The Game
A pair of teams seeking their first Summit win meet Monday in Grand Forks when North Dakota hosts South Dakota at 7 p.m. It was a game that was supposed to take place Dec. 30, but was postponed due to COVID-19.
 
The game will be televised by Midco Sports with commentary from Brian Shawn and Zach Dosch. That broadcast will also be streamed on ESPN+ and Midco Sports Plus. Fans can tune into the game on the Coyote Sports Network with John Thayer, carried on KVHT 106.3 FM in Yankton/Vermillion or by using The Varsity Network app.
 
The Series
This is the 196^th meeting in a series that dates back nearly 100 years. The Fighting Hawks have won the last four matchups – all outside of Vermillion – and lead the all-time series 103-92. The Coyotes had won the prior four matchups including a pair of wins in Grand Forks. The two teams met on back-to-back nights in North Dakota last season during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
The Coyotes
South Dakota is coming off an 84-65 loss at South Dakota State Saturday. It was the team's first game since Dec. 22 and it followed a week in which the team wasn't able to get together and practice until Monday. Xavier Fuller, a starter and one of the team's top players, did not play against the Jacks and neither did key reserve Damani Hayes, leaving a seven-man rotation in place. The status of Fuller and Hayes for Monday's matchup is unknown.
 
The Coyotes are 7-7 overall and 0-3 in Summit play, but have a good opportunity to turn that around with Denver (Thursday) and Omaha (Saturday) coming to Vermillion later this week. Kruz Perrott-Hunt (13.4 ppg) and Mason Archambault (12.5 ppg) continue to lead the team in scoring. Archambault had 16 points in Saturday's loss in Brookings. Hunter Goodrick tied his career-high of 15 points Saturday and leads the Coyotes with 7.3 boards per game.
 
The Fighting Hawks
The loss of star player Filip Rebraca to the Iowa Hawkeyes and injuries to key pieces have plagued the first half of North Dakota's season. The Fighting Hawks have just two Division I wins and those came back in November. Freshman Paul Bruns from Jefferson, South Dakota, is off to a terrific start. He is the Hawks' leading scorer and has averaged 18 points per game through three Summit League contests.
 
It's the defensive end that has proved challenging for UND. Opponents are shooting nearly 50 percent from the field against them and averaging 79 points. The three Summit foes have averaged 92 points on 54 percent shooting.
 
One Last Thing
North Dakota is playing its third game in five days. The Hawks' fell 98-82 at Omaha Thursday and 93-74 at Denver Saturday. South Dakota will have a similar stretch at the end of January while making up a postponed game with North Dakota State.