On the Slate After clinching the Great West Conference regular-season and tournament titles, the South Dakota men's basketball team will continue its season in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. The Coyotes (22-9) will square off with Creighton (16-15) in the first round on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Neb.

Tickets for the game are $15 and can be purchased through the USD Ticket Office before noon on Tuesday. The USD Ticket Office is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday or can be reached at 605-677-5959. Tickets purchased through the USD Ticket Office will be at the Civic Auditorium will call located at the south entrance. After noon on Tuesday, fans must purchase tickets through Ticketmaster.com or at the door. Doors open at 6 p.m., but fans with tickets at will call are encouraged to arrive early.

Live stats for the game can be followed on Creighton's website at GoCreighton.com, while Fox College Sports will have subscription video and audio on its website.

Scouting the Bluejays Creighton enters its 13th consecutive postseason with a 16-15 overall record after finishing fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 10-8 mark in the league. In their latest action, the Bluejays lost an 81-62 game to Bradley in the first round of the MVC Tournament on March 5 in St. Louis, Mo. Second-team all-MVC center Kenny Lawson Jr. had 17 points and 11 rebounds, while senior forward Justin Carter added 10 points and 13 rebounds, but CU shot just 31.8 percent in the game. Freshman guard Josh Jones added 11 points for Creighton, who outrebounded the Braves 39-38, but forced only eight turnovers for the game. Lawson averages a team-high 13.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game for CU, while Carter chips in 9.8 points and 6.1 rebounds. Creighton is coached by Dana Altman, who owns a 325-175 record in his 16th year with the Bluejays.

Coyote History versus the Bluejays This will be the 59th meeting all-time between Creighton and South Dakota, with CU leading that series 47-11. The teams, however, have not met since 1968. USD earned a 90-82 home win over the Bluejays in their last meeting.

Last Time Out: Coyotes Down Huskies for GWC Tourney Title and CIT Bid Freshman guard Jake Thomas and junior guard Kendall Cutler both topped the 20-point mark to lead the No. 1 seed University of South Dakota men's basketball team to a 91-86 win over No. 2 seed Houston Baptist in the final of the Great West Conference Tournament on Saturday in the McKay Center. The 13th consecutive victory moved the Coyotes to 22-9 on the season.

USD enjoyed a double-digit advantage most of the second half until HBU clawed back to tie the game at 82 with 2:14 left. Sophomore guard Louie Krogman responded with a three pointer and landed a driving layup on the next possession to put the Coyotes up five at the 1:11 mark. Free throws from senior center Steve Smith and Thomas and a block by senior forward Tyler Cain sealed the win for South Dakota.

Thomas, who earned all-tournament team honors, led USD with 24 points, including five treys, while Cutler, the tournament MVP, claimed a season-high 21 points and eight assists. Smith posted 14 points, Krogman had 13 and senior guard Roman Gentry added 10 to round out the Coyotes in double figures. Cain had a team-high 11 rebounds. USD shot 48 percent (28-of-59) from the field and 53 percent (10-of-19) beyond the arc and HBU connected on 49 percent (34-of-70) but made just three treys.

Houston Baptist (12-21) took the early lead, before driving layups by Cutler and a jumper by Cain put USD on the board. The Coyotes earned a quick 7-0 run to take the lead at 13-8 with 15:03 to go, as Thomas got a shot to fall, Cain hit a layup and Gentry nailed a three during the spurt. The Huskies cut the lead to two, but threes from Thomas and Gentry and free throws by Cutler and junior guard Mitchell Bouie grew the Coyote lead back to 10 at 25-15 at the 11:12 mark.

USD maintained at least a four-point advantage over the next five minutes until turning up the defensive pressure. The Coyotes forced turnovers on four consecutive HBU trips and made the Huskies pay for it with a 13-0 run to go up by double digits at 44-27 with 1:58 left. Thomas and Cutler both chipped in five during the spurt, before Bouie and Cutler made free throws to give USD the 46-32 lead at halftime.

Cutler had 12 points in the opening frame, while Thomas added 10. The Coyotes shot 50 percent (14-of-28) from the floor and 45 percent (5-of-11) from beyond the arc, while HBU hit 46 percent (13-of-28) but managed just one three. USD had 10 assists and forced 12 turnovers.

Smith and Cutler started the second stanza with layups, but HBU crafted a seven-point run to cut the USD advantage to single digits at 52-43 with 16:52 left. Thomas hit a three and Smith and Cutler notched layups as the two squads exchanged baskets over the next two minutes until the Huskies cut the lead to 62-57 at the 12:02 mark. Back-to-back treys from Thomas and Krogman put USD back up double digits, before the two once again traded buckets over the next four minutes.

As they had all night, the Huskies worked the lead down with a 14-2 run and tied the game at 82 with 2:14 left, before Krogman's run and free throws sealed the game.

About the CIT In its second season, the CIT is a single-elimination tournament, consisting of four rounds, with games played at on-campus sites as determined by seeding. The event features eight opening-round games, four quarterfinal games, a semifinal round and then the championship game. Bracketing is done geographically into multiple regions of the country to minimize missed class time.

Old Dominion won the inaugural championship with a 66-62 victory over Bradley last season. The win gave ODU a 25-win season.

2010 CIT First Round Schedule* Tuesday March 16 No. 5 Fairfield (22-10) @ No. 13 George Mason (17-14) No. 16 South Dakota (22-9) @ No. 4 Creighton (16-15)

Wednesday, March 17 No. 14 Harvard (21-7) @ No. 6 Appalachian State (22-10) No. 10 Western Carolina (22-11) @ No. 1 Marshall (23-9) No. 12 Middle Tennessee State (19-13) @ No. 3 Missouri State (20-12) No. 7 Portland (21-10) @ No. 9 Northern Colorado (24-7) No. 11 Pacific (20-11) @ No. 8 Loyola Marymount (18-14)

Thursday, March 18 No. 2 Southern Mississippi (20-13) @ No. 15 Louisiana Tech (23-10)

* - There is no set bracket. The CIT uses the old NIT model of determining future round opponents following the conclusion of the previous round.

Mark It Down The Coyotes have quietly crafted one of the best winning streaks in the nation this season. Victorious in 16 of its last 17 contests, USD is currently tied with Wofford for the second longest winning streak in the nation at 13. Only Butler has a better mark at 20 consecutive victories.

CollegeInsider.com Honors Boots and Cain South Dakota Head Coach Dave Boots and senior forward Tyler Cain have been named the Great West Conference Coach of the Year and Player of the Year, respectively, by ColleInsider.com, the publication announced on Sunday. The duo combined to lead USD to a 22-9 record this season while earning the GWC regular-season and tournament titles.