The South Dakota Coyotes are the men's basketball program of the University of South Dakota, the state's flagship and oldest public university, playing home games at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center in Vermillion. The Coyotes carry a proud small-town basketball tradition dating back over a century and now compete in the Summit League as full-fledged Division I members. South Dakota basketball is defined by its passionate campus following in a state where the program is a genuine source of statewide pride.
The University of South Dakota was chartered in 1862, decades before South Dakota became a state, and its basketball program built its reputation in Division II, winning the NCAA Division II national championship in 1958 as members of the North Central Conference. The Coyotes made the full transition to Division I with the 2008-09 season and joined the Summit League. South Dakota has not yet reached the Division I NCAA Tournament, but the program's 1958 national title remains the signature achievement in its history.
Source: RateGame Editorial