VERMILLION, S.D. — South Dakota basketball hits the road for the final time in January Wednesday night for a 7 p.m. tip against Omaha at Baxter Arena. The Coyotes close out the month with three straight home games starting this Saturday.
Quick Hitters

• The Coyotes have been exceptional at home, improving to a 9-2 record in the SCSC after last Thursday's win over Kansas City but have struggled to find their footing on the road falling to 0-8 after Saturday's loss to UND. The Yotes are 1-0 in neutral site games.
• The Coyotes average 88.0 points per game while holding visiting teams to 75.3 points in the SCSC but surrender 96.8 points per game when on the road while scoring 76.6 points on the road.
• USD has started to find the range over the last seven games, averaging 9.4 3-pointers per game at a 42.3% clip. South Dakota connected on average 6.0 triples per game in the first 13 games of the season. Jordan Crawford's been money over the last three games, knocking down 13 treys on a 56.5% connection rate.
• Trent Hudgens and Silas Bennion were added to the Coyote roster last week and are both averaging nearly 20 minutes per game.
• Hudgens, a Third Team NAIA All-American in 2023-24, found his groove in the second half against the Tommies with 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
• Junior guard Isaac Bruns was named to the Lou Henson Player of the Year Award Early Season Watch List in December. The award recognizes the top player in mid-major college basketball.
• Bruns has scored 20+ in 11 of the last 13 games and increased his scoring average to 20.8 points per game which ranks No. 1 in the conference and No. 19 in the NCAA.
• Bruns enters Saturday's game ranked No. 3 nationally in total points with 415, trailing only Duke's Cameron Boozer and Hofstra's Cruz Davis who both have 418.
• Bruns is No. 16 in the NCAA with 134 field goals made, No. 5 in free throws made (118) and No. 5
• in free throw attempts (140).
• The Yotes led the conference with an average of 12.85 offensive rebounds per game, which ranks No. 58 in the NCAA, but have been held to under 10 offensive boards in four of five Summit League games.
• South Dakota has gone to the line frequently throughout the season, ranking No. 17 in the NCAA in free throw attempts per game (26.5) and are No. 15 free throw makes per game (19.7). Through four Summit League games, USD is averaging 17.2 makes and 20.6 attempts.
• South Dakota was picked to finish fifth in the Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll and received one first place vote. Isaac Bruns was named to the conference's preseason first team. He was an All-Summit League Honorable Mention a season ago.
• Eric Peterson is in year four as the head coach of the South Dakota men's basketball team and holds a 53-63 overall record.

 
How to Follow

• Wednesday's matchup between the Coyotes and Mavericks will be available the Summit League Network and Midco Sports Plus.
• The radio call by John Thayer can be found on the Coyote Sports Network on the Varsity Network app.
   

Series History

• South Dakota holds a 65-55 all-time record against Omaha. The two teams spilt the regular season series in 2024-25, with each team winning on its home floors, but the Mavericks got the better of the Yotes in the Summit League Tournament Semifinals.
• In the team's first meeting last year, Isaac Bruns had 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting in the SCSC as the Yotes won an exciting 91-87 game.
• The Mavs got out to a 44-35 advantage at halftime at Baxter Arena, and while USD put up 50 second half points, Omaha won 93-85.
• Omaha's Tony Osburn erupted for 30 points in the SLT Semifinals with 30 points on 9-of-11 shooting with eight 3-pointers to pace the Mavericks. Behind a 55-26 edge at halftime, Omaha advanced to the championship with a 100-75 win.
   

Man in the Middle

• Cameron Fens had a monster night in Thursday's win over Kansas City. The Coyote center set new career highs of 31 points and 15 rebounds on 10-of-14 shooting.
• Fens' 15 rebounds are the most by a Coyote since Lahat Thioune's 19 rebounds against North Dakota State (12/29/23).
• The Coyote center has been nearly unstoppable over the last three games, as he's averaged 22.3 points and 13.7 rebounds while shooting 76.9% from the field (20-for-26).
• 14 of his 41 rebounds over the last two contests have been off the offensive glass.
• Fens has secured double-digit rebounds in four straight games and seven times this season.
• Fens has now set career highs in both points and rebounds in the same game twice this season, as he scored 22 points and had 14 rebounds earlier this season against Prairie View A&M.
• After playing in just four Summit League games a season ago due to injury, Fens has averaged 17.0 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks while shooting 65.4% from the floor in the first five conference games this year.
• Fens has scored 10+ in 12 of the last 14 games with five double-doubles.

 
Bruns by the Numbers

• Isaac Bruns is one of the NCAA's elite scorers in his junior season, ranking No. 3 in the nation in total points scored (415) and No. 19 in points per game (20.8). He ranks No. 1 in the conference in both categories.
• Bruns is among the best in the NCAA at getting to and converting at the free throw line as he ranks No. 5 in the country in free throw makes (118), No. 16 in attempts (140) and is converting at a 84.3% clip.
• Bruns has scored in double-figures in every game this season and has 12 games with 20+ points.
• He ranks No. 16 in the NCAA in field goals (134) and No. 6 in field goal attempts (300).
• Bruns rewrote his career-high point total with a 29-point performance in the win over Prairie View A&M.
• Over a stretch of six games (11/29-12/18), he scored 20+ points in all six games, averaging 25.7 ppg.
• Through the first four games of Summit League play, Bruns is averaging 20.8 points per game on .486/.563/.885 shooting splits.

 
The New Guys

• Reinforcements arrived last week for a Coyote squad dealing with a number of injuries in Trent Hudgens and Silas Bennion.
• Hudgens was second on the team with 17 points in his debut against St. Thomas. He scored all 17 points in the second half of the contest on 5-of-7 shooting with one 3-pointer. He also led the team with four assists on the night.
• Hudgens was a 2023-24 Third Team NAIA All-American at Arizona Christian (2022-25) where he helped the Firestorm to three regular season GSAC Championship. In his sophomore season at ACU, Hudgens and the Firestorm advanced to the quarterfinals of the NAIA National Tournament.
• Hudgens' previous stops also included Northern Colorado (2020-21) and Santa Clara (2021-22).
• Bennion scored five points on 2-of-3 shooting with a triple, three rebounds and took two charges vs the Tommies.
• Bennion spent two seasons at Jamestown (2023-25) and Lewis - Clark State (2021-23).
• He was a 2024-25 NSAA First Team All-Conference selection and a 2023-24 First Team All-GPAC honoree for the Jimmies.
• Bennion led Jamestown in scoring a season ago at 16.5 points per game to go with 3.5 assists and 3.7 rebounds. He scored a career-high 38 points against Dickinson State in his junior year (2023-24).
• Bennion scored a season-high 10 points against North Dakota Saturday, with all 10 points in the first half, and dished out three assists.
• Bennion and Hudgens averaged 22.3 and 19.5 minutes per game across their first three games.

 
Lou Henson Award Watch List

• Isaac Bruns was named to the Lou Henson Award Early Season Watch List.
• The award is presented annually to the top player in Mid-Major Division I College Basketball.
• Bruns leads the Coyotes with a 20.8 points per game average and ranks No. 1 in the Summit League in scoring.
• Three other Summit League players were mentioned on the watch list in St. Thomas' Nolan Minessale, Omaha's Lance Waddles and North Dakota State's Demari Wheeler-Thomas.

 
First Half Success

• South Dakota is 8-0 on the season when holding a lead at the halftime break and 1-10 when trailing at intermission.
• In those eight wins the Coyotes have averaged 48.8 points in the first half while holding opponents to 32.9 points.
• On the flip side, in the 10 losses the Coyotes have been outscored 45.9 to 34.5 in the first half.
• The Yotes trailed 39-33 to Dakota State on December 17 but outscored the Trojans 47-32 in the second half.
• Twice this season, the Coyotes have trailed at halftime and respond in the second half to force overtime but fell in both contests to Utah Tech and at Northern Colorado.
• The game against Denver on Jan. 10 was the first time this season the score was tied at half.
   

Finding the Range

• After averaging just 6.0 3-pointers made in the first 13 games of the year on a 32.4% rate, the Yotes have made 9.4 treys over the last seven games on a 42.3 shooting percentage.
• The Yotes have made 10+ 3-pointers in three of five Summit League games, shooting over 40.0% in those three games.
• Jordan Crawford has had the hot hand recently, knocking down 13 triples on a 56.5% shooting percentage from deep over the last three games. Crawford paces the team with 39 3-pointers.
• While Isaac Bruns does most of his work in the midrange and in the paint, the junior guard has connected at a 60.0% clip over the last seven games with 15 made 3-pointers.