SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – For the 16^th straight year, the city of Sioux Falls will serve as the host for the Summit League Women’s and Men’s Basketball Championships and the event continues to morph into one of the top combined collegiate tournaments across the country.

Here are a five things fans can expect in and around the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center as that venues takes its ninth turn showcasing the League’s 18 combined women’s and men’s basketball programs.

First and Foremost: Fantastic Basketball
The South Dakota State women and men both won regular season titles and did so in very different ways in 2024.

The Jackrabbit women are currently enjoying one of the most historic runs in regular season play that any conference has seen. SDSU has won 47 straight games against Summit League foes in the regular season that started on Jan. 13, 2021 with a 72-49 win at Omaha. The streak is tied for the 10^th longest by any Division I team in conference play. With a 16-0 record this season, the Jacks became the first Summit League team to run the table in back-to-back seasons after the 2023 squad went 18-0.

While SDSU dominated from start to finish, North Dakota State and Oral Roberts were turning in impressive seasons of their own. The Bison clinched the No. 2 seed for the second consecutive season, finishing 13-3 in League play behind the dynamic duo of Heaven Hamling and Elle Evans.

The Golden Eagles, meanwhile, posted a 20-win season for the first time since the 2011-12 season under the direction of second-year head coach Kelsi Musick. ORU was the only team on the women’s or men’s side to have five players averaging in double figures.

The Jackrabbit men emerged from one of the wildest and most even Summit League regular seasons in quite a while, especially considering the last two regular season champs on the men’s side both went unblemished. SDSU won two road games in the final week of the season to finish 12-4 and win at least a share of their ninth regular season title in the last 11 seasons.

The four losses were the most by a regular season men’s champion since the 2016-17 season when South Dakota also finished with a 12-4 record.

To put things in perspective, all nine League teams had at least one loss after the first two weeks of conference play. North Dakota actually had three losses after the first two weeks, but only picked up three more total over the following nine weeks to finish as the most-improved team on the men’s side, finishing in a tie for second place with Kansas City at 10-6.

The Roos, who won six straight close out the regular season, and Fighting Hawks were both slotted in the play-in games at last year’s tournament, claiming the No. 7 and No. 9 seeds, respectively.

It's also worth mentioning that the nation’s leading scorer will also be in Sioux Falls for the festivities. That distinction belongs to Denver’s Tommy Bruner, who is scoring at a 24.5 ppg clip and has 10 games of 30-plus points. He is also the only Division I player to score 40-plus twice in a game this season.

Second: Sounds that Sizzle
Those energetic pep bands will be back to fill the PREMIER Center with a great atmosphere, but this year they will not be alone. DJ services provided by Pinnacle Productions along with live music in the convention center have been added to the lineup to keep things humming throughout the day.

The live music in the convention center will take place on Saturday and Sunday, featuring the following acts:
Too Drunk To Fish – 11-12:30 p.m. on Saturday
Kobe Jordan – 4:30-6 p.m. on Saturday
Elisabeth Huntstad – 11-12:30 p.m. and 4:30-6 pm. on Sunday

Third: Contests, Promos and Games Galore
Basketball games will not be the only things being won inside the PREMIER Center as a number of in-game promotions will provide opportunity for fans to win great prize packages and tickets to future tournaments.

Among the sponsors that will be doling out cool stuff will be Brookings Auto Mall, Fazoli's, Fox Print, Scheels and theSouth Dakota Lottery.

For more information on these great promotions, visit: thesummitleague.org/contests and
thesummitleague.org/promos.

And, it’s not too late to get tickets for this year’s tournaments either and there are tremendous promotions available once again, including the Buffalo Wild Wings Family 4-Pack, the Summit Deck Experience Presented By Mr. & Mrs. T and much more.

Fans can learn more about those promotions and how to purchase tickets at thesummitleague.org/tickets.

Also don't forget the PREMIER Center has a bag policy, which you can learn more about here.

Fourth: Content, Content, Content and More Content
If you cannot be at the PREMIER Center or have to a miss a game or two, the Summit League and its partners have you covered.

All 16 games of the women’s and men’s tournaments will be broadcast linearly by Midco Sports and CBS Sports Network. Midco Sports will televise the women’s and men’s first round games and all eight women’s and men’s quarterfinals along with the men’s semifinals. Each of those contests will also be streamed on the Summit League Network powered by the Midco Sports Plus app.

CBSSN will televise the women’s semifinals and both title games with streaming available of those contests. CBSSN is widely available through all major cable, satellite, and telco distributors as well as via OTT streaming service providers YouTube TV, fuboTV, DirecTV and Hulu. Additionally, a live CBS Sports Network stream is available through cbssports.com and the CBS Sports App by authenticating with all major providers.

Mud Mile Productions has a beat on the game highlights and will deliver quick-hitting recaps shortly after the games conclude on the Summit League’s social media platforms. The Summit League staff will provide recaps, Summit standout interviews, photo galleries courtesy of Inertia Sports Media, and plenty of fan engagement pieces throughout the tournament on their social media platforms to make sure nothing is missed.

Be sure to follow The Summit League on X (@TheSummitLeague; @SummitHoops), Instagram (@TheSummitLeague) and Facebook (Facebook.com/TheSummitLeague) to stay up-to-date on the all the happenings and visit the one-stop shop for all your tournament information at the Women’s and Men’s Basketball Championship Central web pages.

Fifth, Downtown Sioux Falls Delivers
Unfortunately, basketball games do not last all day but that does not mean the fun has to stop. If you’re looking for something to do when the balls are not bouncing, the community of Sioux Falls is packed with all kinds of opportunities.

Locals and visitors can check out the city's website at Experience Sioux Falls to see what’s happening.

One of those events with a basketball theme is the 8^th Annual Downtown Mash Madness presented by Bluepeak taking place throughout the entire month of March. For more details on the event with the DTSF website.

Falls Park is always a great option and many of the players chasing trophies this weekend were able to experience that first hand back in October when the season kicked off with the League's Annual Media Day.  Here's a photo gallery of the players enjoying one of the most visited spots within the city limits.

#MARCH2THESUMMIT