2 New Schools Added to the Summit League

The University of South Dakota (USD) and the University of Nebraska-Omaha have accepted invitations to become new members of The Summit League.

USD will begin league competition during the 2011-12 academic year and will have full eligibility for all regular season and tournament championships in 2012-13.

"Today is a great day to be a Coyote. Athletically and academically The Summit League is a perfect fit for The University of South Dakota," stated USD President James W. Abbott. "The Summit League is one of the premier athletic conferences in the nation and everyone at USD is very pleased our student-athletes will have the opportunity to compete against their counterparts in this great league."

Over the past 10 years, USD has produced 15 individual National Champions, 290 All-Americans and seven National Players of the Year. In 2007-08, USD’s women’s basketball team recorded the nation’s best GPA, 3.69, and reached the NCAA Division II championship game. USD alumnus and current assistant track and field coach Derek Miles is a two-time Olympic pole vaulter and placed fourth at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games after winning the U.S. Olympic Trials earlier that summer.

Nebraska-Omaha will begin league competition during the 2012-13 academic year. When UNO begins Summit League competition in 2012-13, they will be part of a 10-member league that includes IPFW, IUPUI, UMKC, North Dakota State University, Oakland University, Oral Roberts University, the University of South Dakota, South Dakota State University and Western Illinois University.

"All of us at the University of Nebraska at Omaha are excited by our move to The Summit League and the impending competition with its outstanding member institutions," said Trev Alberts, UNO Director of Athletics. "I would like to thank the members of our committee for their insight and diligence in determining the course of action that has brought UNO to The Summit League. Our reclassification will ensure the success of Maverick athletics for many years to come."

Oakland Golden Grizzlies Go Dancing

The Oakland University Golden Grizzlies are going back to the Big Dance in 2011 for the second year in a row after downing Oral Roberts 90-76 on Tuesday night at the Sioux Falls Arena. Oakland's offense for much of the night looked like a high tempo machine that Oral Roberts (or any Summit League team) wasn't going to stop.

The Grizzlies (25-9) have won 18 of its last 19 games and will find out what team they will play and where on Sunday when the 68-team tournament field is announced. The famed ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi, current is predicting OU as a 13 seed matching up against 4 seed Wisconsin.

Last year Oakland entered the NCAA Tournament at 26-8 and was selected as a 14th seed. They went on to lose to 3 seed Pitt, 89-66. Last year Oakland considered defense the trademark of the team. However in 2011, OU has returned with a high-powered offense that has many scoring options including NBA prospect Keith Benson, scoring guard Reggie Hamilton, 3 point specialist Travis Bader and a do-it all small forward Drew Valentine. Whichever school gets selected to play OU in the first round of the tourney should not sleep on the Grizzlies or they could find themselves going home early.

Oakland #1 Seed in Summit League Tourney

Oakland University Golden Grizzlies will be the top seed once again in the Summit League tourney this year. They will be looking for a repeat of its 2010 title and once again, punch their ticket to the Big Dance.

The Summit League will be playing its tournament in Sioux Falls for the third consecutive season. For the second straight year, all tournament games will be televised, including five men’s contests that will have a national reach via ESPN Full Court plus the title game that will air nationally on ESPN2.

Quarterfinal action will begin Saturday night, with No. 1 Oakland (22-9, 17-1) vs. No. 8 Southern Utah (11-18, 7-11) at 6 p.m.

This year OU has won both meetings against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds by scores of 81 -65 and 82-68.

Oral Roberts goes Dancing

First of all, yes Kevin, their university name is Oral Roberts (or Oral Rob as you refer to them)

*pause for reader chuckling at 7th grade humor*

The Golden Eagles of Oral Roberts (16-2), 24-8 overall claimed their third straight conference title in the now Summit League (used to be the Mid Continent Conference) with a 71-64 victory over League MVP George Hill and the IUPUI Jaguars (15-3), 26-7 overall last night. Thus earning them a spot in the Big Dance.

Oral Roberts' season included non-conference victories against Oklahoma State and Tulsa.