The South Dakota men's basketball team begins a three-game road trip by traveling to Denver Saturday for a 5 p.m. (CST) tip-off with the Pioneers inside Magness Arena. It is a rare road doubleheader for the Coyotes as the women's team plays at 2 p.m. (CST). The game will be the first time this year that the Coyotes have faced a team for a second time as the Summit League calendar turns its page to the second half of the season.
 
The Game
South Dakota, sitting in first place of the Summit League with a 6-1 record, is 18-5 overall after topping South Dakota State 87-68 Wednesday night. Denver is 3-4 in league play and is fifth in the Summit League standings. The Pioneers hold an overall record of 9-12.
 
The Coyotes look to win five games in a row for the first time this season while Denver looks to make it three-straight victories. The Coyotes previously won four-straight games in December before falling at UCLA. Since that loss, South Dakota has won seven of its last eight games.
 
The Pioneers
Denver defeated Western Illinois 70-58 Thursday night behind four players scoring in double digits. Jake Pemberton scored 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting while Joe Rosga, Ade Murkey and Daniel Amigo all hit 10 or more points. Amigo tallied a game-high seven rebounds as Denver improved to 3-4 in league action.
 
Amigo, a preseason first team all-Summit League selection, leads the team with 15.6 points per game with Joe Rosga averaging 15.3 points per game. Denver leads the Summit League with a 6.3 rebound margin as Amigo grabs 6.9 rebounds per contest. 
 
The Coyotes
In South Dakota's last game, Matt Mooney tallied a game-high 30 points while Triston Simpson poured in a career-best 20 points. Nick Fuller came off the bench for 14 points with Trey Burch-Manning tallying a team-high 11 rebounds.
 
Mooney's season average is up to 17.9 points per game, a mark that rises to 19.0 points in Summit League games. Tyler Hagedorn is second on the team with 13.6 points while Burch-Manning grabs 7.1 rebounds per game, ranking sixth in the Summit League.
 
The Series
Denver holds a slight 7-6 lead in the series but the Coyotes have won three-straight games. South Dakota looks for its second-straight season sweep of the Pioneers. South Dakota is 2-2 all-time in games played against Denver in the Mile High City.
 
One Last Thing
South Dakota ranks 35^th in the NCAA with a +3.1 turnover margin, which along with 15.1 forced turnovers per game, leads the Summit League. South Dakota tallies 18.1 points off turnovers per game.