Bracketology: Updated projected field as conference tournaments begin

East Region

(1) Villanova vs. (16) Florida Gulf Coast

(8) Florida vs. (9) Miami

(4) Clemson vs. (13) South Dakota State

(5) Rhode Island vs. (12) Loyola-Chicago

(6) Houston vs. (11) St. Mary’s

(3) Texas Tech vs. (14) UNC-Greensboro

(7) Texas A&M vs. (10) Florida State

(2) Purdue vs. (15) UC-Santa Barbara

Underdog to watch: South Dakota State Jackrabbits

Two words: Mike Daum. That’s really all you need to know. In a single-elimination tournament like March Madness, one player can make a huge difference. The “Dauminator” is one of the best players in the nation and he can take over a game at any moment. For the season, he is averaging 23.6 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. He is a shoe-in to win the Summit League Player of the Year.

The great thing about South Dakota State this season is that they have help around Daum. Specifically, freshman David Jenkins Jr. has been sensational all season long. He is the second-leading scorer on the team with 15.9 points per game and is followed by Reed Tellinghuisen (12.2 points).

The Jackrabbits are seventh in the nation in points per game this year (85.3 points) and can hang with the best of them. They have wins over Iowa, Buffalo, and Mississippi already this year and also played a competitive game against Wichita State.