Get to Know a College Basketball Mid-Major: Summit League

The Summit League, a midwestern-centered college basketball conference with nine teams, published a comprehensive preview of its men's and women's basketball tournaments on March 2, 2026, as fans prepare for the upcoming conference tournaments, Selection Sunday, and March Madness. The article provides detailed information about team standings, key players, and tournament format as the conference prepares to send its champion to the NCAA tournament. Founded in 1982 around the same time the NCAA became the sponsor of women's college basketball, the Summit League has undergone significant changes over the years with none of its original members remaining. Currently consisting of nine teams, the conference will shrink to eight next season when Denver joins the West Coast Conference. The tournament format guarantees all nine teams participate, with the 8- and 9-seeds playing a preliminary game to determine the final eight participants who then compete in a standard bracket. For the men's tournament, North Dakota State enters as the top seed after dominating the regular season with a 14-2 conference record, two games ahead of second-place St. Thomas. Despite their strong showing, the Bison are not invulnerable, having lost to Denver (78-71) and suffering a significant defeat to St. Thomas (84-62) in late February. The tournament begins March 4 with Oral Roberts facing Kansas City, with the winner taking on North Dakota State. The other quarterfinal matchups include St. Thomas against North Dakota, South Dakota versus Omaha, and North Dakota against Denver. The women's tournament features two standout teams in South Dakota State and North Dakota State, both with strong NET rankings that could potentially secure at-large bids to March Madness if not for the fact that they will face each other in the tournament. South Dakota State's Brooklyn Meyer leads the conference in scoring (22.1 points per game) and ranks second nationally in Player Efficiency Rating, while North Dakota State's Avery Koenen has the conference's best Offensive and Defensive Ratings. These two exceptional players have dominated the conference, setting up a potential championship showdown between the Jackrabbits and Bison.