Kendall Cutler

Games 6 & 7
Opponent: Dana & Midland Lutheran
When: Saturday, Nov. 28, 3 p.m. CT
When: Sunday, Nov. 29, 3 p.m. CT
Where: DakotaDome, Vermillion, S.D.
Live Stats: USDCoyotes.com
Live Audio: B1027.com
Live Video: USDCoyotes.com
Television: None

On the Slate
After battling through another early-season road test at Marquette on Tuesday, the South Dakota men’s basketball team (2-3) returns home for two contests this weekend against NAIA opponents. The Coyotes host Dana (2-6) at 3 p.m. on Saturday, before facing Midland Lutheran (2-7) at 3 p.m. on Sunday. History could also be made by USD senior forward Tyler Cain, who is just 11 points away from 1,000 career points. Live stats and live video for both contests can be found on South Dakota’s web site at USDCoyotes.com, while live audio can be followed at B1027.com

Scouting the Opponents
A member of the Great Plains Athletic Conference, Dana is 2-6 in its 10th season under head coach Chis Fear. The Vikings started the year 2-2 with wins over Iowa Wesleyan and Peru State, but the squad lost its next four games, including three contests by a combined 10 points. Dana started the conference season with a 67-55 loss to Briar Cliff and most recently lost a 74-72 conference game to Doane on Tuesday. Senior guard Tristan Washington averages 17.1 points per contest to lead the Vikings, while senior guard Danny Petersen averages 5.8 rebounds.

Long-time coach Rich McGill enters his 29th season at the helm for Midland Lutheran, who also hail from the Great Plains Athletic Conference. The Warriors are 2-7 after starting the season 0-3. MLC picked up its first win of the season at York, 78-73, but lost its next two games before beating Iowa Wesleyan, 64-42. Most recently, the Warriors lost 75-67 to Morningside and lost 72-53 to Concordia on Tuesday in conference action. Senior guard Jason Ahrens averages 16.3 points per contest for Midland Lutheran and senior forward Chad Langemeier averages 7.3 rebounds.

Coyote History versus the Opponents
The Vikings and Warriors are two opponents the Coyotes have feasted on. USD is 8-0 all-time against Dana, including a 94-58 win last season, and 11-0 all-time against Midland Lutheran, including a 86-64 win last year. South Dakota first played Dana in the 1911-12 season, but the majority of contests have come under Boots (five). The Coyotes have defeated the Vikings by an average of 27.5 points, including a 122-68 victory in 2003-04. Likewise, 10 of USD’s 11 meetings with the Warriors have come under Boots, as USD owns a 25.4 average winning margin over Midland.

Last Time Out: Coyote Men Drop Contest at Marquette
Three Coyotes scored in double figures for the South Dakota men’s basketball team, but USD dropped a 93-68 game at Marquette in the Bradley Center on Nov. 24. The win moved the Golden Eagles to 4-0 on the season and dropped the Coyotes to 2-3.

Senior forward Tyler Cain led South Dakota with 19 points by connecting on 7-of-10 shots and collected five rebounds, while freshman guard Jake Thomas, playing just 30 miles from his hometown of Racine, Wis., added 12 points on four three-pointers and seven rebounds. Junior guard Kendall Cutler posted 11 points, as USD shot 50 percent (22-of-44) from the field and the same from behind arch (8-of-16). The Golden Eagles also shot 50 percent (34-of-68), but hit 60 percent (12-of-20) of their three-point shots.

The Coyotes kept the game close for most of the first half after opening with a trey from sophomore guard Louie Krogman. Marquette started to roll, but Cain hit back-to-back buckets and two free throws to keep USD in it. Cutler added a layup and Thomas knocked down a three before senior center Steve Smith jammed a dunk to cut the lead to 21-18 at the 9:25 mark in the first half. Free throws from Smith, junior guard Mitchell Bouie and freshman forward Conrad Krutwig held the lead to under six late in the second half, but Marquette closed the frame on a 12-5 run to take a 48-35 advantage into halftime. Cain and Thomas contributed nine points apiece in the first, while Smith added six.

USD continued to battle in the second half, as Krogman hit a three at the 16:00 minute mark to pull the Coyotes to 60-45, but that was as close as South Dakota could get. The Golden Eagles capitalized on 11 turnovers by USD in the second half to lead by as many as 29 in the closing minutes. Cain had 10 in second half and Cutler posted nine, but Marquette hit a hot streak by connecting on 67 percent (4-of-6) from behind the arch in the second frame.

Eye on the Charts
Several USD seniors have their sights set on the Coyote record book this season. Tyler Cain, who already owns the all-time mark in blocked shots (272), has a chance to move up in several other categories. He is currently third in rebounds (788), which is 183 out of second place, and is also eighth on the steals list (139). He is just 11 points away from becoming the 19th player in USD history to record 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in their career.

Steve Smith is also climbing up the blocked shots list. He is currently fifth (106), but trails fourth by just 14 blocks.

Instant Impact
USD returned three starters from last season, but several first-year Coyotes have had an instant impact so far this season. Freshman Jake Thomas led USD with 20 points on six three-pointers in a 76-73 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Nov. 15 to earn all-tournament team honors at the Duel in the Desert Classic and followed up with 12 points on four treys against Mayville State on Nov. 20. He added another four against Marquette, playing just 30 miles from his hometown, and currently leads the team with 15 treys on the season.

Meanwhile junior guard Kendall Cutler, a transfer from Western Oklahoma State, added 10 points and eight assists against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and added seven assists and 10 points against Mayville State off the bench. Against Marquette he posted 11 points and two assists. Fellow JC transfer Mitchell Bouie has led USD in rebounding in two of its five contests, after grabbing five against Oregon State and eight versus Mayville State.

USD Men’s Basketball Picked to Win Great West
The South Dakota men’s basketball team has been selected to win the inaugural Great West Conference Championship, while USD’s Tyler Cain was tabbed the Preseason Player of the Year, the league announced on Oct. 29. The preseason polls and teams were determined by a vote of the conference’s head coaches.

The Coyotes, who finished 20-9 last season, received 41 points, including three first-place votes and are led by Cain. A senior forward, Cain led USD in several offensive and defensive categories last season, including points per game (15.4), rebounds (11.0), blocks (82) and steals (45). He was named first-team All-Independent, while also claiming All-Independent Defensive Player-of-the-Year honors.

Sophomore guard Louie Krogman also earned preseason first-team accolades from the Great West, as USD was the only school to place two student-athletes on the first team. Krogman averaged nearly 13 points per contest last season by connecting on a team-leading 39 percent (69-of-178) of his three-point attempts. He also finished second on the team in assists (76).

Senior Roman Gentry was voted to the preseason All-Great West second team after appearing in 18 games last season for USD. He averaged 12.2 points and 1.7 steals per game in over 24 minutes of action per game, and could see more playing time this season at guard or forward.

Next Up
South Dakota continues its home stand on Dec. 2 with a 7 p.m. contest against Dakota State, before traveling to the Drake Invitational on Dec. 11-13. The Coyotes play Drake at 7 p.m. on Dec. 11 and square off with Binghamton at 11 a.m. on Dec. 13.

For the complete notes, click on the link above.