There is some great basketball across the country being played at the DII level and the Northern Sun Conference along with the Sanford Pentagon has delivered a great basketball event for Sioux Falls.

The atmosphere is unmatched at the Pentagon as it has delivered the perfect venue for the NSIC Tournament and created an atmosphere that other conferences are trying to rival.

Now the crown jewel of the 2016 tournament may be the crowd on Saturday Night when even Pentagon officials said they had the most fans in the building since the doors were opened at the venue.  It was electric and the first game that night turned out to be as good as the crowd with Augie advancing past USF.

It hasn't hurt that there have been some good runs from the University of Sioux Falls and Augustana University during the tournament in Sioux Falls, but it's much more than a home crowd that drives the excitement of the event.

Fans across the region flock to see their teams compete and it has driven business to the community of Sioux Falls as well.

One local business owner told me that they were packed on Saturday night and they had seen a lot of USF and Augie fans in their establishment, but also saw many other school colors being represented.

Coverage has been really solid in the region too.  All the news outlets in the Sioux Empire from TV to Print to Radio have been doing a wonderful job covering the event and with the games being presented on television on Midco Sports Network, the exposure continues to grow.

The coaches of the teams realize how great this experience has been and how good they truly have it.  Augustana head men's basketball coach Tom Billeter told us on ESPN 99.1 that "this tournament is unlike any other in DII.  A great venue and great crowds.  Really a neat experience."

Fans have echoed that sentiment and it seems with the NSIC Tournament being locked into Sioux Falls and the Sanford Pentagon for the next four years that it will only continue to grow into something even more special.

 

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