South Dakota hosts Michigan State for the Women's National Invitation Tournament round of 16 at 7 p.m. Thursday inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center in Vermillion.

The Game
Two storied coaches, USD head coach Dawn Plitzuweit and MSU head coach Suzy Merchant, meet outside the state of Michigan for the first time. The pair coached at conference rivals twice in their careers. Plitzuweit was the associate head coach at Michigan under Kevin Borseth when Merchant first started out at Michigan State. Earlier in their careers, they were on opposing benches with Plitzuweit at Michigan Tech and Merchant at Saginaw Valley State (SVSU) in the GLIAC. Plitzuweit's Coyotes have found success this season by using versatility to combat an undersized lineup with 10 guards. Thursday, they will face the challenge of a Michigan State roster that has 10 players standing at six feet or taller.

The Coyotes
South Dakota (28-6, 14-0 Summit) earned the Summit League's automatic bid to the WNIT after becoming the first undefeated regular season champion since 1994. South Dakota is making its fifth appearance in the WNIT and fourth in consecutive years. The Coyotes are 11-3 all-time in the tournament. USD features a balanced offense with nine different leading scorers throughout the season. Four players reached double figures in the first two tournament games. Winning the turnover battle will be key for the Coyotes on Thursday. The Coyotes rank 24th nationally for fewest turnovers per game with an average of 12.2, committing a season-low five last Sunday. Meanwhile, USD's defense forces opponents into 17.5 turnovers a contest which they capitalize on by averaging 18.2 points off turnovers per game.

The Spartans
Michigan State (19-13, 7-9 Big Ten), a program with 16 NCAA Tournament appearances, just missed the cut line this season and is competing in the WNIT for the first time since 2008 when the Spartans fell to Marquette in the championship game. The Spartans' top-three scorers - Shay Colley, Branndais Agee and Taryn McCutcheon - were Big Ten honorable mention. Colley leads the team with 11.7 points per game and hit the game-winner in the closing seconds against Toledo on Monday. Michigan State ranks 12th nationally for assists per game (18.0) with McCutcheon leading the team in the category with 5.6 a game. Ten Spartans stand at six feet or taller and MSU averages 14 offensive rebounds per game.

The Series
This marks the first meeting between South Dakota and Michigan State in women's basketball. The schools have met once in men's basketball (last in 1966) and six times in football (last in 1932), but the Coyotes have never come out on top.

One Last Thing
When senior center Kate Liveringhouse steps into the center circle on Thursday, she will set the USD school record for career games played with 138. This marks the third-straight year the record will be broken thanks to deep postseason runs in the WNIT.