The Game
The South Dakota men's basketball team opens its season at home inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center for just the third time since its opening in 2016. The Coyotes host Mount Marty on Monday night as a part of a doubleheader for Coyote basketball. The Coyote women host Northern State at 5:30 p.m. prior to the men's tip at 8 p.m.
 
The game will be live streamed on the Summit League Network on the Midco Sports Plus app. 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
Monday's game will be the 13^th all-time meeting between the two programs. South Dakota has claimed all 12 previous meetings, including an 11-0 mark at home. The series dates back to the 1983-84 season and most recently in the 2022-23 season. The Coyotes hosted Mount Marty last season and claimed a 97-58 victory. 
 
The Coyotes
The second year of the Eric Peterson era begins Monday night in Vermillion. Peterson's roster for his second year at the helm includes seven returners and nine newcomers, including five transfers. The Yotes will be presenting a brand-new lineup Monday night after losing all five starters from a season ago. South Dakota returns its sixth man in Paul Bruns, the 2021-22 Summit League Freshman of the Year, and Max Burchill as key players off the bench from last season. 
 
The Lancers
Mount Marty is off to a 1-2 start after dropping its season opener to Bethany College. The Lancers bounced back vigorously with a 122-63 win over Union College to even their record before falling to Valley City 88-81 on Saturday. Mount Marty shot 60.8 percent from the field and knocked down 17 three-pointers at a 53.1 percent clip in the dominating win over Union.
 
Offensively, the Lancers are led by Tash Lunday who averages 22.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Last season, Lunday led Mount Marty on offense against the Yotes with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting in the 39-point loss. As a team, the Lancers shot 40.7 percent from the floor and 25.9 percent from three against USD last season. 
 
One Last Thing
Monday night's matchup inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center is just the third time the Coyotes have opened their season at home in the SCSC since it opened in 2016. South Dakota is 2-0 in the home openers inside the SCSC.