South Dakota arena to host 8-team Thanksgiving week tourney

Updated Oct. 14, 2020 1:32 p.m. ET

Associated Press

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Four teams that finished last season in The Associated Press Top 25 make up half the field for a three-day tournament Thanksgiving week in South Dakota's largest city.

The event will be held Nov. 25-27 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, organizers of the inaugural Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic announced Wednesday.

The field includes: Dayton, which was No. 3 in the final poll; Creighton, No. 7; Ohio State, No. 19; and West Virginia, No. 24.

The eight teams have combined for 70 Sweet Sixteen appearances and 20 trips to the Final Four.

First-round games include: West Virginia vs. Texas A&M; Ohio State vs. Memphis; Creighton vs. Utah; and Dayton vs. Wichita State.

Members of team traveling parties will be tested regularly for COVID-19 once they arrive in Sioux Falls, and all will remain in a controlled environment.

Dr. Jeremy Cauwels, senior vice president of quality at Sioux Falls-based Sanford Health, is a member of the NCAA COVID-19 Medical Advisory Group.

“We aim to provide the blueprint for safely returning to competition for college sports as we navigate COVID-19’s presence in our lives,” Cauwels said. “We want student-athletes to be able to play the sports they love, but we want them and everyone else around them to be in a safe environment.”

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