After playing to a 9-2 Summit League record, the South Dakota men's basketball team is set to host Peru State in a nonconference contest Sunday at 1 p.m. The matinee is the second-to-last home game for the Coyotes this year who are 11-1 inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.
 
Promotions
Singles Awareness Day: As the rest of the world gears up to celebrate romance, we will celebrate the single life that we are totally fine with. Fans will have a chance to win single movie tickets, dinners for one at local Vermillion establishments and other great prizes designed to celebrate you and the fact that you just can't be tied down right now.

Austin Sparks' Birthday Bash: Sunday will be the 100^th time Austin Sparks has been wished Happy Birthday at a Coyote athletic event. The only difference this time? It is his actual birthday. Come for the cake and stay for the game!

Come for the cake, stay for the game! Join us Sunday as @SDCoyotesMBB? takes on Peru State on @Champagnesparky's REAL birthday! For those keeping track, Sunday will be the 100th time he's been wished a happy birthday at a Coyote athletic event. #HappyBirthdayAustinSparks #GoYotes pic.twitter.com/oTUQHM9XXm

— South Dakota Coyotes (@SDCoyotes) February 9, 2018

Autism Awareness Weekend: This year, coaches from around the country will be raising money for autism through Coaches Powering Forward for Autism benefiting Autism Speaks.  Coaches will also be wearing the blue puzzle piece pin on their suit jackets during the games this weekend. This is part of college basketball's autism awareness weekend, an effort started by Towson head men's basketball coach Pat Skerry and USF assistant men's basketball coach Tom Herrion. It has since gone national with support from the NABC and Autism Speaks.
 
The Game
South Dakota, 21-6 overall, owns a 13-game nonconference home win streak dating back to the final nonconference contest in the DakotaDome. Peru State is 16-9 on the season and plays at Central Methodist Saturday evening before making the seven-hour trek to Vermillion for the 1 p.m. tip-off.
 
The Bobcats
A member of NAIA, Peru State plays in the Heart of America Conference where it holds a 10-4 record and is in second place of the North Division. The Bobcats, who average 86.3 points per game, have won eight of their last 10 games leading into Saturday's contest at Central Methodist.
 
Senior guard Quantice Hunter is the fifth-leading scorer in NAIA Division I at 22.9 points per game. LJ Westbrook ranks seventh in assists with five per game. He is also Peru State's second-leading scorer at 15.5 points per contest.
 
The Bobcats will be playing Sunday's game as an exhibition game.
 
The Coyotes
South Dakota topped Fort Wayne on Thursday night 86-69 to improve to 21-6 overall. The Coyotes shot a season-best 61 percent from the field with Matt Mooney and Triston Simpson pacing the team with 17 points. Mooney tallied a career-high nine assists as Nick Fuller matched a career-best with eight rebounds. For the second time this year, five Coyotes reached double-digit scoring with Tyler Hagedorn, Tyler Peterson and Fuller joining Mooney and Simpson in double-digit column.
 
Mooney leads the Coyotes with 17.6 points per game as Hagedorn adds a career-best 13.6 points per game. Simpson adds 9.1 points, also a career best, along with a team-best 3.2 assists per game.
 
The Series
South Dakota has won all three meetings in the series, which dates back to 2007-08. The last meeting was an 80-40 victory for the Coyotes in the 2013-14 season. All three meetings have been in Vermillion.
 
One Last Thing
South Dakota is one win away from matching the Division I era best for wins with 22. The 2016-17 and 2009-10 Coyotes each won 22 games while the school record for wins in a season is 27. Currently, South Dakota's 21 wins rank ninth in the nation, chasing Saint Mary's 24 victories. Three teams have 23 wins and four squads have 22 wins.