The Game
South Dakota looks to break a three-game skid Saturday afternoon when the Coyotes host Omaha in Vermillion. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.

The game will be streamed for free on GoYotes.com/watch. The broadcast can be found on Midco+ 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
South Dakota and Omaha have met 113 times in series history. USD has won six in a row over the Mavericks entering Saturday's game. The last time UNO defeated South Dakota was in a neutral site game at the Sanford Pentagon. The high-scoring affair went into overtime and Omaha emerged with a win after a 107-102 contest in Feb. of 2019. It was also the last time the Coyotes scored at least 100 points and lost. Omaha has not won in Vermillion since 2016.

The last time Omaha came to Vermillion, the Coyotes put on an offensive clinic. In that game on Jan. 15, 2022, USD shot 51 percent from the field and 56.7 percent from three. They sank 17 three pointers which was the most in the Division I era. The Coyotes also made 30 of 37 free-throw attempts. The 105-70 win was the last time this team scored 100 or more points. Mason Archambault scored what was a career-high 25 points in that game only to break it once again in the next game at St. Thomas with 27 points.

The Coyotes
Thursday's game was a combination of a rough shooting night and not being able to slow down Denver on the defensive end. The Coyotes shot 37.7 percent from the floor and made 8-of-29 three pointers. South Dakota fell to 1-8 this year when shooting under 40 percent. The Pioneers shot well above 50 percent from the field and the three-point line in the game on Thursday night and dropped USD's record to 0-4 when opponents shoot over 50 percent. Mason Archambault led the team in scoring Thursday with 14 points on 40 percent shooting. It was his second-highest total of the season behind a 19-point performance against LIU in Florida.

Kruz Perrott-Hunt has scored in double-figures in six consecutive games after reaching 10 points Thursday against Denver. He ranks fourth in the Summit in scoring at 18.3 points per game since conference play began. He also owns the sixth-best field goal percentage in conference-only games at 44.4 percent.

The Mavericks
Omaha underwent a similar situation to South Dakota in a complete staff overhaul this offseason. The Mavericks added three new assistants this season including Kyan Brown who came from North Dakota State. Chris Crutchfield was named head coach of the Mavs on Mar. 18 - two days after Eric Peterson was introduced for the Coyotes. Crutchfield returned to his alma mater with 20 years of coaching experience. He has served as an assistant at Oregon, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Oral Roberts, TCU, and New Mexico State. Crutchfield got his first head coaching opportunity at East Central for one season before his stop at Oregon.

UNO enters the game on Saturday at 7-13 on the year and 3-5 in conference play. Road games have been a struggle for the Mavericks as they are 1-9 on the road this season. However, they have played some tough opponents on the road including the season-opener at No. 5 Kansas, at No. 25 Iowa, and at Mississippi State. Omaha heads into Vermillion after dropping three of its last four games and two straight. Frankie Fidler returned for his sophomore season and is the team's leading scorer at 13.2 points per game. He also leads the team in rebounds with six per game. Marquell Sutton (11.7) and JJ White (10.6) are the other two Mavericks averaging double-figures. As a team, UNO shoots 45.4 percent from the floor and 33.6 percent from three.

One Last Thing
South Dakota has a tough stretch coming up after this weekend's games. Next week, the Coyotes will be on the road for three games due to a rescheduled contest at Oral Roberts on Monday, Jan. 30. That game will end a stretch of three games in five days for South Dakota. After that, the team comes home on a short week to prepare for North Dakota State on a Thursday night and North Dakota on Feb. 4. At the end of it all, USD will have played five games in ten days.