The 2021 men’s basketball Summit League tournament will be held from March 6-9 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Due to COVID-19, the tournament was moved from its original location, the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center, to the Sanford Pentagon, where, for the first time ever, no fans will be admitted. This came to the surprise of no one, given that the regular season’s schedule has been constantly changing and played in front of a limited-capacity crowd.

“I am disappointed for our fans and the student-athletes, it’s just become such a terrific environment there at the PREMIER Center. The Summit League and the Sports Authority do a terrific job. Yet the louder message is, I get it. Not only do we get it, but we also support it. The health and safety has to be at the forefront of everything we are doing right now,” said NDSU men’s basketball coach David Richman.

Last year, The North Dakota State Bison defeated the University of North Dakota by a score of 89-53 in the Summit League championship, which earned them an automatic bid into the March Madness tournament. However, on March 12, 2020, the tournament was canceled due to COVID-19. At the moment, the Bison have an overall record of 12-10, with a conference record of 10-4, and are projected to be the number two seed in this year’s Summit League. They will look to repeat as champions once again and finally get a shot to prove themselves in the March Madness tournament.

The University Of South Dakota Coyotes have an overall record of 12-9, with a conference record of 10-3, and are currently projected to be the number one seed this year. Last year, they were eliminated in the first round after a heartbreaking, overtime loss to UND. This loss motivated senior guard Stanley Umude; the Texas native is a big reason they are where they are. Umude has stepped up big this year for the Coyotes. He is averaging 20 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists a game, while shooting 46% from the field. Umude will look to continue his dominance for the rest of the season and try to help the Coyotes win their first-ever Summit League Championship.