SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Summit League) – South Dakota State captured the outright regular-season title and will be the No. 1 seed for the sixth time in program history at The Summit League Women’s Basketball Championship. The Jackrabbits will be making a run for their 10th tournament title in the last 13 years.
The regular-season champs begin their quest at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Saturday, March 6 against No. 8 seed Omaha at 11:45 a.m. CT. The Mavericks (5-12, 4-8 SL) are making their second consecutive appearance as the eighth seed.
The Jackrabbits (21-2, 14-0 SL) clinched the title outright on Friday thanks to their 73-53 victory over Kansas City (10-11, 7-8), who will be the No. 4 seed in their first tournament since returning to the league. SDSU finished off a perfect regular season Saturday with a 72-66 win over the Roos and will take an 18-game winning streak into the tournament.
The league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament will be determined in the championship game Tuesday, March 9.
No. 2 seed and reigning tournament champion South Dakota (16-5, 12-2 SL) will play in Saturday’s second quarterfinal at 2:45 p.m. CT and take on No. 7 seed Oral Roberts (6-14, 4-8 SL). The Coyotes, who swept the Golden Eagles in the regular season, bring a six-game winning streak into Sioux Falls after sweeping North Dakota State this past weekend in Vermillion.
The Bison (14-8, 9-7 SL) claimed the No. 3 seed under the guidance of second-year head coach Jory Collins and will take on sixth-seeded Denver (8-14, 6-8 SL) in Sunday’s second quarterfinal at 2:45 p.m. CT. This is the only rematch from the 2020 quarterfinals. The seeds were reversed a year ago and NDSU pulled off the upset in the opening round.
The Pioneers arrive in Sioux Falls after a weekend split with Omaha. DU and NDSU split their two games played in Fargo during the regular season.
Sunday’s quarterfinal session begins with the Roos facing No. 5 seed Western Illinois (7-15, 6-8 SL) at 11:45 a.m. CT. The Fighting Leathernecks held a tiebreaker over Denver thanks to a regular-season sweep of the Pioneers. Kansas City and Western Illinois split their regular-season series in Macomb Jan. 15-16.
Monday’s semifinals begin with the winner of the South Dakota State/Omaha matchup facing the winner of the Kansas City/Western Illinois clash at Noon CT and will be followed up by the winners of the South Dakota/Oral Roberts game and the North Dakota State/Denver game at 2:45 p.m. CT. All four quarterfinals and both semifinals will be televised on MidcosSN and streamed on Midco Sports Plus and ESPN+.
Tuesday’s championships game is set for 1 p.m. CT and will be televised live on ESPNU and available on WatchESPN.com or the ESPN app.
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.
*Courtesy Associated Press
