Tulsa loses basketball tournament to S. Dakota

[sgrizzle]

http://www.thesummitleague.org/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=3900&ATCLID=944767

quote:
ELMHURST, Ill. - The Summit League will head to Sioux Falls, S.D., and the Sioux Falls Arena for its men's and women's basketball championships in 2009 and 2010 Commissioner Tom Douple announced today.

"We are very excited about having our basketball tournament in Sioux Falls," Douple said. "It will be great for the city and the region, and we anticipate tremendous support from the community. We are especially looking forward to bringing March Madness to the state of South Dakota."

The Summit League Presidents Council voted Monday to move the league's top event to the largest city in South Dakota. "We look forward to having the tournament in Sioux Falls," said Dr. Al Goldfarb, president of Western Illinois University and chair of the Presidents Council. "It will provide a very positive experience for our student-athletes."

Built in 1961, the Sioux Falls Arena is a 7,100-seat facility. It is home to the Sioux Falls Skyforce, an NBA Development League team, the Sioux Falls Storm, an arena football team in the United Indoor Football Association (UIF), and the Sioux Falls Stampede, a United States Hockey League (USHL) team and the 2007 Clark Cup champions. The arena hosted the 2007 NBA D-League Showcase and also hosts several musical and theatrical productions.

The Summit League Basketball Championships feature the top eight men's and women's teams in the conference with the winners receiving automatics bids in the NCAA Tournament. The championship games are televised nationally on the ESPN family of networks. The men's championship game has appeared on ESPN or ESPN2 each of the last 14 years, while the women's title game has appeared on ESPNU each of the last two seasons.

The Summit League is comprised of 10 member institutions - Centenary College of Louisiana, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW), Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), North Dakota State University, Oakland University, Oral Roberts University, South Dakota State University, Southern Utah University and Western Illinois University.

[cannon_fodder]

Never been to Sioux Falls.  I know Sioux City sucks (even the airport bears the FAA sign SUX).

To its credit, Sioux Falls has been BOOMING for over 100 years.  Greater than 10% growth each decade.  Impressive, for being in the middle of nowhere.  

Nonetheless, the location is certainly not a 'destination, nor centrally located for the league.  The arena is nearing its 50th birthday and there is a good chance neither team within driving distance will even make the tournament.

Too bad.

[Oil Capital]

quote:Originally posted by cannon_fodder

Never been to Sioux Falls.  I know Sioux City sucks (even the airport bears the FAA sign SUX).

To its credit, Sioux Falls has been BOOMING for over 100 years.  Greater than 10% growth each decade.  Impressive, for being in the middle of nowhere.  

Nonetheless, the location is certainly not a 'destination, nor centrally located for the league.  The arena is nearing its 50th birthday and there is a good chance neither team within driving distance will even make the tournament.

Too bad.

And yet, they beat out Tulsa?   Ouch!   Did we not offer up our "iconic" arena?

[tulsa1603]

quote:Originally posted by Oil Capital

quote:Originally posted by cannon_fodder

Never been to Sioux Falls.  I know Sioux City sucks (even the airport bears the FAA sign SUX).

To its credit, Sioux Falls has been BOOMING for over 100 years.  Greater than 10% growth each decade.  Impressive, for being in the middle of nowhere.  

Nonetheless, the location is certainly not a 'destination, nor centrally located for the league.  The arena is nearing its 50th birthday and there is a good chance neither team within driving distance will even make the tournament.

Too bad.

And yet, they beat out Tulsa?   Ouch!   Did we not offer up our "iconic" arena?

I think that our arena not being finished yet is what is keeping us from winning a lot of stuff right now.  There are no guarantees that it will be finished on time.  Well, there may be promises, but those are just made to be broken. []