The Game
South Dakota goes back on the road against another power five team in Mississippi State. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. inside Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Mississippi.
 
The game will be televised on the SEC Network where Kevin Fitzgerald and Jon Sundvold will have the call. The broadcast can be found on ESPN+ as well. Fans can tune into the game on the Coyote Sports Network with John Thayer on KVHT 106.3 FM in Yankton/Vermillion or by using The Varsity Network app.
 
The Series
Thursday's game will be the first time South Dakota and Mississippi State have met.
 
The Coyotes
USD closed out the first week of the season with a 2-1 record and two home wins. A key part of those victories was the return of A.J. Plitzuweit to the lineup. Through the first week of the season, Plitzuweit averages 19 points per game and has eight assists and eight rebounds. The redshirt sophomore guard is shooting 64 percent from the field and owns the nation's seventh-best three-point percentage at 77 percent. Plitzuweit was named the opening Summit League Peak Performer of the Week for his efforts. 
 
The Coyotes have opened the season with multiple players in double-figures in three straight games. Kruz Perrott-Hunt (21) and Paul Bruns (10) led the team offensively against Wisconsin while Plitzuweit (33), Tasos Kamateros (17), and Damani Hayes (11) each scored in double-figures against Lipscomb. Plitzuweit (16), Bruns (16), Perrott-Hunt (15), and Kamateros (11) each had double-digit point efforts against Dakota State last Saturday.
 
The Bulldogs
Mississippi State is off to a 3-0 start in its first season under Chris Jans. Jans spent the previous five seasons as the head coach at New Mexico State and the 2014-15 season at Bowling Green. Jans has compiled a 143-44 record as a Division I head coach and has yet to record a losing season. His .765 winning percentage is third nationally among active head coaches only behind Gonzaga's Mark Few and Kansas' Bill Self.
 
In the 2021-22 season, the Bulldogs amassed an 18-16 record including an 8-10 mark in SEC play. MSU defeated South Carolina in the opening round of the SEC Tournament before falling to Tennessee in the second round. The Bulldogs eventually saw their season come to a close with a three-point loss to Virginia in the first round of the NIT.
 
Redshirt senior guard Tolu Smith is the do-it-all man for the Bulldogs. Smith, an All-SEC Preseason First Team selection, leads the team in points (18.3), rebounds (9.3), and assists (2.6) while shooting 77 percent from the floor. D.J. Jeffries is the second Bulldog that averages double-figures with 10.7 points per game while grabbing 4.3 rebounds per game.
 
One Last Thing
Thursday night's game will be the first time South Dakota has played an opponent from the SEC conference.