A Summit League title is on the line Thursday night, along with the top seed of the Summit League Tournament, as the South Dakota men's basketball team travels to South Dakota State. Tip-off inside Frost Arena is slated for 7 p.m.
 
The Game
A win for the Coyotes gives them their second-straight Summit League Championship and the No. 1 overall seed in the Summit League Tournament. South Dakota last won back-to-back conference championships in 1999-00 and 2000-01.
 
A rematch of the Jan. 24 meeting, the Coyotes topped SDSU 87-68. Matt Mooney scored a game-high 30 points while Triston Simpson added a career-best 20 points. South Dakota shot 49.3 percent from the field to take a six-point halftime lead and turn it into the 19-point victory.
 
Showdown Series
The South Dakota Showdown Series, presented by South Dakota Corn, is a point-based athletic and academic competition between the two intrastate rivals, which is in its sixth season. Fans will notice that the players will be wearing burnt orange socks and shooting shirts while many of the coaches will be including orange into their clothing. The color burnt orange represents the "fight to end hunger".
 
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 Jackrabbits
South Dakota State, 23-6 overall and 11-1 in Summit League games, topped Western Illinois last Saturday 82-62. Mike Daum tallied 30 points in the contest with David Jenkins adding 20. Tevin King neared a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds. The victory was the sixth-straight for SDSU.
 
For the season, Daum leads the Jackrabbits with 23.5 points and 9.9 rebounds per contest. The Summit League's Preseason Player of the Year shoots at a 46.4 percent clip. Freshman David Jenkins is second on the team with 15.8 points per contest as Reed Tellinghuisen tallies 12.1 points per game. The Jackrabbits have the nation's longest home court win streak at 19 games, which dates back to a victory over Fort Wayne on Jan. 21, 2017. The last loss was a 101-93 setback to Omaha on Jan. 7, 2017.
 
The Coyotes
South Dakota claimed its 24^th victory of the season last Saturday, topping Omaha 79-64. With 24 wins, the Coyotes have set a Division I era record for victories and hold an overall 24-6 record with an 11-2 Summit League mark. Against Omaha, Mooney scored a game-high 28 points while Trey Burch-Manning added 15 points. Nick Fuller tallied the first double-double of his career with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

After yesterday's Summit League leading 24th victory, the Coyotes are fourth in the nation in total wins this year! #GoYotes pic.twitter.com/YmDZxteF4K

— Coyote Basketball (@SDCoyotesMBB) February 18, 2018

 
Mooney's average is up to 17.7 points per game while Tyler Hagedorn averages 13.8 points per contest. In Summit League play, Triston Simpson averages 10.8 points per game. The Coyotes have six players that score 8.7 points or more per game.
 
The Series
South Dakota State leads the all-time series 126-95 but the Coyotes have won two of the last three meetings including the 87-68 victory on Jan. 24.
 
One Last Thing
South Dakota is No. 3 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25, the highest ranking for USD in the poll. South Dakota State is No. 6 in the same poll, setting up a top-10 showdown, the second-straight meeting with both teams inside the top-10 of the poll. The No. 3 ranking matches the highest ranking of a Summit League team in recent years. North Dakota State held the No. 3 ranking in the 2013-14 season.

?? @SDCoyotesMBB jumps to #??3?? in the latest @collegeinsider Mid-Major Top-25 with its 24-6 record. The 24 wins rank fourth in all of NCAA Division I for the most wins this year. #GoYoteshttps://t.co/M43VQa8pbB

— South Dakota Coyotes (@SDCoyotes) February 20, 2018