Pentagon to host USD men’s, women’s basketball games

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. –- The University of South Dakota will play a regular season women’s basketball game and a men’s basketball game at the Sanford Pentagon during the 2018-19 season.

The USD women will face Wichita State in a non-conference game at 7 p.m. on Nov. 21. The USD men will take on Omaha in a Summit League contest at 7 p.m. on Feb. 7.

Ticket information for both contests will be released later.

“We’re thrilled to have not just one, but two more NCAA Division I basketball games added to our schedule,” said Kevin Lampe, president of Sanford Sports. “It’s especially exciting to have the Coyotes back at the Pentagon. Sanford Health and the University of South Dakota are tremendous partners across many platforms.”

This will be the third time the Coyote women’s basketball team has played a game at the Pentagon and the first since 2016. USD has a record of 1-1 at the Pentagon, falling to Drake and topping Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.

The Coyotes finished 29-7 last season, winning the Summit League regular-season crown and reaching the quarterfinals of the WNIT.

Wichita State went 14-17 in 2017-18, its first season in the American Athletic Conference.

“We are thankful for the opportunity to play a tough opponent in Wichita State in one of the premier facilities in the country,” said USD coach Dawn Plitzuweit. “The Sanford Pentagon has a historic feel and is the perfect venue for our fans and the Sioux Falls community to come watch some great basketball right before Thanksgiving. This is another great example of the incredible partnership between USD and Sanford, and we hope to see the stands full of Coyote red on Nov. 21.”

The USD men have played in the venue five times, going 3-2. The Coyotes are coming off a 26-9 campaign and a berth in the College Basketball Invitational. They have a new head coach in Todd Lee.

Omaha went 9-22 last season, competing in the Summit League. The conference relocated its headquarters to Sioux Falls last month.

“It is a great opportunity for our team to play in front of our fans and alumni in Sioux Falls,” said Lee, a native of Huron, South Dakota. “The University of South Dakota receives great support from Sanford, and it is only enhanced with the ability to play a Division I college basketball game in such a great venue, the Sanford Pentagon.”