There are wins that simply go in the book — and then there are wins that announce something.

South Dakota’s 89–72 demolition of Omaha on Tuesday night at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center was the second kind. The Coyotes led 45–35 at halftime, never trailed, and looked like the more physical, more connected, more confident team for 40 minutes. 

And it wasn’t against some bottom-feeder, either.

Omaha was an NCAA Tournament team a year ago, the kind of opponent that usually makes you earn every bucket in February. USD didn’t just earn it — they took it.

A wire-to-wire performance that never let Omaha breathe

From the opening stretch, South Dakota controlled the game’s temperature. The Coyotes shot 48.3% from the floor, hit 10 threes, and lived at the free-throw line (23-of-30) in a performance that felt inevitable rather than volatile. 

The cleanest snapshot of the night: USD’s lead never changed hands. Omaha never even tied it. 

Jordan Crawford put on a show

If you were looking for the engine, it was Jordan Crawford — 26 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including 5-of-7 from three, plus steady playmaking and activity on defense. 

He wasn’t alone. Uzziah Buntyn added 18, Vince Buzelis chipped in 12, and USD got a massive lift from the bench — particularly Jesse McIntosh’s 13 with 8-of-9 at the line. 

The difference: discipline, pace control, and toughness

This win didn’t come from a lucky shooting night. It came from South Dakota dictating the terms:

Points off turnovers: USD 12, Omaha 10  Bench scoring: Omaha 24, USD 20 (and USD’s bench points were loud — timely threes and free throws)    Free-throw pressure: USD consistently forced Omaha to defend without fouling — and Omaha couldn’t 

When you beat a program coming off of a Summit League Title one year later by 17 while controlling the game the entire night, that’s not a fluke. That’s identity.

Eric Peterson belongs in the Coach of the Year conversation

This is where the conversation has to go: Eric Peterson has built a team that can win with spacing, win with pace, and — most importantly — win with an edge.

South Dakota is now 15–15 overall and 7–8 in Summit League play, and games like this are the proof point for coaching value: preparation, consistency, buy-in, and a group that clearly knows who it is late in the season. 

If Coach of the Year is about maximizing what you have, improving over the course of the season, and having your team play its best basketball when it matters — performances like Tuesday night are exactly what that award is supposed to recognize.

The Coyotes didn’t just win — they imposed themselves, wire-to-wire, in one of their most complete performances of the season.