After a 72-62 win at North Dakota State last night, South Dakota State is in the driver's seat of the Summit League regular season and No. 1 seed in the tournament, even though they aren't in first place and there are eight games remaining on the conference slate. Why? John Gaskins explains how SDSU is now the team to beat.

Then — another glaring example of USD's attendance issues for the major sports, and why the most fault lies on the fans.

For the final 55 minutes, a fun Friday happy hour chat with self-admitted curmudgeon (but mellowing with age) and 17-year University of Sioux Falls men's basketball coach Chris Johnson, who talks about why he absolutley loves this season's team and all the ebbs, flows, and evolutions in college hoops and the game of basketball, in general, since he came to Sioux Falls from Div. I University of North Dakota, where he was the head assistant.

Johnson describes the unique relationship he has with USF women's coach Travis Traphagen, describes the adjustments he has had to make in his coaching style and approach to players, and why local high school product and freshman Taylen Ashley has him excited for the next four years.

The South Dakota men's basketball team strormed back from a 13-point halftime hole to deal first-place Omaha its first Summit League loss in a game that could be a turning point for the high-flying, up-tempo Coyotes.

After John Gaskins opines on why a late-season USD heater would be awesome — for both the Coyotes and Jackrabbits fans — third year head coach Eric Peterson spends a half-hour with John describing how the Yotes got it done. Peterson also unpacks the program's struggles his first two years, and why he scrapped its style of play for this new, maddening pace. Plus, a crazy story about an early win Peterson experienced with former USD coach Craig Smith in their first season at Utah State together — crowdsurfing, court-storming, and locker room brawl.

Then, Sioux Falls Live sportswriter Trent Singer joins to explain how Augustana hockey has become a Top 20 team in its second year of existence, how Augie women's hoops is healing after a disastrous first season without Dave Krauth in 35 years. Also, a glimpse into the absurdly red-hot shooting of the No. 1 Sioux Falls Lincoln High School boys team.

Oh, and, by the way, Trent grew up in the same Tennessee neighborhood as Johnny Cash and went to high school with Taylor Swift. So, enjoy our detour into those memories.

In a rollicking, one-hour pow-wow from the Gateway Lounge, 17-year friends and 5-year podcast partners John Gaskins and Matt Zimmer take their maiden voyage on a made-for-TV (well, YouTube) episode and dive further into the nation's obsession and aggression toward the Kansas City Chiefs, then steer into local football matters like Zim's interview with Steelers offensive lineman and former Roosevelt and SDSU stud Mason McCormick.

Speaking of offensive linemen, the best in state high school history just chose Iowa over Nebraska and Minnesota — why? Then, a dip into the dynamic of best friends and South Dakota football legends Kurtiss Riggs and Kalen DeBoer — and how the latter could really use the former to give Alabama a jolt back into the national title picture. Next, a delve into the most recent news of both Dan Jackson's recruiting efforts and success at SDSU (Semchenko/Kabrera) and good buddy Jimmy Rogers' continued luring of South Dakota talent to Washington State (Schlimgen).

The boys round third and head toward home plate with an "A League of their Own" analogy to the current state of Jackrabbits and Coyotes hoops after both SDSU squads beat up USD again.