The Game
South Dakota hosts the SEC's Missouri at 7 p.m. Thursday night inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center in Vermillion. It will mark the first time an SEC foe has visited Vermillion, although it's the eighth Power 5 opponent to play on the Coyotes' home court since the program's move to Division I.
 
The Coyotes
The drama continues for South Dakota (4-0) with one of the toughest nonconference slates in program history. The Coyotes kicked off the season with three of its first four games on the road, putting in 6,058 miles of travel in the first two weeks. All four of South Dakota's wins have been nail biters, decided by eight points or fewer with the last two determined in overtime. Junior guard Monica Arens sent the last two contests to extra minutes with big-time plays, including a buzzer-beater against Drake and a blocked shot at Utah. Senior guard Ciara Duffy picked up her second-straight Summit League Player of the week accolade on Monday. She's averaging 20.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists through the first four games. The Coyotes are the top-ranked mid-major in the CollegeInsider.com poll for the third-straight week.
 
The Tigers
Missouri advanced to the NCAA Round of 32 lasts season, led by All-American and the 13th pick of the WNBA draft, Sophie Cunningham. The Tigers are off to a 1-3 start without Cunningham on the court, albeit two of three losses were decided by five points or less. This marks the first week the Tigers are no longer receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Senior guard Amber Smith has become Mizzou's go-to scorer, averaging a double-double of 19.5 points and 11 rebounds through the first four games. Senior forward Hannah Schuchts has been a threat from deep, making 66.7 percent of her 3-point shots this season.
 
The Series
The Coyotes made history last December when they defeated No. 22 Missouri in Columbia last season, marking the first AP Top 25 road win in program history. The win tied the series at 1-1 with Mizzou's win coming in the 1979 AIAW Region 6 Tournament in Manhattan, Kansas.
 
One Last Thing
Courtesy of Jerek Wolcott, the UNI assistant athletic director for communications, only 21 schools have men's and women's teams that remain undefeated this basketball season. Only two of them are mid majors: South Dakota and Northern Iowa.