpg)
Trenton Massner, Western Illinois, Sr., G (17.9 ppg/6.7 rpg/4.1 apg)
Zeke Mayo, South Dakota State, So., G (10.6 ppg/2.7 rpg/2.1 apg)
Grant Nelson, North Dakota State, Jr., F (10.5 ppg/4.4 rpg/1.7 bpg)

Preseason All-Summit League Second Team
Mason Archambault, South Dakota, Sr., G (15.6 ppg/2.8 rpg/2.2 apg)
Issac McBride, Oral Roberts, Jr., G (13.9 ppg/2.8 rpg/1.9 apg)
Kruz Perrott-Hunt, South Dakota, Jr., G (15.8 ppg/4.6 rpg/2.2 apg)
A.J. Plitzuweit, South Dakota, Jr., G (22.1 ppg/4.2 rpg/3.9 apg; 2020-21 stats)
Tevin Smith, Denver, So., G (12.3 ppg/3.1 rpg)

For the complete release, visit the link below.

Source: TheSummitLeague.org

South Dakota Born NFL Players of this Century

While not a traditional powerhouse Nation Football League feeder, South Dakota has produces a fair number of football players that went on to the big time in the NFL.

Here are some that have played on various teams over the last couple of decades.

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