SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The madness is about to begin. The Summit League Women’s Basketball Championship tips off Friday inside the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls. The five-day event comes to a close Tuesday with the championship game set to air live on CBS Sports Network at 3:30 p.m. CT. The team hoisting the championship trophy will be the Summit League’s automatic bid to the Big Dance.
 
Taking the No. 1 seed for the fourth straight season is the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. The Jackrabbits ran the table in the regular season once again to become the first team in Summit League history to finish with back-to-back unblemished regular seasons. Top-seeded SDSU will face the winner of the No. 8 Kansas City and No. 9 Omaha matchup in Saturday’s second quarterfinal game at 3 p.m. CT.
 
The Roos and Mavericks will kick off the championship Friday at 4:30 p.m. CT.
 
The first round game and all four quarterfinals will be televised on Midco Sports and be streamed on the Summit League Network powered by the Midco Sports Plus app.
 
The semifinals and Tuesday’s championship game set for 3:30 p.m. CT will be televised live on CBS Sports Network.
 
Championship Schedule
First Round | Friday, March 8
F: No. 8  Kansas City vs. No. 9 Omaha | 4:30 p.m. CT
 
Quarterfinals | Saturday, March 9
Q1: No. 2 North Dakota State vs. No. 7 Denver | 12:30 p.m. CT
Q2: No. 1 South Dakota State vs. F winner | 3 p.m. CT
 
Quarterfinals | Sunday, March 10
Q3:  No. 4 South Dakota vs. No. 5 St. Thomas | 12:30 p.m. CT
Q4: No. 3 Oral Roberts vs. No. 6 North Dakota | 3 p.m. CT
 
Semifinals | Monday, March 11
S1: Q2 winner vs. Q3 winner | 12:30 p.m. CT
S2: Q1 winner vs. Q4 winner | 3 p.m. CT
 
Championship | Tuesday, March 12
C: S1 winner vs. S2 winner (CBS) | 3:30 p.m. CT
 
The first round game and all four quarterfinals will be televised on Midco Sports and be streamed on the Summit League Network powered by the Midco Sports Plus app.
 
The semifinals and Tuesday’s championship game set for 3:30 p.m. CT will be televised live on CBS Sports Network.

TEAM TRACKER
NO. 1 SEED
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE JACKRABBITS (24-5, 16-0 SL) | @GoJacksWBB
Next Up: vs. Winner of No. 8 Kansas City and No. 9 Omaha (3/9; 3 p.m. CT)
Previous Games: North Dakota* (W, 103-47); North Dakota State* (W, 89-74)
Championship History: 35-5 (15th appearance)
Championship Titles: 10 (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2023)
The Jackrabbits ran the table in the regular season once again to become the first team in Summit League history to finish with back-to-back unblemished regular seasons ... SDSU has won its last 47 Summit League regular season games, which matches the 10th longest regular season conference win streak in NCAA Division I history ... The back-to-back regular season champs are the No. 1 seed for the ninth time in program history and will be making a run for their 11th tournament title in the last 16 years ... As the top seed in the championship the Jackrabbits will face the winner of the No. 8 Kansas City and No. 9 Omaha matchup in Saturday’s second quarterfinal game at 3 p.m. CT ... South Dakota State has three that averaged double-figure scoring efforts throughout the regular season, led by Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year Brooklyn Meyer ... The Jackrabbit forward averaged 18.7 ppg and 7.3 rpg, while shooting 64.8 percent from the field ... Defensively, Meyer has helped the Jackrabbits become the best rebounding team in the League and the second-best blocking team as she ranked third individually on the glass and first in blocks (1.7 bpg) ... All-Summit League first team honoree Paige Meyer and honorable mention recipient Madison Mathiowetz are the other two Jacks to average double-digits during the regular season ... Paige averaged 13.7 ppg, 4.4 apg and 3.2 rpg while shooting 55.3 percent from the field ... Mathiowetz averaged 13.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg and 2.5 apg during the regular season ... South Dakota State, as a team, leads the League in 11 statistical categories.
 
NO. 2 SEED
NORTH DAKOTA STATE BISON (19-10, 13-3 SL) | @NDSUwbb
Next Up: vs. No. 7 Denver (3/9; 12:30 p.m. CT)
Previous Games: South Dakota* (W, 63-54); at South Dakota State* (L, 89-74)
Championship History: 3-14 (14th appearance)
Championship Titles: None
North Dakota State completed the regular season with a 13-3 League record and clinched the No. 2 seed for the second consecutive season ... It is tied for the highest ranking seed NDSU has received coming into the championship ... The second-seeded Bison will meet No. 7 Denver in Saturday’s first quarterfinal game of the day at 12:30 p.m. CT ... North Dakota State is led by All-Summit League first teamer Elle Evans and second team honoree Heaven Hamling ... Evans paced the Bison with 18.4 ppg, 5.1 rpg and 2.1 apg ... She is the third-best scorer in the League and holds the best three-point field goal percentage (55.3 percent) and free throw percentage (96.6 percent) among the League ... Overall, her free throw percentage of 93.7 percent ranks second in the nation and her three-point percentage of 45.6 percent ranks fourth ... Hamling contributed 16.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg and 3.1 apg during the regular season ... She’s among the League’s top ten in scoring, field goal percentage (46.2 percent), three-point field goals per game (2.0), free throw percentage (78.9 percent), assist/turnover ratio (1.6) and steals (1.8). As a team, the Bison are the most efficient behind the three-point line (42.1 percent) and have the second-best field goal percentage (48.6 percent) among the League.
 
NO. 3 SEED
ORAL ROBERTS GOLDEN EAGLES (20-9, 11-5 SL) | @ORUWBB
Next Up: vs. No. 6 North Dakota (3/10; 3 p.m. CT)
Previous Games: at Kansas City* (W, 94-56)
Championship History: 25-15 (20th appearance)
Championship Titles: 5 (1999, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008)
Under the guidance of second-year head coach Kelsie Musick, the Golden Eagles finished the regular season with an 11-5 League record and are headed into the tournament seeded third ... As the No. 3 seed, Oral Roberts will match up against No. 6 North Dakota in the second quarterfinal game on Sunday at 3 p.m. CT ... The Golden Eagles are the only team to have five players averaging double-digits in the scoring column during League play ... The charge is led by Newcomer of the Year Taleyah Jones who averaged 18.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg, and 1.7 apg during her first season in navy and gold ... Back-to-back All-Summit League first team recipient Hannah Cooper averaged 17.2 ppg to go along with 3.8 apg and 3.3 rpg ... Sixth Woman of the Year Jalei Oglesby added a consistent stat line off the bench for ORU contributing 13.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg, and 1.1 apg throughout League action ... Emily Robinson, the Freshman of the Year, averaged 11.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg and 2.9 apg during her freshman campaign ... All-Summit League second team honoree Ruthie Udoumoh rounds out the double-figure scorers for ORU ... She contributed 11.3 ppg to go along with a team-leading 9.8 rpg ... As a team, the Golden Eagles are the best offensive team (83.7 ppg) and sit atop the League in steals (10.88 spg).
 
NO. 4 SEED
SOUTH DAKOTA COYOTES (20-11, 9-7 SL) | @SDCoyotesWBB
Next Up: vs. No. 5 St. Thomas (3/10; 12:30 p.m. CT)
Previous Games: at North Dakota State* (L, 63-54); North Dakota (W, 65-54)
Championship History: 22-7 (11th appearance)
Championship Titles: 4 (2013, 2020, 2021, 2022)
South Dakota captured the No. 4 seed for the second straight year with a 9-7 League record ... The fourth-seeded Coyotes will meet No. 5 St. Thomas on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. CT ... South Dakota is led by the duo of Grace Larkins and Kendall Holmes ... All-Summit League first teamer Larkins paces the Coyotes and ranks ninth in the League in scoring with 15.6 ppg ... She also averaged 7.1 rpg, which ranks fourth in the League, and 4.0 apg ... From the charity stripe, she was 86.6 percent which is the third-best free throw shooting percentage in the League ... Holmes, who was named to the All-Summit League Newcomer team, averaged 12.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg and 2.0 apg during her first season in red and white ... The Coyotes as a whole are the best free throw shooting team (77.4 percent) and rank third in assists (14.63 apg) and three-point field goals made (7.9 pg) ... Under the hoop, the Coyotes sit second in team defensive rebounds with 25.9 rpg.
 
NO. 5 SEED
ST. THOMAS TOMMIES (15-15, 7-9 SL) | @TommieWBBall
Next Up: vs. No. 4 South Dakota (3/10; 12:30 p.m. CT)
Previous Games: at Omaha* (L, 79-62); at Denver* (W, 79-68)
Championship History: 1-1 (2nd appearance)
Championship Titles: None
With a 79-68 win over Denver to close out the regular season, the Tommies captured the No. 5 seed heading into the championship, three seeds higher than their No. 8 seed a year ago ... St. Thomas concluded the season with a Division I best 15 wins and finished with a .500 record for the first time in the DI era ... With the fifth seed, St. Thomas will meet No. 4 South Dakota during the first quarterfinal game on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. CT ... The Tommie are led by All-Summit League first teamer Jade Hill and honorable mention honoree Amber Scalia ... Scalia paces the offensive efforts for UST with a team-best 16.6 ppg while shooting 40.5 percent from the floor and dishing out 3.3 apg ... Hill contributed 13.1 ppg, 4.1 apg and 2.8 rpg during League action ... Jo Langbehn completes UST’s trio of double-figure scorers ... She averaged 12.8 ppg and pulled down a team-high 5.5 rpg ... The Tommie squad ranks second in the League in assists (14.75 apg) and steals (7.69 spg) and third in blocked shots (3.06 bpg).
 
NO. 6 SEED
NORTH DAKOTA FIGHTING HAWKS (9-20, 5-11 SL) | @UNDwbasketball
Next Up: vs. No. 3 Oral Roberts (3/10; 3 p.m. CT)
Previous Games: at South Dakota State* (L, 103-47); at South Dakota* (L, 65-54)
Championship History: 1-4 (4th appearance)
Championship Titles: None
North Dakota owns a 5-11 League record and is heading into the championship as the No. 6 seed ... The sixth-seeded Fighting Hawks will meet No. 3 Oral Roberts in the second quarterfinal game on Sunday that will tip at 3 p.m. CT ... North Dakota is led by the League’s top scorer and back-to-back All-Summit League first teamer Kacie Borowicz ... Borowicz averaged 21.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 3.6 apg and 91.8 percent from the free throw line during League action ... Overall, Borowicz heads into the championship ranked 18th nationally in field goal attempts (484), sixth in free throw percentage (91.4 percent), 17th in points per game (20.8) and 7th in triple-doubles (1) ... All-Freshman team honoree Kiera Pemberton ranks among the top three scorers for the Fighting Hawks ... She averaged 11.4 ppg and 7.0 rpg during her first year in Fighting Hawk green ... As a squad, UND is the second-best combined rebounding (37.5 rpg) and offensive rebounding (11.9 rpg) team in the League.
 
NO. 7 SEED
DENVER PIONEERS (8-21, 5-11 SL) | @DU_WHoops
Next Up: vs. No. 2 North Dakota State (3/9; 11:30 a.m. MT)
Previous Games: Kansas City* (W, 74-60); St. Thomas* (L, 79-68)
Championship History: 2-9 (10th appearances)
Championship Titles: None
Denver ended the regular season with a 5-11 League record and is coming into the championship as the No. 7 seed for the second consecutive year ... The Pioneers will take on No. 2 North Dakota State in the first quarterfinal game of the championship on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. MT/12:30 p.m. CT ... Denver is led by sophomore duo Jordan Jones and Emma Smith ... Jones, an All-Summit League second team selection, averaged a team-best 16.1 ppg, to go along with 6.8 rpg and 3.1 apg ... Smith, a two-time All-Summit League honorable mention recipient, averaged 12.6 ppg, 4.6 rp and 3.6 apg ... She sits atop the League in three-point field goals made per game (2.7) and second in three-point field goal percentage (34.1 percent) ... On the defensive end, Makayla Minett guides the Pioneers in rebounds ... During League play, she pulled down the second-most rebounds per game in the League (7.6) ... The Pioneers are the best three-point shooting team in the League averaging 8.3 per game during League action.
 
NO. 8 SEED
KANSAS CITY ROOS (12-19, 3-13 SL) | @KCRoosWBB
Next Up: vs. No. 9 Omaha (3/8; 4:30 p.m. CT)
Previous Games: Denver* (L, 74-60); Oral Roberts* (L, 94-56)
Championship History: 10-21 (21st appearance)
Championship Titles: None
Kansas City completed the regular season with a 3-13 League record and is headed into the championship as the No. 8 seed, two seeds better than last year ... As the No. 8 seed, the Roos will meet No. 9 Omaha in the first round game on Friday at 4:30 p.m. CT ... Kansas City is led by the All-Newcomer team duo of Alayna Contreras and Dominique Phillips ... Contreras averaged 11.9 ppg, 2.8 apg and 1.9 rpg during League play ... Phillips averaged 9.2 ppg, a team-best 4.8 rpg and 1.3 apg ... All-Freshman team honoree, Emani Bennett, was among KC’s top five scorers during the regular season ... She finished her freshman campaign averaging 8.1 ppg and 3.7 rpg ...  The Roos have the nation’s 10th-best bench points per game with 28.0 ppg ... They also are the best blocking team in the League, blocking an average of 4.0 bpg.
 
NO. 9 SEED
OMAHA MAVERICKS (7-22, 3-13 SL) | @OmahaWBB
Next Up: vs. No. 8 Kansas City (3/8; 4:30 p.m. CT)
Previous Games: St. Thomas* (W, 79-62)
Championship History: 6-6 (6th appearance)
Championship Titles: None
The Mavericks enter the championship as the No. 9 seed with a 3-13 League record ... As the No. 9 seed Omaha will meet No. 8 Kansas City in the first round on Friday at 4:30 p.m. CT ... All-Summit League honorable mention honoree Grace Cave led the Mavericks throughout League play averaging 14.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg and 3.8 apg ... Headed into the championship she ranks among the League’s top-10 in scoring (14.0), free throw percentage (83.3 percent), three-point field goals per game (1.8), assists (3.8), assist/turnover ratio (1.4) and steals (1.6) ... Kennedi Grant is a close second behind team-leader Cave, averaging 13.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg and 3.1 apg ... Aaliyah Stanley completes the trio of double-figure scorers for the Mavericks ... She averaged 11.3 ppg to go along with 2.9 rpg and 1.2 apg ... The Mavericks are the third-most efficient team from behind the three-point line shooting 34.2 percent while also ranking third in average steals per game (7.69).