The NCAA Tournament is finally upon us and Thursday’s South Dakota State vs Ohio State game could be one of the most enticing matchups of round one.
Looking for a potential upset pick in the first round? Look no further than Ohio State’s matchup with No. 12 seed South Dakota State. That’s not a knock against the Buckeyes as they’re an incredibly talented team, but rather the experience of Ohio State.
A year ago, Ohio State had missed the tournament and Thad Matta was let go. The program looked to be in a major rebuild, but Chris Holtmann came in and changed the culture back to a winning one right away. He turned the Buckeyes into instant Big Ten title contenders as they won 24 games and 15 in conference play.
South Dakota State isn’t going to be a cakewalk for Ohio State despite having the Big Ten Player of the Year on the roster in Keita Bates-Diop. The Jackrabbits are riding an 11-game winning streak and are 19-1 in their last 20 games. They’ve been one of the hottest mid-majors in the country.
The Jackrabbits are led by 6-foot-9 junior forward Mike Daum who averages 23.8 points and 10.4 rebounds while shooting over 42 percent from 3-point range. As a team, the Jackrabbits can run, averaging 85 points per game and shooting over 40 percent from behind the arc. Ohio State could be in serious trouble against this high-scoring attack.
Here’s how you can watch Thursday’s Oklahoma vs Rhode Island game online:
Date: Thursday, March 15
Time: 4:00 p.m. ET
Location: Boise, Idaho
Venue: Taco Bell Arena
TV: TNT
Live Stream: NCAA March Madness Live
Next: NCAA Tournament 2018: First round tip times, TV schedule
While South Dakota State is the clear underdog in this matchup, the Buckeyes should be weary of an upset as the No. 5 vs. No. 12 matchups are always insanely close.
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