VERMILLION, S.D. — For the second time in as many games, South Dakota basketball will face the top team in the Summit League. The Coyotes head to Omaha Saturday night for a meeting with the first place Mavericks.
 
Quick Hitters

• Chase Forte dropped a career-high 30 points in the Coyotes 85-80 win over St. Thomas Wednesday night in the SCSC.
• Forte nearly recorded his first double-double as a Yote with nine rebounds to go with four assists and three steals.
• He was 10-of-18 from the field and knocked down a season-high from beyond the arc going 4-of-7. 
• Chase Forte leads the Coyotes and ranks No. 7 in the Summit League in points per game at 16.5.
• Forte also has the conference lead with 55 steals on the season and has 15 more steals than the next highest player (KC's Jamar Brown, 40).
• Isaac Bruns is second on the squad and ranks No. 10 in the SL at 14.8 points per game and is shooting at a .468 clip. The 6'4 guard is active on the boards as the second leading rebounder on the team at 4.2 boards per game.
• Dre Bullock and Kaleb Stewart average 12.2 and 10.0 points per game, respectively.
• The Yotes feature one of the most explosive offenses in the NCAA, ranking No. 4 in the country in scoring offense at 85.6 points per game.
• The four teams scoring at a higher clip than the Yotes include Alabama (90.6), Gonzaga (87.8) and Kentucky (85.8).
• Over the last 12 games, the Yotes have scored 90+ points in six games and 100+ twice.
• USD has scored 80+ points in 20 games this season and are 14-6 when scoring 80+.

How to Follow

• Saturday's game can be found on Midco Sports Plus and the Summit League Network.
• The radio call by John Thayer can be found on the Coyote Sports Network, KVHT 106.3 fm, or 95.7 fm, or on the Varsity Network app.

Series History vs. Omaha

• USD leads 65-53 all-time against the Mavericks after earning a win in the first matchup of the season.
• UNO holds a 31-22 record against the Yotes in games played in Omaha.
• Dre Bullock had a career-day with 31 points and six triples to lead the Yotes to a 91-87 win over the Mavericks on Jan. 29. Omaha was undefeated (7-0) in Summit League play going into that game.
• Isaac Bruns added 23 points against the Mavs on 9-of-14 shooting with a pair of treys.
• Marquel Sutton tallied a double-double for Omaha with 29 points and 12 rebounds, while JJ White had 18 points and 10 assists.

May the Forte Be With You

• Chase Forte dropped a career-high 30 points in the Coyotes 85-80 win over St. Thomas Wednesday on Star Wars night in the SCSC.
• Forte nearly recorded his first double-double as a Yote with nine rebounds to go with four assists and three steals.
• He was 10-of-18 from the field and knocked down a season-high from beyond the arc going 4-of-7. 

1-2 Punch

• Since Isaac Bruns was inserted into the starting lineup on Jan. 4 against Denver, the 1-2 punch of Bruns and Chase Forte has been among the best in the Summit League.
• Bruns has started each of the last 12 games and is averaging 17.3 points per game, up from his season average of 14.8 ppg.
• Bruns has six 20+ point games and 11 games with 10+ points in the last 12 contests.
• He has six games with two or more 3-pointers.
• Over the last 12, Forte's scoring output has increased slightly at 18.4 ppg compared to his season's average of 16.5.
• He has five 20+ point games, 12 games with 10+ points and six games with 3+ steals.

100 games as a Coyote

• Max Burchill appeared in his 100th career game as a Coyote in Sunday's game against South Dakota State.
• The Sioux Falls, S.D. native has made 59 starts in his career.
• Burchill is averaged 4.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists on the season. 

Four out of Five

• After a back-and-forth month of January where the Coyotes never strung together one or more wins or losses in a row, the Yotes picked up their fourth straight win over Kansas City.
• The Yotes win streak was snapped Sunday afternoon with a 94-91 loss to the Jackrabbits.
• It was the Yotes first multiple-game win streak since Dec. 10-14 when they downed Wyoming (92-82) and Western Illinois (89-66). Both of those contests were played in the SCSC.
• The Yotes most recent win, 79-72 over KC is the first time this season they've won back-to-back games scoring less than 80 points.

Three Headed Monster

• The combination of Dre Bullock, Chase Forte and Isaac Bruns combined to score 131 of the Yotes 177 points in wins over Omaha and Denver.
• Bullock's scored 51 points in the two contests over the Mavs and Pios. Following a career-high 31 points against Omaha, Bullock scored 20 on 7-of-11 shooting against the Pioneers.
• Forte matched his career-high with 25 as he led the Yotes to a win over the Pios. He has had 10 steals over the past three contests.
• Bruns has scored in double-figures in nine of the last 10 games.
• In the win over Kansas City Thursday, the trio of guards scored 57 of the Yotes 79 points.
• Both Bruns and Bullock scored 20+ points in back-to-back games against Kansas City and South Dakota State.

Forgot About Dre

• Dre Bullock erupted for a career high 31 points in a 91-87 win over Omaha and had a career-best six 3-pointers.
• Bullock made his second career start as a Yote in the contest and went 10-for-17 from the field with six rebounds and two steals.
• He is the first Coyote this season to eclipse the 30-point mark in a game and it's tied for the eighth most points scored by a Summit League player in a single game this season.
• Bullock was key in the Yotes 15-point second half comeback, scoring 13 points while going 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. He buried all three of those treys in the final seven minutes of the second half.
• Bullock earned his first Kwik Star Summit League Men's Basketball Peak Performer of the Week honor after the performance against the Mavs.
• Over the last six games, Bullock has four games with 20+ points and is averaging 20.2 points per game during that stretch.

Scoring in Bunches

• South Dakota eclipsed the 100-point threshold for the third time this season in a 102-93 win over North Dakota.
• The Yotes are averaging 85.6 points per game, which ranks No. 4 in the NCAA.
• The three teams scoring at a higher clip than the Yotes include Alabama (90.6), Gonzaga (87.8) and Kentucky (85.8).
• Over the last 12 games, the Yotes have scored 90+ points in six games, 100+ twice and are averaging 87.0 points per contest.
• USD has scored 80+ points in all but eight games on the season.
• Part of the Coyotes offensive success has been its ability to reach the charity stripe. USD ranks No. 2 in free attempts per game (28.0) and No. 3 in free throw makes (19.8).
• The Yotes are 9-2 on the season when scoring 90+ points.

Protecting Home Court

• South Dakota is 13-2 at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center. The Yotes started the home slate at 10-0 which was the best start at home since opening its doors in the 2016-17 season.
• The Yotes previous best start in the SCSC was during the 2016-17 season when they started 8-0 and ended the year with a 13-1 mark at home.
• South Dakota has had five years with double-digits wins in the SCSC (2016-17, 2017-18, 2019-20 and 2021-22, 2024-25).
• In their ninth season in the SCSC, the Yotes hold a 94-30 (.758%) record at home.
• The last time the Yotes started 10-0 or better at home was in the 2008-09 season when they won 14 straight in the DakotaDome to begin the season. 

Getting to the Line

• The Coyotes 51 free throw attempts against Denver (1/4/25) is tied for the seventh most in a game this season across the NCAA.
• It was also only the sixth Summit League conference game where a team shot 50+ free throws in a game.
• South Dakota has attempted 30+ free throws in 15 games on the year, most recently at Oral Roberts Saturday.
• The Yotes have attempted less than 20 free throws in just five games this season.
• The Yotes rank No. 2 in the NCAA in free throw attempts per game (28.0) and No. 3 in free throws made per game (19.8). USD ranks No. 1 in the Summit League in both categories.
• Chase Forte is one of the best in the country at getting down hill and drawing fouls. Forte is No. 5 in the NCAA in free throw attempts (212) and No. 28 in free throw makes (133).
• The Yotes have made and attempted the most free throws during the Summit League season (278-390) and are shooting .713 percent.
• USD has 15 games with 30+ free throw attempts and has twice shot 40+ in a single game.
• USD connected on 24-of-25 free throws against St. Thomas Wednesday night, which was the highest percentage the Yotes have shot in a single game this season (.960).