South Dakota men's basketball 2017-18 season preview

Overview: After starting the season 5-0 and staying strong through its conference slate, South Dakota rode a No. 1 seed in the Summit League tournament to the title game before falling to rival South Dakota State. The Coyotes were then relegated to the NIT where they lost to Iowa in the opening round, ending their successful season with 22 wins.

Craig Smith’s team loses two backcourt players who accounted for 33 percent of South Dakota's scoring a season ago. But junior Matt Mooney will look to increase his scoring from 18.6 points per game and take the next step in his college career. One component of this team’s success this season will depend on Nick Fuller—a graduate transfer who Smith once recruited to Nebraska.

Smith was courted by Drake in the offseason to become its new head coach, but instead he will return for his fourth season at the helm of the Coyotes. If Smith sees similar success in years to come, his name will begin to circulate coaching circles as a young and promising coach, in turn leading to a bigger program knocking on his door. 

The Dec. 2 contest between South Dakota and Duke will mark the first meeting between the two programs and also the first time that the Coyotes have matched up against an ACC opponent.