SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Summit League PR) – South Dakota captured the outright regular-season title and will be the No. 1 seed for the fourth time in the last six years at The Summit League Women’s Basketball Championship. The regular-season champs will begin their chase for the title at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Saturday, March 7 against No. 8 seed Omaha at 12 p.m. CT.
The Coyotes (27-2, 16-0 SL) clinched the outright title last Saturday thanks to their 77-67 victory over the Jackrabbits (21-9, 13-3 SL), who secured the No. 2 spot in the eight-team field. The league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament will be determined in the championship game Tuesday, March 10.
All USD and SDSU women’s games in the tourney can be heard in the Sioux Falls area on 98.1 FM, 1230-AM, KWSN.COM and the FREE KWSN app. All SDSU men’s games in the Summit tourney can be heard via those outlets as well.
No. 2 seed South Dakota State will play in Saturday’s second quarterfinal at 2:30 p.m. CT and take on No. 7 seed North Dakota (15-14, 6-10 SL). The Jackrabbits are making the quest for their 10th championship title in 12 years while the Fighting Hawks are making their second-consecutive appearance at the championships after joining the league last season.
Sunday’s quarterfinal session begins with No. 4 seed Oral Roberts (14-15, 9-7 SL) against No. 5 seed Western Illinois (15-14, 9-7 SL) at 12 p.m. CT. No. 3 seed Denver (15-14, 9-7 SL) faces No. 6 seed North Dakota State (10-18, 7-9 SL) at 2:30 p.m. CT to close out the quarterfinal round. Denver, Oral Roberts, and Western Illinois tied for third place in the standings with 9-7 league records. The Pioneers, who defeated WIU 84-78, earned the No. 3 seed based on their 72-62 victory over South Dakota State on Feb. 13. Oral Roberts picked up the No. 4 seed based on a season sweep over North Dakota while Western Illinois split against the Fighting Hawks, thus earning the Leathernecks the No. 5 seed.
Monday’s semifinals begin with the winner of the South Dakota/Omaha matchup facing the winner of the Oral Roberts/Western Illinois clash at Noon CT and will be followed up by the winners of the South Dakota State/North Dakota game and the Denver/North Dakota State game at 2:30 p.m. CT. All four quarterfinals and both semifinals will air on MidcosSN with an ESPN+ simulcast.
Tuesday’s championship game is set for 1 p.m. CT and will be televised live on ESPNU and available on WatchESPN.com.
All men’s and women’s games at The Summit League Basketball Championships can be viewed live across multiple platforms ranging from cable television to handheld devices. The coverage by Midco Sports Network and ESPN platforms marks the 11th consecutive season that both the men’s and women’s tournaments are available in their entirety. MidcoSN’s involvement dates back to 2010 while the women’s title game has aired on ESPNU for the 12th straight year.
Ticket information for the 2020 Summit League Basketball Championships can be found at www.thesummitleague.org/ticket. Tickets may be purchased at all TicketMaster locations, online at www.ticketmaster.com, or in person at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center Box Office.
