A couple of days before St. Patrick's Day, fabled South Dakota sportswriter Matt Zimmer received a stroke of good luck. The Sioux Falls Live sports editor saw South Dakota State's name pop up under a pod of teams headed to Fort Worth, Texas, for the NCAA women's basketball tournament's opening weekend. For Zim, this was fortunate news because he gets to avoid flying, an activity he avoids like the plague. Yes, he's choosing a 12-hour solo drive instead of a nonstop flight. Far more noteworthy things surround the 11th-seeded Jackrabbits' draw against No. 6 Washington in a game that likely will decide who meets the No. 3 seed TCU, which is hosting this particular "Sacramento 4" pod. For one, does this feel like a potential repeat of SDSU's win over similarly seeded Oklahoma State in last year's NCAA first round? Zim taps into that storyline and into the brilliance of Aaron Johnston in his matchups against major conference teams in the Big Dance.