The Basics
With just two games left in the regular season, the first-place Mavericks open their final homestand of the year this Saturday at 7 p.m. vs. South Dakota as they continue their quest for the first Regular Season Title in the program's Division I history.

Gary Sharp will have the call on 1290 KOIL and links to live stats, audio, and video can be found at OMavs.com.

Quick Hits
• Omaha retook first place in the Summit League on Wednesday after beating Kansas City 78-66 immediately after St. Thomas lost to South Dakota. The Mavericks are 1-1 against their final opponents this year (South Dakota and Oral Roberts) while the Tommies are 2-0 against theirs (North Dakota and Kansas City).
• With win number 17 in tow, the Mavericks are one win behind the 2015-16 and 2016-17 teams for the second most in the Division I era. Likewise, with 11 Summit League wins the team can tie the 2018-19 team for the most in program history if they win out. Lastly, the team's seven road wins are tied with the 2015-16 team for the third most in the D1 era.
• Marquel Sutton extended his 20-point scoring streak to three in a row on Saturday when he dropped 22 on the Roos. His 526 points on the season are now the 16th most in a single season in Mavericks history. 
• JJ White posted his fifth career 20-point game on Saturday to increase his season total to 369 and career total to 945. Averaging 17.2 ppg in Summit League play, with two more regular season games and at least one conference tournament game guaranteed, White has a chance to join Sutton as the 45th member of Omaha's 1000-Point Club.
• In conference play, Sutton and White both rank in the top 10 in points, ppg, and FG%, while the former also ranks top if rebounds and rpg and the latter beind top 10 in FT% and 3-PT FG%. White is also the only Maverick to lead the Summit in a category as his 71 assists in league play are 20 more than the next closest player.
• One of the best all-around shooting teams in the Summit League, Omaha has seven players with at least 50 field goal attempts who are shooting over 45%. Similarly, four Mavericks have attempted at least 50 three-pointers and are shooting over 38%, while another four have attempted at least 30 free throws and are shooting over 75%.
• Sutton earned his first career Summit League Preseason honor after being named Second Team All-Preseason in October. In 2023-24, he was second on the team with 12.3 PPG (406 total) and led all Mavericks with 6.3 RPG (208 total boards).
• Lance Waddles (NDSU), Joshua Streit (NDSU), and Isaac Ondekane (Lindenwood) headline the Mavericks' top transfers this year with the trio coming to Omaha with a combined six seasons of Division I basketball under their belts. Also new this year are top JUCO transfers Kamryn Thomas (2024 NJCAA Third Team All-American), Khamani Cooper (465 points as a freshman in 2024), and Valentino Simon (965 career points from 2022-24). 
• Omaha has three captains this year: Marquel Sutton, Tony Osburn, and Lance Waddles.
• Head Coach Chris Crutchfield has a 51-62 career record. This season marks his fourth year as a head coach and third with the Mavericks.

Scouting the South Dakota Coyotes
Since entering their prior meeting with Omaha this year with a 3-4 record in Summit League play, the Coyotes have since gone 5-1 to come into this game with an 8-5 conference record following their 80-85 upset over then first-place St. Thomas on Wednesday.

Guards Chase Forte and Isaac Bruns are both top 10 in the conference in scoring and FG%, with the senior transfer from Northeastern slotting in at seventh in ppg (16.5), sixth in points (462), and sixth in FG% (.454), while the sophomore is 10th in ppg (14.8), ninth in points (413), and fifth in FG% (.468). Forte also leads the whole league with 55 steals and places fourth with 89 assists. Him and Bruns both rank in the top 20 in rebounding as well behind Isaac's older brother Paul who ranks 15th in rpg (4.4) and 13th in total rebounds (122).

Also notable this year are senior guard Dre Bullock, who has 306 points and ranks fourth in the Summit in steals with 37, and junior forward Ashton Smith, who is tied for second in the conference in blocks with 23.

Head Coach Eric Peterson is in his third season leading the Coyotes after previously serving as an assistant coach from 2014-18. In between his two stints at USD, Peterson spent three seasons as an assistant at Utah State, helping guide the team to the NCAA Tournament each season.

All-Time Against South Dakota
After losing the first meeting this season 91-87, the Mavericks dropped to 49-55 all-time against South Dakota and 13-14 in the Division I era. Marquel Sutton scored a career-high 29 points along with a season-high 13 field goals and 12 rebounds in the last meeting. JJ White also had a double-double that game with 18 points and a career-high 10 assists, while Isaac Ondekane was one point short of his first career double-double as he pulled down a personal-best 12 rebounds. As for the Coyotes, Dre Bullock led the way with 31 points, followed by Isaac Bruns with 23.