Ladies and gentlemen, we are finally so so back. The NCAA Tournament is back after an unreal conference tournament week, and I’m more excited than a kid in a candy shop. One of the great matchups in this opening round is Iowa State versus South Dakota State, so let’s break it down.

I want to be nice to this South Dakota team, so keep that in mind while reading this breakdown. At 22-12 the champions of the Summit League have played well, but struggled against good teams and have not much experience against high level competition. Led by guard Zeke Mayo, this team will live and die by his performance making them a risky pick in most matchups. They have scored a bit more than Iowa State on average, but against inferior competition. Will they be able to get the win here?

Now Iowa State I think is a sleeper team to go far in the Tournament this year. Ranked 6 in BPI and with impressive wins against some top teams, the Cyclones are putting it together at the right time. While they don’t score in boatloads this team is more smothering than a helicopter parent on prom night. Gilbert and Lipsey will lead this team far in my opinion, but they can’t get ahead of themselves and need to take this tournament game by game. I’d take them to win this matchup. 

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