The (Final Home) GameThe final basketball game inside the DakotaDome. Senior Day. A Summit League Tournament berth. Yes, the stage is set for the South Dakota Coyotes as they host Denver at 2 p.m. Sunday in the 527th Coyote men's basketball game played in the Dome over the last 37 years. South Dakota is 396-130 (.753) inside the Dome, which opened ahead of the 1979-80 campaign. A USD win today would secure the program's 32nd winning home record in 37 seasons. The Coyotes have won their last three at home and are 6-5 inside the Dome this season.
The PlayersThere are plenty of men's basketball alumni expected to be in attendance. Most attended a tour of the new arena Sunday morning. Those in attendance will be recognized at halftime of today's game when South Dakota will announce its Mount Rushmore of men's basketball during the DakotaDome era.
The SeniorsSouth Dakota seniors
Tre Burnette,
Casey Kasperbauer,
Duol Mayot,
Trey Norris and
Eric Robertson will be recognized in a pre-game ceremony. Kasperbauer and Robertson are four-year players who have played in well over 100 games in a Coyote uniform. USD is 29-20 inside the DakotaDome in their four seasons.
The OpponentDenver rests a half game ahead of South Dakota in the Summit League standings and has lost its last three, but has had the Coyotes' number of late. The last two meetings have been double-digit victories including a 66-52 win in Denver back on Jan. 28. A freshman, Thomas Neff, had a game-high 16 points to lead Denver.
The Pioneers average fewer possessions than nearly every other NCAA Division I program thanks to coach Joe Scott's Princeton offense. Scott was an assistant at Princeton from 1992-2000. His Pioneer team features three seniors and three freshman. Joe Rosga, one of the first-year players, leads the team with 13 points per game. The team's second-leading scorer is senior Nate Engesser, who comes off the bench.
One Final NoteThree-point shooting has certainly played a factor in the two recent matchups between these teams. Denver made 19 of 38 triples for 50 percent. South Dakota made 4 of 28 for 14 percent. The Coyotes shot 50 percent from the field in a win against York (NAIA) Wednesday despite a 1 of 17 effort from downtown.
