VERMILLION, S.D. -- The South Dakota men's basketball team will travel to take on North Dakota State on Wednesday night at 7 p.m.
The Game
The Coyotes are coming off back-to-back home wins against Denver and Omaha inside the Sanford Sports Coyote Complex. The Bison recently fell to Oral Roberts after starting conference play 2-0. Tyler Hagedorn is 26 points away from tallying 1,000 career points in a Coyote uniform.
The Bison (11-6, 2-1 SL)
North Dakota State defeated Denver and Western Illinois to start League play but fell to Oral Roberts to suffer their first loss in conference play. NDSU won the Summit League Championship over Omaha last season and is picked to finish first in the Summit this season.
NDSU returns its two leading scorers in Preseason All-Summit First Teamer Vinnie Shahid and Preseason All-Summit Second Teamer Tyson Ward who average 16.2 and 14.8 points this season, respectively.
The Bison host South Dakota (Wednesday) and rival North Dakota (Saturday) at home this week before traveling to Brookings, South Dakota, on Jan. 22 to take on the Jackrabbits of SDSU who currently sit atop the League standings.
As a team, North Dakota State averages 72.3 points a game and holds its opponents to 63.9 points per contest. The Bison shoot 44 percent from the field and 35 percent from deep.
The Coyotes (11-7, 2-2 SL)
South Dakota started 0-2 in conference play but has bounced back to defeat Denver and give Omaha its first conference loss of the season. USD is in rivalry week as it takes on North Dakota State on Wednesday and then in-state rival South Dakota State on Sunday.
The Coyotes have four that average in double figures and are led by Tyler Hagedorn with 18.2 points per game which ranks first in the League. Hagedorn is also the nation's most efficient 3-point shooter (41-75, 54.7 percent). Junior Stanley Umude averages 17.2 points per game while Cody Kelley averages 10.9 points.
As a team, the Coyotes shoot 47 percent from the field and 40 percent from deep which ranks sixth nationally. USD averages 76.4 points per game while giving up 73.8 points.
The Series
North Dakota State holds a 81-96 lead all-time and have a 57-27 lead in games played in Fargo. Both teams have traded wins back-and-forth since the 2015-16 season.
One Last Thing
Two Coyotes went over 1,000 career points last game against Omaha in Triston Simpson (1,007) and Tyler Peterson (1,001). Fellow senior Tyler Hagedorn is 26 points away from also going over the 1,000 plateau.
