The only other tournament starting today begins out West in the Gem State. Just some play-in games tonight in the 2023 Big Sky Conference Tournament with the real action firing up tomorrow.
When is the Big Sky Conference Tournament?
Starts Saturday, March 4th and finishes up on Wednesday, March 8th.
Where is the Big Sky Conference Tournament played?
All games will be played on a neutral court at the Idaho Central Arena in Boise, Idaho (2,700 feet above sea level.)
How to watch the Big Sky Conference Tournament
The first two rounds can be streamed on ESPN+. The semis and final will be shown on ESPNU and ESPN2.
Who won the regular season title?
Eastern Washington edged out Montana State for the Big Sky title with a record of 16-2.
Defending Champ
Top seeded Montana State won their first tournament title since 1996 last year. The MVP of that tournament? Current head coach, Danny Sprinkle.
Who will participate
All ten member teams will play, with the top six getting a first round bye.
How Many teams will the Big Sky Conference send to the tournament?
This is a single-bid league.
Big Sky Conference Tournament Bracket
Like the Summit, the quarterfinals will be played over two days, giving the top seeds extra rest (if they advance.)
Big Sky Conference Tournament Odds
FanDuel has Montana as the clear favorite in Boise.
Big Sky Conference Tournament Preview
We’ve run into the “really good offense vs really good defense” predicament again. Normally I lean to the offense, but I wanted to take a quick look a the presumptive finals matchup a little first.
Both Montana State and EWU get the bye and the extra rest day into the semis, but maybe some of the pricing disparity (I know most of it comes from the final game of the season) comes from the path. Montana is clearly a better team that Weber State at the moment despite what the seeds say.
Path aside, there’s a big game between EWU and everyone else in offensive efficiency. They lead the league in effective FG %, free throw % and are second in offensive rebounding and three point percentage.
Don’t have a lot of love for any of the longer shots outside of Weber State. Kind of a Montana State Light without the offense. Big up front and great on the glass with some good defense. Their path is just so tough and subsequently, I can’t justify the bet at this price.
Big Sky Conference Tournament Prediction
I’ll take the top seed/second choice in this one, just think the price is a bit too big for a great team that slipped up a bit at the end in a tournament played on a neutral.
My Bet: Eastern Washington +250
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