The South Dakota State Jackrabbits will make their first-ever Div. I NCAA Tournament appearance Thursday night against the Baylor Bears. South Dakota State, the No. 14-seed, is scheduled to tip-off against No. 3 Baylor at 7:27 ET on truTV.
The winner will play the winner of the UNLV Runnin' Rebels and Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday.
The Jackrabbits, which moved from D-II to D-I in 2006, compiled a 27-7 record this season. They are in the Big Dance by virtue of their 52-50 overtime win over Western Illinois in the Summit League championship.
Baylor is also 27-7 and went 12-6 in the Big 12. The Bears, who lost to Missouri in the Big 12 title game, have plenty of top-flight talent to throw at SDSU. Sophomore Perry Jones III is projected as a lottery pick, while freshman Quincy Miller also figures to be playing in the NBA before long. Junior point guard Pierre Jackson is rock-solid with 13.3 points and 5.8 assists per game.
For the Jackrabbits to keep up, St. Cloud, Minn. native Nate Wolters is going to have to have a big game. The 6-4 guard is averaging 21.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and an even six assists on the season. He had 14 points in the Summit League title game.
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