NCAA Tournament: Gonzaga Starts Quest for Final Four Against SDSU
By Ben Renner
The NCAA Tournament is under way. Today at 11am, the Gonzaga Bulldogs will take on the overmatched South Dakota State.
In the first round of the NCAA Tournament this year, South Dakota State isn’t considered the best 16-seed in the field, but Gonzaga’s first round (read: push-over) opponent will be feisty. No 16-seed has never knocked off a one-seed in NCAA Tournament history, so I can’t give the Jackrabbits much of a chance against the one-loss Gonzaga Bulldogs, but it’s important to not look past your opponent.
The Jackrabbits went 18-16 in the regular season, sporting an even 8-8 record in the Summit League. They are no strangers to big games (as big as a team from South Dakota can hope for). South Dakota State went on a run at the end of the season, winning five straight games before the Summit League Championship semifinals against South Dakota. South Dakota was expected to win and earn that automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, but the Jackrabbits came to play. They shocked the Coyotes and went on to take the league championship.
South Dakota State earned its place in the NCAA Tournament and the privilege of getting on national television to play Gonzaga in dramatic fashion. And they can score.
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South Dakota State has the second-leading scorer in the country: Mike Daum. He averages 25.3 points per game for the Jackrabbits on over 15 shots per game. Playing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, expect Daum to let it fly.
Gonzaga’s opponent gets to the line as a team and sinks their free throws. Their 77.6 shooting percentage from the line is ninth in the country.
There’s little doubt Gonzaga’s bigs, headed by their two seven-foot towers, Przemek Karnowski and Zach Collins, can take over in the paint against the under-sized Jackrabbit front court and put this game on ice. SDSU features a pair of tall guards, Reed Tellinghuisen and A.J. Hess, both six-feet, seven inches tall, who will play everywhere on the floor against Gonzaga.
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Assuming the Bulldogs avoid one of the greatest upsets of all time in the first round, they’ll move on to face the winner of Northwestern and Vanderbilt in the second round. Keep an eye on West Virginia in their game against Bucknell tipping off 45 minutes after the Zags. They’re the likely Sweet Sixteen foe for Gonzaga.