University of Northern Colorado Athletics
UNC and South Dakota State Announce Rapid City Game
3/29/2024 6:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball
RAPID CITY, S.D. – Northern Colorado and South Dakota State are set to clash in a non-conference matchup next season, the Rapid City Sports Commission announced on Wednesday.
The Monument will host the matchup in the Summit Arena Thursday, Nov. 14.
"We are excited to be playing a great South Dakota State program in a unique, neutral game such as this in November of 2024," head coach Steve Smiley said. "Coach Henderson and I talked a lot about making this game happen, and it made a ton of sense. Being able to play in neutral site games against great opponents replicates what we will experience in the Big Sky Tournament in Boise, Idaho, so to get a chance to compete against the Jackrabbits in Rapid City, SD in early November was a no-brainer for us!"
UNC finished second in the Big Sky Conference during the 2023-24 campaign, while the Jackrabbits won both the Summit League regular season and tournament championships.
South Dakota State sits 400 miles east of Rapid City in Brookings, while Greeley is approximately 350 miles south of the Black Hills region, which places Rapid City as a geographical midpoint between the two campuses.
The game rejuvenates a series rooted in the North Central Conference days when both sides competed as league foes. With both sides transitioning to the Division I level in the mid-2000s, the teams last met on the hardwood in 2005, two years after the annual conference series concluded.
UNC last played in the Black Hills region in 1973 against Black Hills State, while the Jackrabbits competed against South Dakota Mines in 1999.
ABOUT THE MONUMENT
The Monument is the entertainment mecca for the Black Hills Region, serving South Dakota, Southwest North Dakota, Northwest Nebraska, and Eastern Wyoming. Home to many large annual events, including the Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo & Rodeo Rapid City, Lakota Nation Invitational, South Dakota High School Activities Association Tournaments, Black Hills Powwow, and the Rapid City Rush of the East Coast Hockey League.
The campus includes multiple performance spaces, Summit Arena, Barnett Fieldhouse, Ice Arena and the Fine Arts Theatre. In addition, you will find two large convention/exhibit halls, and numerous other meeting rooms all under one roof.
ABOUT SUMMIT ARENA
Opening in the Fall of 2021, the $130 Million Arena is the most recent addition to The Monument. This modern multi-purpose venue includes a large arena floor, expansive rigging grid, end-stage concert seating for over 10,000, a large loading dock and premium offerings not found anywhere else in the state.
The Monument will host the matchup in the Summit Arena Thursday, Nov. 14.
"We are excited to be playing a great South Dakota State program in a unique, neutral game such as this in November of 2024," head coach Steve Smiley said. "Coach Henderson and I talked a lot about making this game happen, and it made a ton of sense. Being able to play in neutral site games against great opponents replicates what we will experience in the Big Sky Tournament in Boise, Idaho, so to get a chance to compete against the Jackrabbits in Rapid City, SD in early November was a no-brainer for us!"
UNC finished second in the Big Sky Conference during the 2023-24 campaign, while the Jackrabbits won both the Summit League regular season and tournament championships.
South Dakota State sits 400 miles east of Rapid City in Brookings, while Greeley is approximately 350 miles south of the Black Hills region, which places Rapid City as a geographical midpoint between the two campuses.
The game rejuvenates a series rooted in the North Central Conference days when both sides competed as league foes. With both sides transitioning to the Division I level in the mid-2000s, the teams last met on the hardwood in 2005, two years after the annual conference series concluded.
UNC last played in the Black Hills region in 1973 against Black Hills State, while the Jackrabbits competed against South Dakota Mines in 1999.
ABOUT THE MONUMENT
The Monument is the entertainment mecca for the Black Hills Region, serving South Dakota, Southwest North Dakota, Northwest Nebraska, and Eastern Wyoming. Home to many large annual events, including the Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo & Rodeo Rapid City, Lakota Nation Invitational, South Dakota High School Activities Association Tournaments, Black Hills Powwow, and the Rapid City Rush of the East Coast Hockey League.
The campus includes multiple performance spaces, Summit Arena, Barnett Fieldhouse, Ice Arena and the Fine Arts Theatre. In addition, you will find two large convention/exhibit halls, and numerous other meeting rooms all under one roof.
ABOUT SUMMIT ARENA
Opening in the Fall of 2021, the $130 Million Arena is the most recent addition to The Monument. This modern multi-purpose venue includes a large arena floor, expansive rigging grid, end-stage concert seating for over 10,000, a large loading dock and premium offerings not found anywhere else in the state.
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