Happy Hour with John Gaskins

Who is under more pressure to win the ol' SLT — the No. 1 seed and regular season champion North Dakota State women, looking to become the first Bison squad to ever hoist the hardware, or perennial and nearly-annual favorite No. 2 South Dakota State because of its home court advantage?
 
Who deserves Player of the Year — NDSU's Avery Koenen, the best player on the best team and the leading scorer who won the award, or SDSU's Brooklyn Meyer, a dominant machine in several statistical categories.?
 
South Dakota coach Eric Peterson has said that someone should make a movie about his Coyotes if they cut down the nets. Well, what is the realistic possibility of that?
 
Should Peterson be the Coach of the Year? Why did Sioux Falls Live's Matt Zimmer vote USD's Cameron Fens as the men's Player of the Year? Did Denver's Carson Johnson deserve it?
 
What kind of a matchup is St. Thomas for the Jackrabbits men in the first round? Is there less pressure on SDSU than usual because of its No. 7 seed — and, if so, does that mean the Jacks are more of a threat than most No. 7 seeds?
 
The March Madness cliche: Guard play. Guard play. Guard play. Who has it? Who doesn't have enough? Who might not have enough but still win?
 
What do we make of Augustana's NSIC semifinal loss, but second-best season since the Vikings' national title 10 years ago? 
 
And what do we make of the best players in both the Summit and NSIC, all of whom we likely won't see on their respective teams next season?
 
So many questions. So many (attempted) answers from Zimmer and the Happy Host from the Gateway Lounge on one of the biggest shows of the year.
 
So big, the South Dakota's attorney general, the Sioux Falls police chief, and the Minnehaha County sheriff were all there... and they, too, chimed in. 
 
Well, kind of, in a cameo sort of way.

It's Christmas in March in Sioux Falls.
 
The Summit League men's and women's basketball tournaments are back in town and the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center will turn into a hot cauldron of do-or-die, one-bid-league hoops. 
 
Both the SDSU women and USD men are coming in hot thanks to "State vs U" rivalry wins on Saturday and some Midas touch coaching throughout February.
 
The Happy Hour host breaks down how Aaron Johnston constructed colossal turnarounds in SDSU's second go-rounds with regular season champion North Dakota State and No. 3 seed South Dakota. 

Then, how did Eric Peterson move mountains to push USD's men to 8-8 and a No. 4 seed despite losing six players to season-ending injuries, including Summit League leading scorer Isaac Bruns? Specifically, how did Peterson jump start his Coyotes back from 17 down to sweep SDSU for the first time in 29 years?
 
Meanwhile, Augustana's men moved on thanks to some (last day before) March magic on Saturday night, but the host explains why it was no fluke.
 
Missy Heidrick, CBS Sports Network & Midco Sports analyst
Now about to call her fourth Summit League tourneys — she'll be in the analyst chair for all the women's games (including semifinals and final) and work sidelines for select men's games — the former Kansas State guard sizes up both the men's and women's fields and how both SDSU and USD teams stack up.
 
Are the Bison the women's favorite, or do the keys still belong to three-time defending champion SDSU? What is her interpretation of the Jacks' late-season surge? How can the Coyotes overcome a nightmare outing in Brookings on Saturday and beat SDSU in a (likely) Saturday semifinal? 
 
On the men's side, how many teams can realistically win three games in three or four days? 
 
In both cases, who deserves the honors of Coach of the Year and Player of the Year?

It's Christmas in March in Sioux Falls.
 
The Summit League men's and women's basketball tournaments are back in town and the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center will turn into a hot cauldron of do-or-die, one-bid-league hoops. 
 
Both the SDSU women and USD men are coming in hot thanks to "State vs U" rivalry wins on Saturday and some Midas touch coaching throughout February.
 
The Happy Hour host breaks down how Aaron Johnston constructed colossal turnarounds in SDSU's second go-rounds with regular season champion North Dakota State and No. 3 seed South Dakota. 

Then, how did Eric Peterson move mountains to push USD's men to 8-8 and a No. 4 seed despite losing six players to season-ending injuries, including Summit League leading scorer Isaac Bruns? Specifically, how did Peterson jump start his Coyotes back from 17 down to sweep SDSU for the first time in 29 years?
 
Meanwhile, Augustana's men moved on thanks to some (last day before) March magic on Saturday night, but the host explains why it was no fluke.

In her fourth year as the analyst for several of the Summit tourney women's games — including the semifinals and final — the former Kansas State guard breaks down the recent hot play of the Jackrabbits and if SDSU, as a No. 2 seed, is still the favorite in the event it has dominated for so long. This, despite NDSU running through a 15-1 slate to take the regular season crown.
Who will emerge in a deeper men's field? Who is s the Player of the Year on the men's and women's sides? What about Coach of the Year?

Down by 17 late in the first half, the Coyotes ignited a comeback charge that led to a 75-70 regular season finale win to sweep the Jackrabbits.
How? Why? And now what do we make of both teams' chances to advance once or twice in the Summit League Tournament? 
Zach Borg and Trent Singer break it down.