Preview: Gonzaga vs. South Dakota State in the NCAA Tournament

SALT LAKE CITY -- No. 1 seed Gonzaga (32-1) vs. No. 16 seed South Dakota State (18-16)

First round, West region; Salt Lake City; 2 p.m. EDT.

BOTTOM LINE: The big question about Gonzaga all year: How will the Bulldogs fare against the big boys when the time finally arrives? That time is not Thursday, though South Dakota State is a bit scary. The Jackrabbits have won nine of 11, including three straight in the Summit League Tournament, where they were seeded fourth.

SCORER: At 25.3 points per game, South Dakota State's Mike Daum is the NCAA's second-highest scorer this season.

HE SAID IT: Gonzaga G Jordan Mathews: "It's not one of those things where we look at it and say, 'Oh, we're the big dog now.' The chip is still the same."

STAT WATCH: Turns out, Gonzaga C Przemek Karnowski doesn't need another win to become the all-time NCAA Division I wins leader. His 132nd career victory last week was enough. According to The Spokesman-Review , the NCAA re-examined the stats and found that Duke's Shane Battier missed two games during the 1998-99 season. His record, previously pegged at 133 games, should only be 131.