The Game
South Dakota is set to host Air Force in game two of a three-game home stretch for the Coyotes. Tip-off is set for 12:30 p.m. on Sunday inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center in Vermillion. The game will be televised by Midco Sports with that broadcast also streamed on the Summit League Network, available on the Midco Sports Plus app. Fans can also 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 Coyotes
South Dakota (4-2) is hosting game two of its three-game home stretch after being on the road for three of its first six games. The Yotes returned home and defeated Northland College 100-48 on Nov. 22 after claiming a runner-up finish at the inaugural Arizona Tip-Off. South Dakota defeated the Virginia Military Institute in game one 85-81 behind Lahat Thioune's third-straight double-double of the season to advance to the championship game. Max Burchill put up a career-high 18 points in the championship game against former Summit foe Purdue Fort Wayne but a 22-9 run to start the second half boosted the Mastadons past the Coyotes.
 
Kaleb Stewart was named to the Arizona Tip-Off all-tournament team after two double-digit scoring performances. He had 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting in South Dakota's win over VMI and 10 points in the championship game against Purdue Fort Wayne.
 
Lahat Thioune has three double-doubles in five games and back-to-back 20+ point performances. He had a career-high 24 points in the Yotes' 100-79 win over UTRGV in the Sanford Pentagon and grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds in South Dakota's win over VMI.
 
Isaac Bruns and Jake Brack are two freshmen who both put up career-high numbers in the Coyotes' win over Northland on Nov. 22. Bruns played a career-high 21 minutes and had a career-high 13 points. Brack recorded his first career double-double with career-highs of 13 points and 12 rebounds in a career-high 23 minutes of play.
 
The Falcons
Air Force (5-2) is looking for its fifth-straight win of the season after picking up three-straight wins at the Air Force Classic and then defeating VMI 64-54 on Nov. 22. The Falcons hosted the Summit League's Omaha as a part of the Air Force Classic and narrowly won 58-56 on Nov. 19.
 
Junior guard Ethan Taylor ranks first in the nation with 28 threes and is fourth in the nation with 141 points scored. He ranks in the NCAA top 10 in seven different categories and has scored 20-plus points in four consecutive games and has been in double-figures in all seven games this season.
 
As a team, Air Force ranks first in the Mountain West in points allowed (61.9) and blocks per game (5.3). The Falcons rank second in the Mountain West in field goal defense (38.8). Air Force has used the same starting lineup for all seven games this season.
 
Head coach Joe Scott is in year four of his second stint as head coach at Air Force. Scott previously led the Falcons from 2001-04 and led the Falcons to their only Mountain West title, first NCAA tournament appearance in 42 years, and a top-25 national ranking. From 2007-16, Scott was the head coach at the Summit League's Denver. Scott was the head coach for the Pioneers at the same time South Dakota head coach Eric Peterson was working as an assistant for the Yotes under Craig Smith.
 
The Series
Sunday's matchup marks the 10th time these two programs are meeting and the third consecutive meeting. Air Force holds an 8-1 advantage over South Dakota since the first meeting in the 1958-59 season. The two teams most recently met last season in Colorado Springs, where the Falcons defeated the Yotes 79-58. South Dakota's only win of the series came in 2021 when they won 59-53 inside the Sanford Pentagon. Sunday's game will be the first time Air Force has traveled to Vermillion in the Division I era.
 
One Last Thing
South Dakota has had at least four Yotes score in double-figures in four of the five games this season. Kaleb Stewart is the lone Coyote with consecutive double-digit scoring games, stringing together five double-digit games in the first six games.