South Dakota enters The Summit League Tournament as the No. 1 seed for the first time when eight teams begin play in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Saturday, March 5.
The league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament will be determined in the championship game Tuesday, March 8.
The Coyotes (21-10, 12-4 Summit League) earned their first Summit League regular season crown and seek their initial tournament title and NCAA appearance. USD, which enters the tournament riding a six-game win streak, will meet No. 8 seed Western Illinois (8-19, 5-11) Saturday, March 4 at 6 p.m. CT (Midco Sports Network / ESPN3).
No. 2 seed North Dakota State (19-10, 11-5) opens play in Saturday’s nitecap against No. 7 IUPUI (13-17, 7-9) at 8:30 p.m. CT (MidcoSN / ESPN3).
Sunday’s quarterfinals session begins with No. 4 seed and defending tournament champion South Dakota State (15-16, 8-8) against No. 5 seed Denver (16-13, 8-8). No. 3 seed Omaha (16-13, 9-7) faces No. 6 Fort Wayne (19-11, 8-8) at 8:30 p.m. (MidcoSN / ESPN3) to close out the quarterfinal round.
Monday’s semifinals begin with the winner of No. 1 vs 8 game against the winner of the No. 4 vs. 5 game at 6 p.m. followed by the winners of the 2 vs. 7 and 3 vs. 6 games at 8:30 p.m. Both semifinals air on MidcoSN with an ESPN3 simulcast.
Tuesday’s championship game is set for 8 p.m. and will be televised live on ESPN2 and available on WatchESPN.com.
