Sioux Falls, S.D., had a population of 125,000 at the start of the century. That number is 165,000 today.
The only arena of note dated to 1961 and was alleged to hold 7,500. It was home to minor league basketball (Skyforce), junior hockey (Stampede) and the worst invention in the history of American sports, arena football (Storm).
The Sioux Falls Arena also was home to the Summit League basketball tournaments since 2009. The surroundings will change dramatically when the Division I conference hosts its men's and women's tournaments March 7-10.
It will be played in the Denny Sanford Premier Center, a $117 million, 12,000-seat arena that opened last fall. This is not to be confused with the Sanford Pentagon, a $19 million, 3,250-seat arena that opened in 2013.
"You should see this place; it is gorgeous,'' said Chad Walthall, Minnesota State Moorhead's men's basketball coach.
He was talking about the Pentagon, not the Premier that is presumably more dazzling.
The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, the mammoth Division II collection with 16 schools in Minnesota, the Dakotas, Nebraska and Iowa, will hold its final eight for both women and men at the Pentagon starting Saturday and concluding Tuesday.
(Update: There are Sioux Falls schools in the league -- Augustana and the University of Sioux Falls. Augustana won the conference tournament on Tuesday, beating MSU Moorhead in a battle of top seed from the North and South divisions.)
