VERMILLION, S.D. -- The South Dakota men host Western Illinois on Wednesday at 7 p.m. inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center. 

The Game
South Dakota head football coach Bob Nielson will lead a collective coyote howl in an attempt to break a world record Wednesday at halftime of the Coyotes' men's basketball game against Western Illinois inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.
 
The collective howl will occur in conjunction with the University's second annual Unite for USD giving day, which will span for 1,862 minutes from Feb. 12 at 10:57 a.m. to Feb. 13 at 6 p.m. To that end, Fiegen Construction has given a generous $10,000 gift in support of Unite for USD that will be unlocked if the record is broken. Fiegen Construction is a longtime supporter of the University and has worked on several campus projects including the Inman House, Wagner Center, and currently the DakotaDome.

There will also be a free bacon buffet on the concourse prior to the game on Wednesday night. 

The Leathernecks
Western Illinois currently sits 5-16 and 2-9 in the conference which puts them in eighth place ahead of Denver. 

The Leathernecks defeated South Dakota 82-75 to start conference play but then hit a three-game skid before defeating Denver 86-80. WIU enters on a six-game losing streak and is 1-8 on the road this season. 

Since the Leathernecks defeated South Dakota they have a record of 1-9 while the Yotes have a record of 9-2. Western Illinois lost to Purdue Fort Wayne on the road 75-69 last time out. 

The Leathernecks are led by Kobe Webster with 15.6 points and Zion Young with 13.7 points. Ben Pyle (12.6) and C.J. Duff (10.1) round out the double-figure scoring for the Leathernecks. 

As a team, Western Illinois shoots 42.9 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from deep. WIU is getting outscored by an average margin of 11.4 points on the road while shooting 43.0 percent from the field and 34.6 percent from deep.

The Coyotes (18-8, 8-3 SL)
South Dakota enters on a seven-game win streak after only being the second team in nine home games to win in Grand Forks, North Dakota. USD has also won nine of its last ten games and sits in third place in the conference standings. 

Tyler Hagedorn has been the driving force for the Yotes all season long as he averages a team-high 19 points per game to lead the conference. He is also the nation's leader in 3-point percentage at 56.3 percent. Stanley Umude averages 16.4 points which ranks eighth in the League as well. Cody Kelley (11.4), Triston Simpson (11.5) and Tyler Peterson (11.0) round out the starting five that all average double figures for the Yotes. 

As a team, the Yotes average 80 points per game and own a 6.7 scoring margin. The Coyotes shoot 49 percent from the field and 45 percent from the deep. . 

The Series
South Dakota leads 12-9 in the overall series and 6-3 with games played in Vermillion. It is the 22nd matchup all-time between the two squads. Last season, both teams split the season series with each team losing at home. Earlier this season, the Leathernecks defeated USD to open conference play 82-75 in Macomb, Illinois. 

One Last Thing
In the Yotes' last nine conference games they have been outscoring opponents by an average margin of 8.9 points per game while averaging 85.6 points per game. USD is shooting 50 percent from the field while shooting 40 percent from deep. The Coyotes are dishing out 13.2 assists per game while forcing 12.3 turnovers a contest