2025 Big Sky Conference Tournament

The Big Sky has rebranded its conference tournament as “Starch Madness” and all that has done is increase the anticipation for this year’s event. It will be at the Idaho Central Arena in Boise for the sixth time and Montana State is the three-time defending champion. We’ll see if the No. 5 seed can pull some upsets and make it through to grab the conference’s lone NCAA Tournament bid.

All 10 conference members qualified for the tournament and this is one of those with a staggered Quarterfinal schedule that should benefit the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, Northern Colorado and Montana.

 

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How to Watch the Big Sky Conference Tournament

When: March 8-12

Where: Idaho Central Arena in Boise, ID

Format: Top six seeds get byes to the Quarterfinals, Seeds 1 and 2 play in Sunday Quarterfinals, Seeds 3 and 4 play in Monday Quarterfinals.

Watch: ESPN+, ESPNU, ESPN2; Championship Game on ESPN2 on Mar. 12 at 11:30 p.m. ET

College Basketball Odds | College Basketball Betting Splits | Greg Peterson’s Daily Lines | Steve Makinen’s Power Ratings

Big Sky Conference Tournament Bracket

Big Sky Conference Tournament Seeds, Teams and Odds

1. Northern Colorado (+180)

2. Montana (+270)

3. Portland State (+425)

4. Idaho State (+850)

5. Montana State (+700)

6. Idaho (+1900)

7. Northern Arizona (+3500)

8. Eastern Washington (+7500)

9. Weber State (+6500)

10. Sacramento State (+30000)

(odds from DraftKings Sportsbook accurate at time of publish)

Favorite To Win Big Sky Conference Tournament

Northern Colorado enters Starch Madness as the favorite in Boise, as the Bears are the consensus highest-ranked team in this conference for KenPom, Bart Torvik, and Erik Haslam of Haslametrics. The Bears rank in the top 10 in eFG% offense and 2P% per Torvik, so this is truly a quality offensive team and the best one in the field.

Even though Northern Colorado led the conference in 2P% and 3P%, Montana was the best team by adjusted offensive efficiency due to a lower TO%, similar shooting numbers, and a stronger free throw percentage. That’s why the Bears are a favorite, but not a super obvious one. That and the Bears ranked slightly higher in adjusted defensive efficiency. The teams split during the regular season.

Big Sky Conference Tournament Darkhorse

By no means would a +425 price fall into the category of “darkhorse”, but I wanted to mention Portland State, as Jase Coburn’s squad has the best adjusted defensive efficiency by far in the conference and has also been one of the most successful teams with getting to the rim. That could prove important in a neutral setting.

I’m not sure that +850 would qualify as a team off the pace either, but Idaho State could be an intriguing team. They’re a menace on the offensive glass and also had the second-highest TO% on defense, trailing Portland State. The Bengals probably won’t make enough shots to win three games in three days, but it is a possibility and they’re going to be the most physical team in a physically-demanding tournament.

By default, Montana State gets a mention here as the three-time reigning champ, but a lot has changed over the years, especially with Danny Sprinkle gone. However, Matt Logie did take a team that went 9-9 in conference play during the regular season to the title last year. They are 9-9 again this year and rank first in 2P% defense and second in 3P% defense. They were the No. 5 seed last year, but 16/1. They’re 7/1 this year.

Players to Watch in Big Sky Conference Tournament

Northern Colorado’s dual threat of Isaiah Hawthorne (17.4 PPG, 5.4 RPG) and Langston Reynolds (16.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 3.5 APG) ranked fourth and fifth in points per game during the regular season. Northern Arizona guard Trent McLaughlin (22.1 PPG) and Weber State’s Blaise Threatt (20.1 PPG) were the top two scorers in the conference. Right in between was Idaho State’s Dylan Darling (19.9 PPG, 5.9 APG) in third. NAU also has a double-double machine in Carson Towt (13.4 PPG, 12.4 RPG), who led the conference in rebounding.

There were 30 players in the conference that averaged double figures. This is a conference that doesn’t feature a ton of defense and there are a lot of jump shots taken, plus most of the teams do utilize their bench players with a lot of the games played at elevation. A couple defensive players to keep in mind are Idaho State’s Evan Otten (2.3 BPG) and Portland State’s Tre-Vaughn Minott (1.8 BPG, 7.7 RPG).

Betting Pick to Win The Big Sky Conference Tournament

This is a tough one. Northern Colorado split with Montana and Portland State, if chalk holds up on that side of the bracket. Idaho State split with the two Montana schools, but did lose both times to Northern Colorado, though one was by a point in overtime. Montana State lost twice to Montana and Northern Colorado, but one of the NoCo games was a one-point loss.

Ultimately, I’ll pick the No. 2 seed Montana. The Grizzlies got revenge against Northern Colorado with a nice road win and also have beaten Montana State twice, plus a blowout win over Portland State. I think they’re the most consistent team in the field.

Pick: Montana +270

Makinen Power Ratings for Big Sky Conference

  • Single-digit favorites in the Big Sky tourney are on an amazing 52-16 SU and 42-25-1 ATS (62.7%) run since 2015, including 8-1 SU and 7-2 ATS (77.8%) in the title contest. However, this group was just 2-6 ATS, so perhaps we could be witnessing a shift.
  • Lower totals of 140 or less in the Big Sky tourney have gone Over at a 20-7 (74.1%) rate since 2016.

More Steve Makinen Conference Tournament Betting Trends.

Check out the other previews in our 2025 College Basketball Conference Tournament Betting Guide.

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