Gameday Central: How to watch Arkansas-S. Dakota, Coyotes to Know, spread

The Arkansas Razorbacks welcome their final opponent of the five-game home stretch to Bud Walton Friday night for a late tip-off and it's shaping up to be their most challenging opponent yet.

The South Dakota Coyotes lead the nation in three-point percentage after going 47 of 92 from deep through five games. That impressive stat is a major reason why the Coyotes are undefeated but they're also led by a group of five veterans who each average over 26 minutes a game.

While the Coyotes have proven to be sharpshooters, the Hogs have been on a defense tear and they're holding opponents to 11.6% from deep through four games. Arkansas hasn't had a defensive stretch like this since the early 80s. They're holding opponents to just 45.8 points per game and will likely be the difference tonight in Bud Walton.

South Dakota is led by alum Todd Lee, and he's in his second year coaching for the Coyotes. Musselman hired Lee in the early 90s as an assistant for the CBA team the Rapid City Thrillers.

Here's everything you need to know about the matchup with the 5-0 Coyotes:

Important Times:

Doors Open: 6 p.m.
Tip-off: 8 p.m.

TV/Radio:

TV: SEC Network (Streaming on WatchESPN) (Dane Bradshaw, Courtney Lyle)
Radio: RSN Sirius 105/XM 190/Online 961 (Chuck Barrett, Mike Zimmerman)

From the Head Hog Eric Musselman:

"We're going to have to defend the three. This is a really well-coached team that executes really well. They play really hard. They cut hard. And obviously, they shoot well. Tyler (Hagedorn) can post up, it's not just pick and roll stuff. He's a really good basketball player. They have five seniors on their team and it shows how they've played on the road."

"They won a tournament on the road, that's hard to do. The team has three all-league players in the preseason and the MVP in Stanley Umude. They present a lot of problems."

South Dakota Players to Know:

25 F Tyler Hagedorn: Hagedorn, a senior from Nebraska, leads the Coyotes in scoring with 19.4 points per game and at 6-foot-10, it's no surprise that he also leads the team in rebounds with 6.4 per game and blocks (5). Almost exactly 50% of Hagedorn's points this season have come from deep shots.

22 G Tyler Peterson: Senior guard Tyler Peterson from Minnesota averages 10 points a night and is the only starter who does not like to shoot the three. He's only taken one shot from beyond the arc this season and he missed it. He is however, percentage-wise, the team's best inside thread with a 69.2% field goal clip.

10 G Cody Kelley: 5-foot-11 guard Cody Kelley hails from Wyoming and he's a perfect 10-10 from the free throw line this season. Kelley scores 8.4 points per game and he averages the second-most minutes on the team. Kelley is great at controlling the game and he only has two turnovers through five games.

3 G Triston Simpson: Another Nebraska native, Simpson is second on the team in three-point percentage hitting deep shots at a 62% clip and dishing the ball out plenty too. He averages three assists per game.

0 G Stanley Umude: Umude, the Summit League preseason MVP, is second on the team in scoring with 16.4 points per game. He's also been a monster getting defensive boards for the Coyotes with 4.8 per game.

Headlines from this week:

- Mason Jones is already Arkansas's second-leading scorer through four games but Eric Musselman wants to get more out of the junior. READ MORE

- Arkansas grad transfer senior Jimmy Whitt has lived up to every expectation so far. Read about his contributions through four games. READ MORE

- The Hogs took down Texas Southern and are now 3-0 against teams from the Lone Star State. Isaiah Joe scored 33 to lead the Hogs to victory. READ MORE

Vegas Line:

Arkansas -14.5 O/U 139.5 (Hogs are 4-0 against the spread and 4-0 on the under)

Key Rankings: Arkansas (previous ranking)/South Dakota

AP Top 25: 3 votes (11 votes)/0 votes
KenPom: 26 (29)/123
NET rating: 60/230
Sagarin: 26 (28)/132
ESPN BPI: 44 (48)/137

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