The women's 2012 NCAA Tournament bracket was released on Monday night and, in a move that wasn't a surprise, the Minnesota Golden Gophers didn't make it. Our neighbors to the West received an automatic bid from winning the Summit League tournament, however, and the bracket makers rewarded the South Dakota State Lady Jackrabbits with a No. 13 seed.
South Dakota State will play the Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday at 12:30 on ESPN2.
The Lady Jackrabbits probably were worthy additions to the women's NCAA Tournament based on their name alone, but the team instead was forced to win the Summit League championship in overtime over Missouri-Kansas City.
Osseo, Minn., native Jennie Sunnarborg scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the championship on the way to being named the tournament's most valuable player. The 6-foot-2 forward was nominated for the Minnesota Miss Basketball award in 2008.
For more on the Golden Gophers, check out The Daily Gopher. You can also learn more about women's basketball in general at SB Nation's Swish Appeal. A complete bracket is available here.