Iowa State, Creighton Headline Area Teams in Preseason Hoops Poll

If the Preseason Men's College Basketball poll is any indication, at least a few area programs could be in for BIG seasons.

The Iowa State Cyclones are very well thought of this preseason and are joined by the Creighton Blue Jays as area teams in the Top 25.

TJ Otzelberger's team is so well thought of they've cracked the Top 5!

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Here's the entire preseason poll:

Associated Press Preseason Top 25

First-place votes in parentheses

Team	Pts.
1. Kansas (30)	1,449
2. Alabama (14)	1,428
3. UConn (11)	1,345
4. Houston (4)	1,343
5. Iowa State	1,177
6. Gonzaga (1)	1,157
7. Duke	1,154
8. Baylor	1,109
9. North Carolina	1,037
10. Arizona	905
11. Auburn	901
12. Tennessee	775
13. Texas A&M	737
14. Purdue	678
15. Creighton	631
16. Arkansas	625
17. Indiana	492
18. Marquette	484
19. Texas	332
20. Cincinnati	271
21. Florida	249
22. UCLA	210
23. Kentucky	191
24. Ole Miss	132
25. Rutgers	102

Preseason #1 Kansas has a ton of incoming talent, including a few players with local ties:

Kansas coach Bill Self retooled in the offseason, landing one of the nation's top transfer classes with AJ Storr (Wisconsin), guard Zeke Mayo (South Dakota State) and Rylan Griffen (Alabama) joining Dickinson and fellow seniors Dajuan Harris Jr. and KJ Adams Jr. -- both part of the Jayhawks' 2022 national title squad -- to form a deeper and more talented team.

The 2024-25 Men's College Basketball season officially begins in Sioux Falls with The Field of 68 Basketball Showcase on Monday, November 4th at the Sanford Pentagon.

For more information on the event, visit the official page here.

Sources: ESPN.com and The Field of 68

Do You Know Your South Dakota College and University Mascots

The college football experience is an ultimate high for football fans and it takes several other teams to make that happen week after week during the season.

Just think about what goes into gameday.

First and foremost, the players and coaching staff who put in hours and hours of practice and training to play in front of their fans. Then there's field prep, game officials, live broadcasts, concessions, and on-the-field entertainment. Yep, entertainment.

Second to the game, who do you watch? The cheerleaders? The band at halftime? What about the mascot? That's a job not many people can do.

I asked Sioux Falls native and former Cagey mascot for the Sioux Falls Canaries and Little Red & Herbie for the Nebraska Huskers Nate Welch about being a mascot:

What does it take to be a mascot?
"Losing a bet or filling an opportunity!" Welch says, "An internal energized desire to love life. After meeting great performers who are introverts out of costume, they become the center of attention when they take the stage. And also feeding off the performance of others."
Why does the mascot never talk?
"Know your role and shut your mouth. You are there to entertain. Tell the story with your actions and not your voice."
Advice to someone putting on that costume for the first time?
"Remember you are now in a costume. Have fun. Otherwise, you're just a dork in tights. If the fur ain't flying you ain't trying."

So, can you name the mascots at our South Dakota Colleges and Universities? Check out the gallery below:

Gallery Credit: Dave Roberts