SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – With the inaugural Big Sky–Summit Challenge just a few weeks away, the two conferences revealed the scoring system that will be used to determine the first champion of the competition and unveiled the trophy that will be given to the winner.

The two leagues will be playing for a combined trophy, taking both men’s and women’s results into consideration equally from 36 total games being played on Wednesday, Jan. 3 and Saturday, Jan. 6.

Victories in the challenge will be weighted differently based on whether they occur at home or on the road. Teams will be awarded one (1) point for a victory on their home floor, while if a road team emerges with a win, it will be awarded one and one-half (1.5) points for the result.

The conference with the most total points combined between men’s and women’s results will be declared the winner. Follow the challenge by visiting the Big Sky-Summit Challenge website.

If there is a tie in points following the conclusion of all contests, the first tiebreaker will be total margin of victory. If there is still a tie following the calculation of margin of victory, the two commissioners will compete in an arm-wrestling contest at the Final Four to determine the champion.

The winning league will display the championship trophy at its office for the following year until the challenge commences for the 2024-25 season, when it will be put up for grabs once again.

Summit League home games will be available on the Summit League Network (SummitLeagueNetwork.TV), while Big Sky Conference home games will be available to stream on ESPN+.

The 2024 Summit League Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships will take place at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center from March 8-12 in Sioux Falls, S.D.

About The Big Sky Conference
Founded in 1963, the Big Sky Conference is a NCAA Division I conference competing in the Football Championship Subdivision. With nearly 150 teams representing 12 institutions in 16 sports (seven men’s, nine women’s), the Big Sky prides itself on its “#ExperienceElevated” platform that emphasizes the unique traits and lifelong benefits that the conference and its member institutions provide to around 3,300 student-athletes each year. 

The conference has 10 full members (Eastern Washington University; the University of Idaho; Idaho State University; the University of Montana; Montana State University; Northern Arizona University; the University of Northern Colorado; Portland State University; California State University, Sacramento; and Weber State University) located in eight states across the western United States, plus two football affiliate members (California Polytechnic State University and the University of California, Davis). Conference members have won 13 NCAA championships, including seven in football by five different members as well as six of the last seven Division I men’s cross country titles by NAU.

For more information, visit BigSkyConf.com and the Big Sky’s accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

About the Summit League
Headquartered in Sioux Falls, S.D., The Summit League is embarking on its 42^nd year at the NCAA Division I level and offers 19 championship sports. The League’s nine institutions have a combined enrollment of nearly 100,000 and include five located in top 60 U.S. metropolitan populations and two land-grant universities. Full-time member institutions are the University of Denver, University of Missouri-Kansas City, University of North Dakota, North Dakota State University, University of Nebraska Omaha, Oral Roberts University, University of St. Thomas, University of South Dakota, and South Dakota State University.

Follow the Summit League (@TheSummitLeague) on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for all the latest news around the league and use the hashtag #ReachTheSummit.

2023-24 Big Sky–Summit Challenge Matchups
Denver Men
Home: Idaho State (Jan. 3; DH)
Away: Northern Colorado (Jan. 6; DH)

Denver Women
Home: Idaho (Jan. 3; DH)
Away: Northern Colorado (Jan. 6; DH)

Kansas City Men
Away: Sacramento State (Jan. 3)
Home: Portland State (Jan. 6)

Kansas City Women
Home: Portland State (Jan. 3)
Away: Weber State (Jan. 6)

North Dakota Men
Home: Northern Colorado (Jan. 3)
Away: Northern Arizona (Jan. 6)

North Dakota Women
Away: Idaho State (Jan. 3)
Home: Eastern Washington (Jan. 6)

North Dakota State Men
Home: Montana (Jan. 3)
Away: Eastern Washington (Jan. 6)

North Dakota State Women
Away: Montana State (Jan. 3; DH)
Home: Northern Arizona (Jan. 6)

Omaha Men
Home: Northern Arizona (Jan. 3)
Away: Idaho State (Jan. 6)

Omaha Women
Away: Eastern Washington (Jan. 3)
Home: Montana (Jan. 6)

Oral Roberts Men
Away: Montana State (Jan. 3; DH)
Home: Weber State (Jan. 6)

Oral Roberts Women
Home: Northern Colorado (Jan. 3)
Away: Sacramento State (Jan. 6)

St. Thomas Men
Away: Idaho (Jan. 3)
Home: Sacramento State (Jan. 6)

St. Thomas Women
Home: Sacramento State (Jan. 3)
Away: Portland State (Jan. 6)

South Dakota Men
Home: Eastern Washington (Jan. 3)
Away: Montana (Jan. 6)

South Dakota Women
Away: Montana (Jan. 3)
Home: Idaho State (Jan. 6)

South Dakota State Men
Away: Weber State (Jan. 3)
Home: Montana State (Jan. 6; DH)

South Dakota State Women
Away: Northern Arizona (Jan. 3)
Home: Montana State (Jan. 6; DH)