South Dakota enters The Summit League Women’s Basketball Championship as the top seed for the first time in school history.

Eight teams will begin play at the tournament in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Saturday, which determines The Summit League’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

South Dakota (23-6, 13-3 SL), the defending tournament champion, won its first regular season title in program history.  The Coyotes, currently receiving votes in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll, have advanced to the championship game in each of its previous two eligible seasons and will meet No. 8 Fort Wayne (9-20, 3-13) Saturday, March 7, at Noon CT (Midco Sports Network / ESPN3) in the first league tournament game held at the new Denny Sanford PREMIER Center.

The second quarterfinal pits second-seeded and five-time tournament champions South Dakota State (21-8, 12-4) against No. 7 Denver (8-22, 5-11), last season’s runner-up, at 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday, on Midco Sports Network/ESPN3. The Jackrabbits are ranked No. 21 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll.

On Sunday, March 8, quarterfinal action resumes with No. 4 Western Illinois (17-12, 9-7) facing No. 5 IUPUI (14-15, 9-7) at Noon CT, followed by No. 3 Oral Roberts (15-14, 9-7) vs. No. 6 North Dakota State (11-17, 7-9) at 2:30 p.m. CT. Both games will air live on Midco Sports Network and ESPN3.

Semifinal action begins on March 9, with the winner of the No. 1 vs. No. 8 game against the No. 4 vs. No. 5 game winner at Noon CT. That is followed by the winners of the 2 vs. 7 and 3 vs. 6 contests at 2:30 p.m. CT. Both semifinal games will be aired on Midco Sports Network and ESPN3.

The championship game is set for 1 p.m. CT on March 10, and will be broadcast live on ESPNU.

After six record-breaking seasons in Sioux Falls, the 2015 Summit League Tournament moves from the iconic Sioux Falls Arena into the new Denny Sanford PREMIER Center.