THIS WEEK: The University of South Dakota men's basketball team will conclude its season this weekend with two games at the Spring Thaw Tournament in Grand Forks, N.D. The Coyotes will open the two-day event against former North Central Conference rival North Dakota at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 7... Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and Seattle are battling in the other matchup at 3 p.m. The winners of the two games meet at 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 8 for the championship, while the losers of the two games will play at 3 p.m. on Sunday.

THE RECORDS: USD is 19-8 after losing to Seattle University, 87-85 on Saturday night. North Dakota is 15-11, Seattle is 19-8 and SIUE is 10-18.

SERIES HISTORY: North Dakota leads the series against USD, 96-85 although the Coyotes have won both meetings this season...the series between USD and SIUE is tied at 1-1...Seattle leads the series against USD, 3-0, including sweeping both meetings so far in 2008-09.

USD MEN'S HOOPS HISTORY: USD's all-time record is 1,158-944. Last year, USD went 22-7 and eclipsed the 20-win barrier for the 14th time under Coach Dave Boots. The Coyotes reached the NCAA Division II tournament for a fifth straight year in 2007-08.

COYOTES DOMINANT AT HOME: Under Coach Dave Boots, USD has been a dominant team at the DakotaDome, recording a record of 268-45 (.856). That includes a record of 120-15 (.890) since 2000-01. The Coyotes finished 14-1 at home this season.