The last nine Summit League basketball tournaments have been won by either North Dakota State or South Dakota State. North Dakota State is in the midst of a three peat, with a win this season. Can South Dakota State put a end to this winning streak and reclaim the title and get back to the NCAA Tournament? Let’s take a look at the Summit League Tournament bracket and schedule, then preview what we can expect to see.
Summit League Basketball Standings
| Team | Conference Record | Overall Record | Tournament Outlook |
| South Dakota State | 9-3 | 15-6 | 1 Seed |
| South Dakota | 11-4 | 13-10 | 2 Seed |
| North Dakota State | 11-5 | 13-11 | 3 Seed |
| Oral Roberts | 10-5 | 13-10 | 4 Seed |
| North Dakota | 8-8 | 9-16 | 5 Seed |
| Kansas City | 7-7 | 11-12 | 6 Seed |
| Western Illinois | 5-9 | 7-14 | 7 Seed |
| Omaha | 3-11 | 5-19 | 8 Seed |
| Denver | 1-13 | 2-19 | N/A |
Summit League Basketball Schedule
Dates: March 6-9
TV: MidCo Sports, ESPN+, ESPN2
Location: The Sanford Pentagon, Sioux Falls, SD
Byes: N/A
Most Recent Champion: North Dakota State
Summit League Basketball Tournament Bracket
Quarterfinals
- (1) South Dakota State 84 vs. (8) Omaha 71
- (2) South Dakota 86 vs. (7) Western Illinois 69
- (4) Oral Roberts 76 vs. (5) North Dakota 65
- (3) North Dakota State 69 vs. (6) Kansas City 65
Semifinals
- (1) South Dakota State 90 vs. (4) Oral Roberts 88
- (2) South Dakota vs. (3) North Dakota State
Championship
- (3) North Dakota State 72 vs. (4) Oral Roberts 75
Oral Roberts advances to the NCAA Tournament
Summit League Basketball Breakdown
South Dakota State won its fourth straight Summit League regular season title, as North Dakota State beat South Dakota. That equals seven regular season titles out of nine years for the Jackrabbits. South Dakota State opens the tournament against Omaha. These schools did not play each other in the regular season due to a COVID-19 cancellation. That early cancellation could be pivotal in an upset. The Jackrabbits feature Douglas Wilson, who won Summit League player of the year last season. The Jackrabbits sit at 28th in the country in points scored, averaging just under 80 a game.
A team who can play spoiler in the conference tournament is Kansas City. KC has wins over North Dakota, North Dakota State and Oral Roberts. The Kangaroos have the highest net rating the conference at +12.1. They only give up 62.3 points a game, good for 17th in the country. Kansas City also shoots 50% on two-point shots, ranking them seventh in the country.
The Summit League preseason poll was okay. The biggest overachiever in relation to the preseason rankings was South Dakota who was ranked fifth and finished second. The biggest underachiever in relation to the preseason rankings was Omaha who was ranked fourth and finished eighth.
