Mike Daum and South Dakota State raised the roof, but fell short of upsetting Ohio State

Sam Cooper
·College football writer
Ohio State avoided an upset from South Dakota State, who got a 27-point effort from star forward Mike Daum (24). (AP Photo/Otto Kitsinger)
Ohio State avoided an upset from South Dakota State, who got a 27-point effort from star forward Mike Daum (24). (AP Photo/Otto Kitsinger)

Ohio State had its hands full with South Dakota State in a 5-12 West Region matchup, and Mike Daum was a big reason why.

The 6-foot-9 junior, who is known as the “Dauminator,” entered the game averaging an impressive 23.8 points and 10.4 rebounds per game for the Jackrabbits. He put up 17 points in the first half to help the Summit League champions go into halftime tied 43-43 with the Buckeyes.

And after one first half 3-pointer, Daum, who finished with a game-high 27 points, pulled out a celebration you don’t see too much anymore.

He raised the roof!

A short while later, Ohio State’s Keita Bates-Diop returned the favor.

Bates-Diop, the Big Ten Player of the Year, matched Daum with 17 first-half points and finished with 24, helping OSU avoid the upset.

In a game that featured a whopping 71 3-point attempts, the Buckeyes held a comfortable lead for much of the second half, but the Jackrabbits stormed back with a 10-0 run to tie the game at 70-70 with 1:53 to play. On the ensuing possession, OSU retook the lead, 74-70, on a clutch four-point play from Kam Williams.

The Buckeyes added three more points when SDSU fouled Williams on another 3-point attempt. Williams, who scored a season-high 22 points, then calmly sank all three of his free throws to put a bow on OSU’s eventual 81-73 win.

With the win, Ohio State advances to face No. 4 seed Gonzaga on Saturday in the Round of 32. The Zags also avoided an upset on Thursday, besting UNC Greensboro, 68-64.

South Dakota State has reached the NCAA tournament in five of the last seven years, but has yet to pull out a victory.

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Sam Cooper is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

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