The South Dakota Coyotes kicked off the Summit regular season with a huge win on the road against the North Dakota State Bison winning 75-66 & moving their record to 8-6 on the year.
The first victory for the Coyotes in Fargo in over five years (men’s bball) and an early program defining win for Eric Peterson in his 2nd season with USD.
Yotes were fresh off a California slaughter (three losses & out-rebounded 73-48 during the trip) and there were some questions on how this team would respond heading into Fargo. I was confident that California trip would harden them. On the opposite side, the Bison were being dragged for playing low level (D5ish) Oak Hill but viewed as a Summit league favorite this year.
Game time: road underdogs are hungry dawgs?
Two minutes into my popcorn and the Coyotes found themselves down 3-13. 16:44 in the first half. Timeout. Yotes were blitzed. Dunk party was on. Maybe Oak Hill wasn’t that bad after all?The Bison looked nice and you can see why they are a Summit League favorite. More questions for Coach Pete & the Coyotes.
The Answer? Kaleb Stewart and priority shooting. Clean looks, a few stops and the Yotes all of sudden looked good. Really good. Stewart would go on to put up 33 and delivered one the best performances you will see this year in the Summit league. Relentless attacking of the hoop with a few 3s sprinkled in. The Coyotes led 40-34 at the half and never looked back.
Game Analysis:
If you follow me on X/twitter (farm_lift) – you will know my feelings on what I call “Priority Shooting” – it’s a team’s recognition of good shooters and ensuring they get their shots up. Rain or shine, the ball is going up for your “guys.” You only get so many possessions every game. Find your guys and go. When the Yotes were down early they prioritized one of their best shooters and did not panic. They shot 3/4 from 3pt in the first half & 5/8 on the game. Incredible efficiency.
Conversely, I have been critical of the Bison the past few seasons. They do less “priority shooting” and more “committee shooting” which is taking an open shot regardless of the person shooting. Nine players for the Bison took 30 3pt attempts.
Team DNA & identity: who are the Coyotes?
A team is steadily forming here. Unselfish play. 40 points in the paint for the Coyotes. They will do well getting to the rim in the Summit league. Thioune & Bostyn Holt are newcomers to South Dakota but not to coach Pete. He coached them during his time in Utah. Their veteran presence (5th year guys) & the emergence of Kaleb Stewart (Louisiana Tech transfer) are impacting the Yotes in a positive way. Kramer/Burchill played a combined 53 minutes & only took 5 shots but they added 10 total rebounds. Paul Bruns only took 4 shots but he had 8 rebounds & added 2 blocks. Paul finished the game off with 4 late FTs.
Things to watch moving forward:
– It’s early but the Coyotes are a legitimate threat to win the Summit League.
– Holt/Stewart are skilled at getting to the hoop. Playing for big schools polishes this, i.e. tougher & taller defenders.
– Paul Bruns has help. A lot of it. This going to allow him to bring out more facets of his game.
– Coaching tree: bringing in coaches from power conferences enhances that schools ability to bring in solid transfers.
Next up, Omaha on Sunday then a January gauntlet begins.
Good things ahead for the Coyotes. Enjoy this win.