Dustin Tetzlaff

Game 8
Opponent: Dakota State
When: Wednesday, Dec. 2, 7 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
The South Dakota men’s basketball squad wraps up a three-game homestand with a 7 p.m. contest against Dakota State on Wednesday in the DakotaDome. The Coyotes (4-3) are above .500 for the first time this season after posting two impressive points totals in wins last weekend and will look to continue that momentum against the Trojans (4-3).

Live stats and live video for the game can be found on South Dakota’s web site at USDCoyotes.com, while live audio can be followed at B1027.com

Scouting the Trojans
Playing in the Dakota Athletic Conference, first-year head coach Gary Garner and Dakota State have notched a 4-3 record to start the 2009-10 season. DSU opened with a 52-47 road win over Mount Marty on Nov. 2, before dropping its next four games. The Trojans lost 63-47 to No. 23 Sioux Falls and 77-52 to Missouri Valley College at the Famous Dave’s Classic on Nov. 6-7. In exhibition play, South Dakota State down DSU 72-58 on Nov. 9, and the Trojans lost their home opener to No. 4 Dakota Wesleyan, 79-65. Dakota State has rebounded to win its last three contests. The Trojans topped Dana 86-80 on Nov. 14, defeated Trinity Bible 70-57 on Nov. 21 and claimed a 57-49 win over Presentation on Nov. 21. In its latest action, DSU lost an 82-47 exhibition contest at No. 15 Southwest Minnesota State on Nov. 25. Junior guard Santino Clay averages 13.5 points for the Trojans, while junior center Bryce Snyder averages 8.3 rebounds. Junior guard Jason DeZeeuw has 20 assists on the season.

Coyote History versus the Trojans
One of the Coyotes’ oldest opponents, USD holds a 15-0 all-time record against Dakota State. South Dakota collected a 28-22 win over Dakota State (then known as Madison Normal) in 1908-09, the first season of men’s basketball for USD. The two programs played 10 times before the 1938-39 season, including a 13-7 win for the Coyotes in the 1921-22 season. USD renewed acquaintances with an 80-59 win over DSU in 1987-88, and has since defeated the Trojans four times under head coach Dave Boots, including a 98-49 victory in 1997-98 in the last meeting.

Last Time Out: USD Tops 100-point Mark in Two Victories over Weekend
The Coyote men moved above .500 for the first time this season with two dominating victories last Saturday and Sunday. Tyler Cain led five USD players in double figures in a 100-65 rout of Dana to start the weekend. Cain became the 39th player in USD history to reach the 1,000-point milestone in the win, while Louie Krogman collected his first career double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. The Coyotes followed with another record-breaking performance in a 104-71 demolishing of Midland Lutheran the next day. Jake Thomas nailed nine three-pointers to break South Dakota’s single-game trey record, and finish the game with 31 points. Four other Coyotes scored in double figures, while Dustin Tetzlaff had 10 rebounds.

Thomas for the Trey
En route to breaking USD’s single-game three-point baskets record in just his seventh game in red and white, freshman guard Jake Thomas is starting to make a name for himself beyond the arc. He hit 9-of-12 treys against Midland Lutheran to break the record, after connecting on his first four attempts from long range. He finished the first half with sixth and added three more early in the second half to break the previous record of eight. Five former Coyotes shared the record, including current assistant coach Joey James, who hit eight treys against South Dakota State on March 3, 1999.

Thomas has a team-leading 104 points on the season after making 58 percent (29-of-50) of his three-point attempts. USD’s single-season record for treys is 109 by Josh Mueller in 2004-05. With at least 23 games left in the season, Thomas would have to average 3.4 treys per game to set the record.

Cain Over 1,000
One of the best all-around basketball players in USD history, senior Tyler Cain became the 39th player in USD history to go over 1,000 career points in the Coyotes’ 100-65 win over Dana last Saturday. Cain, who currently has 1,020 points and 803 rebounds, is the 19th USD player to post 1,000 points and 500 rebounds. He is also the career leader in blocked shots (277) and also in the top 10 list for steals (8th).

November 28th
Every player has “on” days, where they play some of their best basketball. It seems USD fans can mark down November 28th as Louie Krogman’s day. One of the most prolific scorers in South Dakota high school history, Krogman has continued to stack up the points since coming to the Coyotes. As a freshman last season, he scored a career-high 23 points against Panhandle State on Nov. 28, 2008. This year, he collected his first career double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds against Dana on Nov. 28, 2009.

The Century Club....Twice
USD posted two dominating wins last weekend, as the Coyotes topped the 100-point mark in back-to-back games. It was the first time the Coyotes had accomplished the feat since posting three consecutive games with at least 100 points in the 2003-04 season. The Coyotes topped MSU-Moorhead 105-77, lost to Minnesota-Duluth 110-101 in overtime and then defeated Dana 122-68 in that season. USD went on to finish 22-10 and 8-6 in the North Central Conference and advanced to the second round of the regional tournament.

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 (277), has a chance to move up in several other categories. He is currently third in rebounds (803), which is 114 out of second place, and is also eighth on the steals list (140). He became the 19th player in USD history to record 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in their career when he notched 18 points against Dana on Nov. 28. He currently has 1,020 points.

Steve Smith is also climbing up the blocked shots list. He is currently fifth (110), but trails fourth by just 10 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 guard Jake Thomas leads USD with 104 points on the season, after hitting six three pointers to post 20 points in a 76-73 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and adding a school-record nine treys for 31 points against Midland Lutheran. He earned all-tournament honors at the Duel in the Desert Classic

Junior guard Kendall Cutler, a transfer from Western Oklahoma State, has been a valuable backup at the one spot. He notched 10 points and eight assists against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and added seven assists and 10 points against Mayville State. Versus Marquette he posted 11 points and two assists, while his five assists led USD against Dana. Fellow JC transfer Mitchell Bouie has led USD in rebounding in two contests, after grabbing five against Oregon State and eight versus Mayville State. He notched 14 and 15 points against Dana and Midland Lutheran, respectively.

Freshmen Conrad Krutwig and Dustin Tetzlaff have also continued to improve off the bench for Tyler Cain and Steve Smith. Tetzlaff posted six rebounds against Dana, before grabbing a team-leading 10 against Midland Lutheran. Krutwig was just one rebounds short of his first career double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds against Midland Lutheran.

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 will enjoy a nine-day break, before hitting the road for the Drake Invitational in Des Moines, Iowa. The Coyotes face Drake on Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. and Binghamton on Dec. 13 at 11 a.m.

For the complete notes, click on the link above.