FARMINGTON, Utah (Dec. 19, 2023) – With the inaugural Big Sky–Summit Challenge
just a few weeks away, the two conferences revealed the scoring system that will be used to determine the first champion of the competition and unveiled the trophy that will be given to the winner.
The two leagues will be playing for a combined trophy, taking both men’s and women’s results into consideration equally from 36 total games.
Victories in the challenge will be weighted differently based on whether they occur at home or on the road. Teams will be awarded one (1) point for a victory on their home floor, while if a road team emerges with a win, it will be awarded one and one-half (1.5) points for the result.
The conference with the most total points combined between men’s and women’s results will be declared the winner.
If there is a tie in points following the conclusion of all contests, the first tiebreaker will be total margin of victory. If there is still a tie following the calculation of margin of victory, the two commissioners will compete in an arm-wrestling contest at the Final Four to determine the champion.
The winning league will display the championship trophy at its office for the following year until the challenge commences for the 2024-25 season, when it will be put up for grabs once again.
Big Sky Conference home games will be available to stream on ESPN+, while Summit League home games will be available on the Summit League Network (SummitLeagueNetwork.TV).
The 2024 Big Sky Conference Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships will take place inside Idaho Central Arena from March 9-13 in Boise, Idaho.
Follow the Big Sky Conference (@BigSkyConf) on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok for all the latest news around the league and use the hashtag #ExperienceElevated.
About The Big Sky Conference
Founded in 1963, the Big Sky Conference is a NCAA Division I conference competing in the Football Championship Subdivision. With nearly 150 teams representing 12 institutions in 16 sports (seven men’s, nine women’s), the Big Sky prides itself on its “#ExperienceElevated” platform that emphasizes the unique traits and lifelong benefits that the conference and its member institutions provide to around 3,300 student-athletes each year.
The conference has 10 full members (Eastern Washington University; the University of Idaho; Idaho State University; the University of Montana; Montana State University; Northern Arizona University; the University of Northern Colorado; Portland State University; California State University, Sacramento; and Weber State University) located in eight states across the western United States, plus two football affiliate members (California Polytechnic State University and the University of California, Davis). Conference members have won 13 NCAA championships, including seven in football by five different members as well as six of the last seven Division I men’s cross country titles by NAU.
For more information, visit BigSkyConf.com and the Big Sky’s accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
About the Summit League
Headquartered in Sioux Falls, S.D., The Summit League is embarking on its 42
nd year at the NCAA Division I level and offers 19 championship sports. The League’s nine institutions have a combined enrollment of nearly 100,000 and include five located in top 60 U.S. metropolitan populations and two land-grant universities. Full-time member institutions are the University of Denver, University of Missouri-Kansas City, University of North Dakota, North Dakota State University, University of Nebraska Omaha, Oral Roberts University, University of St. Thomas, University of South Dakota, and South Dakota State University.
2023-24 Big Sky – Summit Challenge Matchups
Eastern Washington Men
Home: North Dakota State (Jan. 6)
Away: South Dakota (Jan. 3)
Eastern Washington Women
Home: Omaha (Jan. 3)
Away: North Dakota (Jan. 6)
Idaho Men
Home: St. Thomas (Jan. 3)
Idaho Women
Away: Denver (Jan. 3)
Idaho State Men
Home: Omaha (Jan. 6)
Away: Denver (Jan. 3)
Idaho State Women
Home: North Dakota (Jan. 3)
Away: South Dakota (Jan. 6)
Montana Men
Home: South Dakota (Jan. 6)
Away: North Dakota State (Jan. 3)
Montana Women
Home: South Dakota (Jan. 3)
Away: Omaha (Jan. 6)
Montana State Men
Home: Oral Roberts (Jan. 3)
Away: South Dakota State (Jan. 6)
Montana State Women
Home: North Dakota State (Jan. 3)
Away: South Dakota State (Jan. 6)
Northern Arizona Men
Home: North Dakota (Jan. 6)
Away: Omaha (Jan. 3)
Northern Arizona Women
Home: South Dakota State (Jan. 3)
Away: North Dakota State (Jan. 6)
Northern Colorado Men
Home: Denver (Jan. 6)
Away: North Dakota (Jan. 3)
Northern Colorado Women
Home: Denver (Jan. 6)
Away: Oral Roberts (Jan. 3)
Portland State Men
Away: Kansas City (Jan. 6)
Portland State Women
Home: St. Thomas (Jan. 6)
Away: Kansas City (Jan. 3)
Sacramento State Men
Home: Kansas City (Jan. 3)
Away: St. Thomas (Jan. 6)
Sacramento State Women
Home: Oral Roberts (Jan. 6)
Away: St. Thomas (Jan. 3)
Weber State Men
Home: South Dakota State (Jan. 3)
Away: Oral Roberts (Jan. 6)
Weber State Women
Home: Kansas City (Jan. 6)