The 2012 Summit League conference tournament gets underway on Saturday, March 3, and the pressure will be on since there are not likely to be any at-large NCAA tournament berths given to Summit League teams. Oral Roberts and South Dakota State, the one-seed and two-seed, respectively, are the only Summit League teams in the top 100 of the latest RPI. Oral Roberts could potentially receive at-large consideration, but for everyone else, it's probably win the tournament or bust.
Western Illinois finished a respectable 9-9 in league play, which earned it the No. 4 seed. The Leathernecks will open up the tournament against No. 5 seed North Dakota State on Sunday, March 4 at 6:00 p.m. CT. The game will be televised by Fox College Sports and Midco Sports Net. The winner of that game most likely gets Oral Roberts in the semifinals on Monday.
Additonal tournament information can be found at the conference's website.
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more from around the world of college hoops, visit SB Nation's NCAA basketball news hub. A Summit League 2012 Tournament bracket can be found here. (pdf)