SIOUX FALLS, S.D. –  It is finally here. March Madness! The Summit League tournament tips-off Saturday, March 6 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The four-day event wraps up Tuesday with the title game set to air on ESPNU at 1 p.m. CT. The champion will be the Summit League's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
 
South Dakota State has claimed the No. 1 seed after winning its sixth regular-season title and finishing the regular season 14-0. The Jackrabbits will take on No. 8 seed Omaha at 11:45 a.m. CT on Saturday in their first game of the tournament.  No. 2 South Dakota will also make its first appearance at the tournament on Saturday at 2:45 p.m. CT to match up against No. 7 seed Oral Roberts.
 
Kicking off the second day of the quarterfinals will be No. 4 Kansas City against No. 5 Western Illinois at 11:45 a.m. CT followed by No. 3 North Dakota State facing No. 6 Denver at 2:45 p.m. CT.
 
Women's Basketball Championship (TV/Streaming) | All Games CT
Quarterfinals | Saturday, March 6
Q1: (1) South Dakota State vs. (8) Omaha | 11:45 a.m.
Q2: (2) South Dakota vs. (7) Oral Roberts | 2:45 p.m.
 
Quarterfinals | Sunday, March 7
Q3: (4) Kansas City vs. (5) Western Illinois | 11:45 a.m.
Q4: (3) North Dakota State vs. (6) Denver | 2:45 p.m.
 
Semifinals | Monday, March 8
S1: Q1 winner vs. Q3 winner | 11:45 a.m.
S2: Q2 winner vs. Q4 winner | 2:45 p.m.
 
Championship | Tuesday, March 9
F1: S1 winner vs. S2 winner (ESPNU) | 1 p.m.
 
All quarterfinal and semifinal games are being televised on MidoSN and streamed on the new Midco Sports Plus digital app and ESPN+
 
Updates, Updates, Read All About Them!

• Commissioner Tom Douple in conjunction with the Sioux Falls Sports Authority announced that the 2021 Men's and Women's Summit League Basketball Tournaments will be held without fans and the games will be moved to the Sanford Pentagon and played during the originally scheduled dates of March 6-9.
• The move from the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center to the smaller, basketball-centric Sanford Pentagon was made to ensure all tournament operations, including practices, could be performed under one roof. The Pentagon has already hosted several successful collegiate basketball tournaments during these challenging times.

Where to Watch the #SummitWBB Championships

• 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 12th 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 13th straight year.

Things to Watch

• South Dakota State's Myah Selland and South Dakota's Hannah Sjerven were named semifinalists for the 2020-21 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award presented by Her Hoop Stats as well as TheAthletic's Mid-Major Player of the Year candidates.
• After suffering a season-ending injury last season, Player of the Year Selland has made her redshirt junior campaign known this season. She is averaging 19.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg and 3.8 apg and has helped pace the Jackrabbits to an undefeated league season.
• Defensive Player of the Year Sjerven is averaging 17.2 ppg, 10.0 rpg and 2.5 bpg headed into the league tournament.
• South Dakota State's head coach Aaron Johnston is one of 15 head coaches to be named to the 2021 Werner Ladder Naismith Women's Coach of the Year Late Season Watch List. The Jackrabbits are currently ranked No. 21 in the AP Poll and No. 22 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Johnston has guided the Jackrabbits to a 21-2 overall record this season and leads the league with a perfect 14-0 mark.

Records

• South Dakota now owns the league record for most consecutive Summit League home wins after capturing its 31st-straight win at home Sunday over North Dakota State.
• Western Illinois had set the record with 30 consecutive home league wins from the 2001-02 season through the 2005-06 season.

Top 25 National Rankings

• South Dakota State is now ranked No. 21 in the Associated Press Poll and has moved up to No. 22 in the USA Today Coaches poll. The Jackrabbits were receiving votes for six consecutive weeks in the USA Today poll before moving back into the rankings. It is the sixth straight week ranked in the AP poll.
• The league continues to have South Dakota State and South Dakota in the CollegeInsider.com Women's Mid-Major Top 25 Poll. The Jacks moved up to No. 1 with the Coyotes sitting at No. 5. North Dakota State is receiving votes and has been for the last six weeks.

National Numbers

• South Dakota State and Denver both rank in the top 10 in two statistical categories. South Dakota State ranks eighth in free throw attempts (504) and sixth in free throws made (368) while Denver sits ninth in three-point field goals attempted (606) and 10th in three-point field goals made (202).

#BeatType1

• The 2020-21 Summit League basketball season marked the third consecutive that the league's nine men's and women's programs brought awareness to type 1 diabetes. All 18 programs once again designated a league game to team up with Sanford Health and bring awareness to the disease that more than 1.25 million Americans are currently battling.
• The #BeatType1 initiative is a collaborative effort between the league's nine-member institutions and Sanford Health and administrators from each institution have toured the Sanford Health facilities during visits to Sioux Falls in the past and recorded public service announcements once again that will air at each of their respective institutions during these awareness games.
• In total, there were 10 dates set aside by league members that ranged from Jan. 2 to Feb. 28.

#BeatType1 Games

Date	Host	Opponents
1/3	Omaha	Oral Roberts
1/8	South Dakota State	Western Illinois
1/8	Kansas City	South Dakota
1/23	North Dakota State	Denver
1/23	Western Illinois	South Dakota
1/29	South Dakota	Omaha (MBB)
1/30	North Dakota	Western Illinois (WBB)
2/12	North Dakota	South Dakota (MBB)
2/26	Denver	Omaha
2/28	Oral Roberts	Western Illinois (MBB)

 
#SummitFoodFight

• The 13th annual #SummitFoodFight Challenge begins this month throughout the academic year. The friendly competition between league schools focuses on supporting local organizations in the fight against hunger and food insecurity through the donation of non-perishable food items. In the program's 12 completed years, over 972,000 lbs. of food has been collected.
• The event, which marks the 13th year of its kind, is an extension of the nine-year league-wide drive. At the end of the Food Fight schedule, the school that raises the most amount of food, measured in pounds, is deemed the winner and awarded The Summit League Food Fight trophy.

TEAM TRACKER
NOTING THE PIONEERS

• First-year head coach Doshia Woods and the Pioneers ended the regular season with a 5-9 league record and are headed into the tournament as the No. 6 seed.
• The Pioneers will take on third-seeded North Dakota State in the second quarterfinal at 2:45 p.m. CT. It will be the only rematch from the 2020 quarterfinals. The seeds were reversed a year ago and NDSU pulled off the upset in the opening round.
• Denver has advanced to the Summit League tournament all eight years since entering the league, including this season, and holds a 2-7 all-time record in the league tournament.
• Denver is paced by the fifth and sixth-best scorers in the league in honorable mention honoree Meghan Boyd and second-team member Uju Ezeudu as both are averaging 15.2 ppg.
• Ezeudu is also the eighth-best rebounder in the league as she enters the championship averaging 6.4 rpg.
• Denver as a team is the second-best offensive scoring team in the league averaging 72.0 ppg.

NOTING THE ROOS

• Kansas City notched a 7-8 league record after suffering a series loss to No. 22/24 South Dakota State. The Roos will match up with fifth-seeded Western Illinois in the third quarterfinal at 11:45 a.m. CT.
• Kansas City and Western Illinois split their regular-season series in Macomb, Ill. on Jan. 15-16.
• It will be the eighth-straight berth to a postseason league tournament as the Roos have made it to seven-consecutive WAC tournaments before rejoining the Summit League.
• First team honoree Naomie Alnatas guides the Roos headed into the tournament averaging 15.7 ppg, 2.0 apg and 1.5 spg. Her 15.7 ppg ranks fourth overall in the league.
• Sixth Woman of the Year Ravon Nero and Paige Bradford join Alnatas in the efforts. Nero is averaging 11.2 ppg and 2.0 apg while Bradford is chipping in an average of 10.4 ppg as well as 6 rpg.
• Kansas City holds the second-best three-point field goal percentage in the league with 35.6 percent (187-for-525) from behind the arc.

NOTING THE FIGHTING HAWKS

• The Fighting Hawks finished the season with a 2-19 overall record and 2-13 in league play after dropping the series to Omaha 73-61 and 75-72.
• The series finale ended the Fighting Hawks season for the 2020-21 season.
• Julia Fleecs paced the Fighting Hawks throughout the season as the tenth-best scorer in the league averaging 13.3 ppg and 7.8 rpg.
• Her efforts during her senior campaign earned her a spot on the Honorable Mention All-Summit League team. It was the second-consecutive all-league honor for Fleecs.

NOTING THE BISON

• North Dakota State finished the regular season with a 9-7 league record after dropping the series to South Dakota.
• The Bison claimed the No. 3 seed under the guidance of second-year head coach Jory Collins and will take on sixth-seeded Denver in Sunday's second quarterfinal at 2:45 p.m CT.
• The No. 3 seed is the highest seed the Bison have been since being the number three seed in 2009.
• The NDSU squad has the best 3-point field goal percentage in the league coming into the tournament at 37.9 percent (164-for-433). They also have the third-best field goal percentage (42.6 percent).
• NDSU has three Bison pacing the team averaging double-digit scoring. Newcomer of the Year Heaven Hamling is averaging 13.2 ppg and 2.8 apg while all-league honorable mention honoree Ryan Cobbins averages 10.7 ppg and 6.3 rpg.
• Honorable mention recipient Emily Dietz has also been able to contribute 10.5 ppg along with 6.4 rpg for the Bison this season.

NOTING THE MAVERICKS

• The Mavericks finish the regular season with a 4-8 league record after splitting the series with Denver.
• Omaha secured the No. 8 seed and is making its second consecutive appearance as the eighth seed. The Mavericks will meet regular-season champs No. 1 South Dakota State for the first quarterfinal game on Saturday at 11:45 a.m. CT.
• Claire Killian and Josie Filer have led the Mavericks this season each averaging 11.6 ppg and 10.3 ppg, respectively.
• Filer has been averaging 5.4 rpg this season while Sarah Schmitt is dishing out 3.1 apg.
• The Mavericks have the fifth-best field goal percentage heading into the tournament with 40.6 percent and the fifth-best rebounding defense averaging 36.4 rpg.

NOTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES

• Oral Roberts held a 4-8 league record on the season. The Golden Eagles' last games were on Feb. 20 and Feb. 21 at South Dakota because their series against Western Illinois was cancelled due to following the league's COVID-19 protocols.
• Oral Roberts secured the No. 7 seed at the tournament and will face No. 2 seed and reigning tournament champion South Dakota on Saturday in the second quarterfinal at 2:45 p.m. CT.
• The Golden Eagles are the third-best offensive rebounding team in the league notching 214 throughout the season and averaging 10.7 rpg.
• Oral Roberts has two Golden Eagles averaging double-digit scoring efforts. All-League second-teamer Keni Jo Lippe is the eighth-best scorer in the league averaging 14.5 ppg while Freshman of the Year Tierney Coleman has averaged 12.0 ppg.
• Defensively, Regan Schumacher ranks third in the league in rebounding averaging 8.0 rpg on the season while Lippe is pulling down an average of 5.2 rpg.

NOTING THE COYOTES

• South Dakota finished the regular season with a 12-2 league record and enters the tournament with an overall record of 16-5.
• The reigning tournament champs clinched the No. 2 seed at the tournament and will play in Saturday's second quarterfinal at 2:45 p.m. CT. They will meet No. 7 seeded Oral Roberts.
• South Dakota has three of the league's top 10 scorers entering the tournament. Defensive Player of the Year Hannah Sjerven is leading the efforts averaging 17.2 ppg, 10.0 rpg and 2.5 bpg. First team member Chloe Lamb has been able to chip in an average of 15.8 ppg and 2.1 apg while All-League second-teamer Liv Korngable contributes 14.5 ppg.
• The Coyotes lead the league in scoring averaging 74.9 ppg as well as being the most efficient in the field with a 44.4 percent field goal percentage.
• On the defensive end, South Dakota is the second-best offensive and defensive rebounding team in the league averaging 11.5 offensive rpg and 27.3 defensive rpg. The Coyotes also lead the league in blocked shots (3.95 bpg) and steals (7.90 spg).

NOTING THE JACKRABBITS

• Under the guidance of Coach of the Year Aaron Johnston, the Jackrabbits finished with a 14-0 league record becoming the fourth team in league history to accomplish the feat.
• The regular-season champs claimed the No. 1 seed for the sixth time in program history and will be making a run for their 10th tournament title in the last 13 years.
• The Jackrabbits begin their quest for the tournament trophy on Saturday at 11:45 a.m. CT when they match up with No. 8 seed Omaha.
• Player of the Year Myah Selland paced the Jackrabbits this year averaging 19.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg and

• 3.8 apg while first-team honoree Tylee Irwin joined in the effort with 13.4 ppg. All-League first-teamer Paiton Burckhard contributed 13.0 ppg and 5.5 rpg.
• In the league, South Dakota State is the second-most efficient in the field averaging 43.7 percent and leads the league in assists (14.39 apg).
• The Jacks rank third in the league in rebounding offense and defense bringing in 36.7 rpg on the offensive end and 34.0 rpg defensively.

NOTING THE LEATHERNECKS

• The Leathernecks finished the regular season with a 6-8 record on the season. The Leatherneck's last matchups were on Feb. 12 and Feb. 13 against Denver because the series against Oral Roberts was cancelled due to following the league's COVID-19 protocols.
• Western Illinois held a tiebreaker over Denver thanks to a regular-season sweep over the Pioneers to clinch the No. 5 seed in the tournament. The Leathernecks will match up against No. 4 Kansas City in Sunday's quarterfinal session at 11:45 a.m CT.
• All-League second-teamer Grace Gilmore has led the Leathernecks this season averaging 13.3 ppg and 3.7 apg.
• Honorable mention honoree Evan Zars and Danni Nichols have helped Gilmore in the efforts this season averaging 11.3 and 11.7 ppg respectively.
• In addition to her 11.3 ppg, Zar is also averaging 8.9 rpg and 1.5 bpg.