The Summit League Basketball Championships will remain in Sioux Falls through the year 2022. Both the league and the Sioux Falls Sports Authority have decided to exercise their five year option (2018-2022) in the current contract, which ensures the division one basketball tournament will remain in Sioux Falls for an extended period of time.
Since 2009, Sioux Falls has hosted the Summit League Basketball Championships, and as league Commissioner Tom Douple said, Sioux Falls has become its home.
“It is truly remarkable to continually see the bar raised and have attendance records broken each year. This tournament is synonymous with Sioux Falls thanks to the support of our fans, many of whom plan their calendars around the event," said Douple. "The Summit League Basketball Tournament has been a tremendous success story and the league is excited about furthering the long-term growth of this premier event.”
A new era began for the Summit League Basketball Championships last year when it moved to the newly constructed Denny Sanford PREMIER Center, which is right next door to the older Sioux Falls Arena.
Last year, eleven attendance records for men's and women's basketball were set, including 10,153 fans at the men's semi-final session alone (SDSU vs USD being a big reason for it). The women's tournament also had success by having the top single-session attendance totals in the nation (quarterfinal round), and the second best championship game attendance totals.
The 2016 Summit League Basketball Championships will take place on March 5-8. For more information, click here.
