Nate Wolters will need to deliver a huge performance for South Dakota State to upset Michigan on Thursday. (Photo via ESPN991.com)
With the Michigan Wolverines taking on South Dakota State on Thursday in Round 2 of the 2013 NCAA Tournament, The Detroit Sports Site asked Terry Vandrovec of the Argus Leader in Sioux Falls, S.D., to help us learn a little more about the Jackrabbits.
Vandrovec also will be our guest on The Detroit Sports Show on Blog Talk Radio, airing Wednesday night at 7 p.m. ET.
The Detroit Sports Site: The whole world will know about South Dakota State point guard Nate Wolters by Thursday night, but presumably it will take more than a one-man show to beat Michigan. So, which other players have to step up for the Jackrabbits?
Terry Vandrovec: SDSU has options. Four guys are returning starters from last year’s tourney team. Four guys score in double figures. All five starters have put up at least 20 in a game this season and four are legit 3-point shooters. Junior all-conference forward Jordan Dykstra is the usual No. 2 scorer — he’s an energetic rebounder and a 3-point threat. Senior forward Tony Fiegen is more athletic and skilled than most realize and is coming off a strong conference tournament.
TDSS: Is Wolters the player that will be responsible for guarding Trey Burke? How will South Dakota State try to deal with him?
TV: That’s a great question. Wolters has been an excellent defender at times this season, but is rarely called upon to be the lock-down guy because of how much energy he expends on offense.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Brayden Carlson get the call. He’s a 6-4 junior with long arms and decent athleticism. SDSU plays halfcourt man-to-man almost exclusively. I’d be surprised to see much else for any extended period.
TDSS: This is not a great defensive team Michigan’s
going up against. Is there any way SDSU can slow down Michigan enough to pull this upset? Or is this going to be a case of “first team to 80 wins”?
TV: SDSU is a streak defensive team. It can be very good on that end, but it doesn’t come as naturally as the offensive part. And its best showings have usually been against defense-first teams.
So, yes, SDSU is prone to getting into track meets with willing partners. That’s often the case against Oakland. The Jacks won’t be able to get away with that unless they shoot well and rebound, something they’ve done relatively well this season despite a lack of beef in the post.
TDSS: Give us a prediction. Will we witness the start of a Cinderella story on Thursday?
TV: I’m not big on predictions — there are too many variables. But no outcome would surprise me, and we should know more early. The Jacks have started strong in every guarantee-game win of the Wolters era, leading most of the way at Iowa, Washington and New Mexico. For SDSU to have a chance, it has to shoot well and Wolters must be special.
