All eyes will be on Vermillion as South Dakota men's basketball hosts South Dakota State in a South Dakota Showdown Series contest presented by South Dakota Corn Wednesday night at 7 p.m. Limited tickets are available at GoYotes.com/tickets or by calling (605) 677-5959.
 
Promotions
FeaRED Out: All fans are encouraged to wear red in support of the Coyotes.
 
Coaches vs. Cancer: The South Dakota coaching staff will be wearing Suits & Sneakers in support of Coaches vs. Cancer. The 25^th Anniversary of Coaches vs. Cancer is a nationwide event that unites coaches across the country to raise funds and awareness about the fight against cancer, and promotes the American Cancer Society as a source of inspiration and hope for those facing cancer. In 25 years, college and high school coaches have raised over $110 million to attack cancer from every angle.
 
Feeding South Dakota: It is easier than ever to stand up and make a difference in our state's fight against hunger as fans can text the word SHOWDOWN to 80077 to donate $10 to Feeding South Dakota. The initiative is part of the South Dakota Showdown Series presented by South Dakota Corn, a point-based athletic and academic competition between the two intrastate rivals which is in its sixth season.
 
The Game
It's the No. 6 Jackrabbits and No. 9 Coyotes according to the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25, the top-two teams in the Summit League. Both teams enter with identical 17-5 overall records as the Coyotes are 5-1 in the Summit League and South Dakota State holds a 5-0 league mark. 
 
The Jackrabbits
Mike Daum, the Summit League Preseason Player of the Year, leads the Jackrabbits with 22.9 points per game, a mark the ticks up to 27.2 points per game in league play. True freshman David Jenkins ranks second on the team with a 15.9 point per game average while Reed Tellinghuisen rounds out the three Jacks' averaging double digits with 13.5 points per game.
 
South Dakota State is coming off a 98-70 victory at Western Illinois as Jenkins tallied a game-high 27 points as seven different players scored at least 10 points.
 
The Coyotes
Holding a 5-1 record in league play for the first time, South Dakota is 17-5 overall after defeating Omaha on Saturday night 85-71. Tyler Hagedorn scored a game-high 25 points, including 14 of the first 16 points for USD. Nick Fuller came off the bench for 16 points and eight rebounds as Matt Mooney added 17 points.
 
Mooney, who enters the game just two points shy of 1,000 in a South Dakota uniform, leads the team with 17.3 points per game. He ranks second in the Summit League with 19 steals in the conference season including four at Omaha. Hagedorn's breakout season has him averaging 13.9 points per contest. Trey Burch-Manning tops the Coyotes' rebounding chart with 6.9 rebounds per contest.
 
The Series
South Dakota State leads the overall series 126-94 while the Coyotes hold the edge in Vermillion at 63-33. South Dakota won the only meeting inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center last season as Mooney scored 25 points including back-to-back-to-back 3-point baskets to carry USD from an 81-79 deficit to an 88-81 lead.
 
Three points or less separated all three meetings last season.
 
One Last Thing
The game features two of the top mid-major players in the country between the Coyotes' Matt Mooney and Jacks' Mike Daum. Both were on the Lou Henson Award Preseason Watch List and remained on the mid-season update. The Lou Henson Award is given annually to the top mid-major player in the country.