2009 Big Sky Men’s Basketball Tournament Predictions
Written March 5, 2009 by Jason Lowry
The Big Sky Men’s Basketball Tournament is slated to start this Saturday, as seeds 3 thru 6 get the tournament underway. The Big Sky conference has 9 teams, but only 6 teams are allowed to play in the conference tournament, and the top two seeds in Weber State and Portland State earn a bye to the Semifinals. First round matchups have No.6 Montana State taking on No. 3 Montana and No. 4 Idaho State taking on No. 5 Northern Colorado. First round action is played at the team’s home court who has the higher seed, but the semifinals and finals will be played at the Dee Events Center in Ogden, Utah. The semifinals are scheduled for next Tuesday with the championship game on Wednesday. Here is a look at the 3 favorites entering the tournament, and a sleeper I feel could win the tournament and earn that automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Bet Big Sky Conference Tournament at Bookmaker.com.
1. Weber State Wildcats (21-8, 15-1 Big Sky)
The Wildcats are easily the odds-on favorites to walk away with this tournament, and it would be a complete shock if this team failed to win this thing and advance to the NCAA Tournament, as they need to win just 2 more games. The Wildcats are red hot coming into the tournament, as they have won 12 straight conference games to end the season. The Wildcats are led on the floor by Kellen McCoy and his 14.1 points per game, but they have a number of guys who can score, as 5 other players average between 8.8 and 11.7 points per game.
2. Portland State Vikings (21-9, 11-5 Big Sky)
The Vikings also need just two more wins to make it to the NCAA Tournament, but beating the Wildcats will be no easy task, as they lost twice to the Wildcats by a combined 24 points in conference play. The Vikings are riding a 4 game winning streak into the tournament, and they do have a win against a very good Gonzaga team this season, so you have to think they have a shot at beating the Wildcats if given the opportunity in the finals.
3. Montana Grizzlies (17-11, 11-5 Big Sky)
The Grizzlies come into the tournament losing 2 of their final 3 games, but had won 7 straight before the little slump to end the season. The Grizzlies lost both their games against the Wildcats and split their two games with the Grizzlies. If the Grizzlies are going to win this tournament, they are going to need a strong performance from their top scorer Anthony Johnson, who averaged a solid 17.5 points per game this season.
Sleeper: Montana State Bobcats (13-16, 6-10 Big Sky)
The Bobcats nearly missed the tournament losing 6 of their final 7 conference games to fall into a tie with Eastern Washington for the 6th place in the Big Sky standings, but thanks to a regular season win they earned the 6th spot in the tournament. The reason we have the Bobcats as the sleeper, is they are the only team to beat Weber State in the conference and they pulled it off on the road. The road isn’t going to be easy, as they have to take on the Grizzlies Saturday, and if they win they get another shot at the Wildcats in the semifinals.
Prediction: Weber State Wildcats
For those of you looking to bet on NCAA Basketball this March, be sure to check out our NCAA Basketball expert picks and grab the latest NCAA Basketball odds for every tournament game at Betfirms.
If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:
- 2009 Summit League Men’s Basketball Tournament Predictions
- 2009 Ohio Valley Conference Basketball Tournament Predictions
- 2009 Horizon League Conference Basketball Tournament Predictions
- 2009 Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Predictions
- 2009 Big West Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Predictions
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