The Game
The Coyotes resume Summit League play against Oral Roberts on Thursday in Tulsa.
 
Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. inside Mabee Center. The game will be streamed on the Summit League Network available via 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 (8-9, 1-1 Summit) is looking to snap a three-game skid that started with a home loss to Omaha on Dec. 31. The Coyotes started Summit play with a road win at North Dakota State as they defeated the Bison 75-66 in Fargo.
 
Junior transfer Kaleb Stewart scored a career-high 33 points in the win over NDSU. He returned to the starting lineup after a lower leg injury against Air Force on Nov. 26 put him on the bench. Stewart has put up double-digit points in all but one game since returning to the starting five six games ago.
 
Bostyn Holt is the only other Coyote to put up 30 points in a game this season. He scored a career-high 30 points in game one of the Big Sky-Summit Challenge against Eastern Washington on Jan. 3. Holt drew nine fouls and went 10-of-12 from the free throw line. Holt and Stewart are one of just three Summit League duos to score 30 points in a game. Only six Summit players from three teams have scored at least 30 points in a game this season.
 
Senior transfer Lahat Thioune is the Coyotes' leading rebounder and is averaging a double-double with 13.5 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. His eight double-doubles on the season rank 12^th in the NCAA and lead the Summit. He has three more double-doubles than any other Summit player. Thioune ranks 8^th in the country in both rebounds (165) and offensive rebounds per game (3.88).
 
The Golden Eagles
Defending Summit League regular season and tournament champions Oral Roberts (7-8, 1-1 Summit) is looking to bounce back from its first home loss in 21 games. The Golden Eagles, who ran the table in Summit play last season, held the nation's longest home game win streak until Weber State defeated ORU 83-78 on Jan. 6.
 
Isaac McBride leads Oral Roberts on offense with 19.6 points per game, good for 32^nd in the NCAA and second in the Summit. McBride put up a career-high 29 points in ORU's loss to Weber State and has eight 20+ point games this season. He's averaged 22.2 points per game over the last five games.
 
McBride and Kareem Thompson play some of the most minutes in the country and lead the Summit in minutes played. Thompson averages a league-leading 38:38 minutes per game (2^nd NCAA) and McBride averages 37:55 minutes per game (2^nd Summit, 4^th NCAA). McBride and Thompson are two of six Golden Eagles who were also on the team that made the NCAA Sweet 16 run in the 2021-22 season.
 
Oral Roberts had eight newcomers join the squad with two freshmen and six transfers, including three Power 5 transfers. Russell Springman is in his first year as head coach for the Golden Eagles after six seasons as an assistant at ORU.
 
The Series
Thursday's matchup in Tulsa marks the 22nd meeting between South Dakota and Oral Roberts. The Golden Eagles own a 12-9 advantage over the Coyotes and swept the regular season against South Dakota last year. Oral Roberts defeated the Yotes 103-53 in Tulsa and 82-70 in Vermillion a season ago.
 
One Last Thing
South Dakota's most recent win against Oral Roberts came on Feb. 26, 2022, when the Yotes defeated the Golden Eagles 92-87 in Tulsa. Max Burchill is the only current Coyote who was also on that team.