Aloha!
Welcome to the start of the 2019-20 season. The Coyotes are in beautiful Hawai'i where the highs are in the 80s and the lows in the 70s.
 
South Dakota is in the nation's 50^th state for the second time in men's basketball. The Coyotes' first trip featured back-to-back games against BYU-Hawai'i and Hawai'i Pacific on Nov. 19-20 of 1996.
 
The Schedule
Friday | 8:30 p.m. (CST) vs. Pacific (1-0) | Live Stats | Listen Live
Sunday | 9 p.m. (CST) vs. Hawai'i (0-0) | Live Stats | Listen Live | Watch
Monday | 8:30 p.m. (CST) vs. Florida A&M (0-1) | Live Stats | Listen Live
Full Game Notes (.pdf)
 
The Coyotes
South Dakota begins its second season under alum Todd Lee. The Coyotes finished 13-17 last year including a 7-9 mark inside The Summit League, which tied for fifth place.
 
But South Dakota returns four starters, five of its top six scorers, and welcomes back 2018 all-Summit performer Tyler Hagedorn who missed all of last season due to injury. The Coyotes are expected to contend for a conference crown (they were picked second in the preseason poll). Stanley Umude, USD's leading scorer and rebounder last year, is the Summit Preseason Player of the Year. Hagedorn and point guard Triston Simpson were also named to the preseason all-Summit team.

RELATED: Business Trip in Hawai'i? Absolutely, by Mick Garry
 
The Opponents
Pacific, a member of the West Coast Conference, starts its third year under the direction of Damon Stoudamire, the 1996 NBA Rookie of the Year and 13-year veteran of the league. The Tigers, who held a 14-18 record last season, return senior guard and all-WCC honoree Jahlil Tripp and his 10.6 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.
 
Hawai'i tallied an 18-13 record while going 9-7 in Big West action a year ago. The Rainbow Warriors return two of their top three scorers from last season including senior forward Zigmars Raimo and his 11.5 points per contest. Also returning is Big West honorable mention junior guard Drew Buggs, who led the Big West with 5.4 assists per game.
 
Florida A&M, a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, went 12-19 last season while grabbing nine wins in league play. The Rattlers lost leading scorer Justin Ravenel to graduation, but bring back MEAC Rookie of the Year M.J. Randolph, who averaged seven points and led the team in steals.
 
Monday's Foe – Florida A&M
The Rattlers (0-3) are looking to pick up their first win of the season before making the long trip home. Florida A&M opened its season Tuesday with a 77-48 defeat at USC in Los Angeles. The Rattlers since lost 65-52 to Hawai'i Friday and 76-54 to Pacific Sunday.

Florida A&M has been balanced offensively, and in fact leading scorer Bryce Moragne has come off the bench in all three games. Randolph has averaged seven points and a team-high 5.7 boards. Poor shooting has doomed the Rattlers thus far. The team is shooting 32 percent from the field, 27 percent (11-of-40) from beyond the arc and 58 percent (33-of-57) from the free-throw line.
 
Notables (entering the tournament)

• South Dakota is meeting all three opponents for the first time
• The Coyotes have won their last three season openers
• Senior guard Triston Simpson has scored 899 points in 99 career games
• Stanley Umude is the first Coyote to be named Summit League Preseason Player of the Year
• South Dakota's roster includes five international players from four different countries: Serbia, Australia, New Zealand and Greece
• Tyler Hagedorn and Stanley Umude scored 18 points apiece in Saturday's exhibition win against Condordia-St. Paul (Division II) inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center