Reasons to Fear South Dakota State

South Dakota State senior point guard, Nate Wolters
will look to lead the 13-seed Jackrabbits over Michigan
on Thursday.
Picture Courtesy: isportsweb.com

Senior point guard, Nate Wolters has kept the Jackrabbits of South Dakota State in several games this season, and he'll look to do the same on Thursday. Wolters will face off against the Big Ten Player of the Year on Thursday at the Palace of Auburn Hills, as they take on Trey Burke and Michigan.

Wolters was a second team All-American selection by several College Basketball Analysts after his outstanding senior season. Wolters averages 22.7 points per game, compared to Trey Burke's 19.2. Judging by height, Wolters also has four inches on Burke, standing at six-feet, four-inches tall.

Burke admitted that he didn't know much about the Jackrabbits, but did know about Wolters. "I know they have a really good point guard in Wolters, but I don't really know anything else," he said when asked about the upcoming 'second round' game. South Dakota State also won their second SUMMIT league tournament in row to clinch their bid this season.

Nate Wolters has a Steve Nash comparison according to several analysts, but is a big time scorer as well. Wolters put up 53 points in a February 7 win over IPFW. However, Trey Burke will look to shut him down defensively as the winner moves on to face the winner of Virginia Commonwealth vs. Akron in the third round game.

My key to the game? How well can the Michigan defense get going? Wolters doesn't turn the ball over at all, which means less transition buckets for the best transition team in College Basketball. We'll see how the match up between the top two point guards goes in the national spotlight.

The game itself will be on CBS at 7:15 pm on Thursday night in Auburn Hills.