The Basics
The #1 Omaha Mavericks are just one game away from their third ever Summit League Championship Final as they take on the #5 South Dakota Coyotes on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Semifinal round.

Gary Sharp will have the call on 1180 KZOT and links to live stats, audio, and video can be found at OMavs.com. The game will also be broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network.

Quick Hits
• The Mavericks held on to defeat #8 Kansas City 70-61 in the Quarterfinal, utilizing aggressive play in the paint that led to a +20 advantage in points in the paint (38 to 18) while ending up tied in rebound with 37 each.
• With this win, Omaha reached 20 wins for the second time in the Division I era and is just one win away from tying the 2018-19 team's record of 21 wins.
• Head Coach Chris Crutchfield joins Sed Hartman, Bob Hanson, Kevin McKenna, and Derrin Hansen as one of five Omaha head coaches to have a 20-win season.
• Marquel Sutton led the way with his 11th career double-double, scoring 28 and pulling down 11 rebounds. In the process, he topped 600 points on the season, becoming the sixth Maverick in history to do so and ending the night in fourth place on the single season scoring list with 610 points. He also climbed to 13th on the all-time scoring list with 1336 career points.
• JJ White (14 points), Isaac Ondekane (10), and Ja'Sean Glover (10) all scored in double figures Thursday, with White also recording seven assists to move to eighth all-time in assists. He ended the night with exactly 999 career points.
• On Tuesday, the league announced the All-Summit awards, with Omaha taking home the top two honors with Sutton being named Player of the Year and Head Coach Chris Crutchfield taking home Coach of the Year. Sutton is the first Maverick to ever win the award and was the favorite after leading the Summit in points (341), field goals (232), and free throws (88) while also placing top three in ppg (21.3), rebounds (123), rpg (7.7), FG% (.513). He was the only player in the league to rank in the top five in scoring, rebounding, and FG%, as well as the only one who ranks in the top five in just scoring and rebounding. As for Crutchfield, leading Omaha to its most successful season as a Division I program made him the obvious choice.
• Sutton and White both took home First Team honors as well, becoming the only teammates in the league to both make the list. White led the league with 84 assists and 5.3 assists per game and was the only player in the league with over 60 assists and 4.0 apg. He also finished top 10 in points (281), ppg (17.6), FG% (.532), 3-PT FG% (.478), and FT% (.812). This was the first time either one earned All-Summit honors.
• Glover rounded out the All-Summit honorees with a spot on the All-Defensive Team after leading Omaha's defense. He picked up his first conference honor after holding several of the league's top scorers to below their usual scoring and shooting averages, while also leading the team and placing 12th in the league with 15 steals and nine blocks.
• Omaha earned votes in the College Insider Mid-Major Poll for the fourth time this week, earning 20 votes to lead all Summit League teams.
• 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 54-62 career record. This season marks his fourth year as a head coach and third with the Mavericks.

Scouting the South Dakota Coyotes
The Coyotes played their way into the Semifinal after a nail-biter against #4 NDSU on Friday, coming back from an 11-point deficit with 5:45 left and ultimately winning by just one at 85-84.

USD took home six All-Summit honors this year, four of which came from Chase Forte alone. The transfer from Northwestern State was named Defensive Player of the Year along with making the All-Defensive Team, All-Newcomer Team, and First Team All-Summit. Forte led the league with 32 steals on conference play while placing in the top-12 in shooting percentage, points, rebounds, assists and steals per game.

Honorable Mentions Isaac Bruns and Dre Bullock took home the team's other two awards. Bruns was 10th in the league in ppg (16.3) and FG% (45.9%), while Bullock was 13th in scoring (13.3 ppg) and sixth in steals (19). Bruns had a double-double on Friday with 21 points and 10 boards, while Forte led the way with 28 points.

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
The Mavericks split the season series with the Coyotes to move to 50-55 in the all-time series and 14-14 in the Division I era. Omaha lost the first game on the road 91-87, before getting even with a 93-85 win in game two. In the first meeting Sutton dropped a then career-high 29 points along 13 field goals and 12 rebounds in the first meeting, while  White also had a double-double with 18 points and a career-high 10 assists. As for the Coyotes, Dre Bullock led the way with 31 points, followed by Isaac Bruns with 23. Then, in game two, Sutton again set a career-high with 36 points on a season-high 14 field goals plus 12 rebounds. White also played well with 22 points. Chase Forte and Bullock led the way for USD with 25 and 19 points, respectively.