The Game

South Dakota takes on a receiving votes Michigan squad in the second round of the 2023 Battle 4 Atlantis presented by Bad Boy Mowers. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. (Central) Sunday in the Atlantis Resort's Imperial Arena in the Bahamas.
 
A live stream of the game will be provided by FloHoops with commentary by Lexi Ayala and Evan Stockton. A radio broadcast from the Coyote Sports Network with Jerry Palleschi will also be available on KVHT 106.3.
 

The Coyotes

South Dakota (3-1), the only mid-major to win game one at the Battle 4 Atlantis, now has the quickest turnaround time of any team between rounds one and two. The Coyotes defeated DePaul 83-71 on Saturday night to advance to the winners bracket. Junior guard Grace Larkins put up 23 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Her five assists per game leads the Summit. Junior Kendall Holmes joined her in double-figure scoring, tying her season high of 14 points, against her former school. The Coyotes shot 54.4 percent in the contest and made 86.7 percent from the stripe.
 
The Coyotes were picked third in the preseason Summit League poll with Larkins and sophomore Carley Duffney named to the preseason all-league teams. Larkins was also named to the preseason watch list for the Becky Hammon Award. One of the key talking points this offseason has been adding depth behind Larkins. The Coyotes had seven players contribute seven or more points on Saturday.
 

The Wolverines

Michigan (3-0) entered the season ranked 25th in the USA Today Coaches' Poll, but fell out this week after several top-10 upsets to start the season shook up the polls. Michigan was picked fifth in the preseason media poll. Junior guard Laila Phelia was a unanimous selection to the preseason all-Big Ten team.
 
Phelia leads the Wolverines with 18.3 points per game this season while shooting at a 42.9 percent clip. A 6-foot-3 forward, Cameron Williams is averaging 10.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game to join Phelia in double figures. She leads the Wolverines on the offensive glass with three of their 17.3 per game. As a squad, Michigan leads the Big Ten and are top-30 nationally for offensive rebounds per game. Three more players add between eight and 10 points per game as the Wolverines are outscoring opponents by nearly 25 points a game. Michigan defeated Middle Tennessee State, an NCAA Tournament team a year ago, 63-49 in round one of the Battle 4 Atlantis.
 

The Series

The lone meeting between these two programs came in the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 in 2022. Michigan ended South Dakota's historic postseason run 52-49 in the Wichita Regional. Only four players who took the court in that game will face off again Sunday. USD's Larkins had nine points on 3-of-5 shooting as a true freshman off the bench. Michigan's Phelia was also a freshman, scoring 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting. UM's Elise Stuck and Cameron Williams also checked into the game.
 

Up Next

It's a bracket-style tournament with winners playing winners and losers playing losers in the next round. The Coyotes will face either Michigan or Middle Tennessee State in the next round. If South Dakota wins, the team will play at 1:30 p.m. (Central) on Sunday. If USD loses, the team will play at 6:30 p.m. (Central) Sunday.