With the 29th ranked conference RPI, the Big Sky Tournament may not be high on most people’s watch list. However, with three games separating the first and sixth-seeded teams, the tournament is wide open for anyone to win.
The Big Sky Tournament gets underway today in Reno, Nevada. The eleven teams will all be playing with the knowledge that a loss will end their season.
The team who wins the tournament will most likely earn a 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament with the opportunity to show their grit against one of the top teams in the nation.
The North Dakota Fighting Hawks are the first seed, but any of the top-six seeds could punch a ticket.
So who will win and who is likely to make a run?
Projected Winner: Eastern Washington
Led by forwards Jacob Wiley and Bogdan Bliznyuk, the Eastern Washington Eagles have one of the best offenses in the Big Sky. The two veteran big men average 20 points per game, and both are able to take over a game.
The issue the Eagle may run into is their unbalance scoring attack, with only one other player averaging double digits. Top teams, such as North Dakota and Weber State, will focus on guarding the two forwards, forcing the Eagles to find offense from other sources.
The Eagles may be the most battle tested team in the conference, traveling to Northwestern, Texas, Colorado and Xavier during non-conference play. They also earned a surprising 96-90 win over San Francisco.
Despite going 1-4 in these non-conference games, the experience against teams from top conferences will come in handy during their run at the Big Sky title. The Eagles are my pick to cut down the nets on Saturday.
Team That Could Make a Run: Montana
Behind the Eagles, the team with the toughest non-conference games is the Montana Grizzlies. Montana faced USC, Wyoming, NC State, Washington State, Ole Miss, San Jose State, Wyoming, Oregon, and Pepperdine during non-conference play.
Tough games allow teams like Montana to prove their worth when their conference schedules are usually less than impressive. Montana’s most impressive game was their five-point loss to Ole Miss on the road.
The key to Montana’s conference tournament success will be the play of sophomore guard Ahmaad Rorie. Rorie averages 17.7 points and 3.2 assists, and he will need to take over for the Grizzlies to win.
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After seeing their competitive nature all season, in both non-conference and conference play, it would be no surprise to see the Grizzlies reaching the Big Sky Championship, with a real chance to win.