Big Sky Basketball: 2021 conference tournament preview, predictions

On March 10th, the Big Sky Basketball Conference Tournament will kick off and one of the member schools will earn the right to compete in March Madness. With eleven teams competing, it will be no easy feat for the winner. Despite the conference talent level dropping off on the bottom third of teams,  Big Sky basketball has been fairly competitive.

Although this tournament will not be full of surprises, the semifinals and championship will showcase competitive games. In the early rounds, expect to see a few blowouts due to teams struggling mightily this year with COVID protocols and pauses. Unfortunately, the Big Sky will only have one team in the tournament this year making the next week even more important for the future of these collegiate athletes.

Key Players

Cameron Shelton – Northern Arizona

2020-21 stats: 20.2 ppg, 6 rpg, 4.1 apg

Junior guard Cameron Shelton is making his case for Big Sky Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Year. In his third season with the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks, Shelton took a major step forward in many different facets of his game. Even though Shelton’s production has increased, his team has not fared so well. Coincidentally, one player can take over an entire conference tournament. Will this be the player and the tournament? Doubtful. It will be fun to watch Shelton play.

Shelton has made the most out of his experience and he has been among the league leaders in many major offensive statistical category for the Big Sky Conference. He ranks first in points per game, field goal attempts, field goals made, free throws and free throw attempts. In many other areas, he ranks in the top 10. Surely, Shelton will make an impact but it remains to be seen if that impact will be large enough to garner a win for Northern Arizona.

Tevian Jones – Southern Utah

2020-21 stats: 17.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.2 apg

Tevian Jones is in his first year with Southern Utah after spending two seasons with Illinois Fighting Illini before opting to transfer. It was the correct decision for Jones as he was only seeing the court about five minutes per game.

With his transfer to Southern Utah, Jones saw an enormous jump in playing time to 27 minutes per game. Jones has not disappointed his coach and the decision to start Jones at guard. In 22 games, Jones has averaged 17.1 points per game on 43% shooting. The 6’7’’ guard has shown success from three-point range where he is taking a little over seven shots per game, making about 35% of those shots.

Further explaining Jones’ ability to be a shot-maker is his 85.9% success rate from the free throw lane. Under Jones’ leadership, Southern Utah was able to win the regular-season championship by one game.

Isiah Brown – Weber State

2020-21 stats: 18 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3 apg

Guard Isiah Brown is in his first season with his third team of his collegiate career. Brown began his journey at Northwestern for two seasons before transferring to Grand Canyon. After sitting out one season due to transfer rules, Brown played one season before transferring to Weber State.

At Weber State, Brown has elevated his game. In 22 games, Brown double his points per game average compared to his time at Grand Canyon University (from 9.3 ppg to 18 ppg) while his usage increased slightly by two minutes per game.

On the season, Brown ranked in the top five in field goals, field goal attempts, and field goal percentage. Brown’s offensive game is one of the more polished in Big Sky basketball. Weber State is expecting Brown to carry the offensive load through the conference tournament.

Tanner Groves – Eastern Washington

2020-21 stats: 16.5 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 1.4 apg

Junior Forward Tanner Groves was another player in the Big Sky Conference taking a major leap forward this season. Groves improved in almost every major statistical category with the exception of field goal percentage and three-point percentage. Higher usage and more shots will contribute to lower success rates.

For example, Groves increased his points per game by over 11 from last year. Further, Groves showed extreme improvement in his rebounding game which has made a world of difference for the Eastern Washington University Eagles. Behind Groves, Eastern Washington finished with a 12-3 conference record and a number three seed for the Big Sky Conference Tournament.

Ethan Esposito – Sacramento State

2020-21 stats: 18.3 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 1.8 apg

A recurring theme in the players to watch continues with junior forward Ethan Esposito. Like those above, Esposito took a major leap forward this year. Esposito went from single-digit points per game in 2019-20 to second in the Big Sky Conference with 18.3 points per game in 2020-21. Everything came together for Esposito this year with the exception of overall team success. Sacramento State only pulled off five wins in 14 conference matchups despite Esposito’s big year.