Champion: Montana
Stephan Wiebe
Before last weekend, I would have predicted Sacramento State to take the title and a couple weeks ago it would have been Eastern Washington. Now, the Grizzlies are the hottest team in the conference, having won seven of their last eight games, and they get to play the tournament in their own backyard.
Dark horse: Idaho
Idaho stumbled into the Big Sky Tournament off two losses, but the Vandals proved they can compete with the best by beating Sacramento State and only losing to Eastern Washington by three points on two occasions. There’s no reason why they can’t make a run to the championship game like they did last year in the WAC.
Korbin McDonald
Champion: Eastern Washington
The Eagles make buckets. Not only do they have the nation’s leading scorer in Tyler Harvey, who averages 22.9 points per game, but the team also has the country’s sixth best scoring average at 80.5 points per game. With Venky Jois back, this team has a lethal combo that won’t only be dangerous in the Big Sky Tournament, but possibly the NCAA Tournament, too.
Dark horse: Idaho
With all the bias aside, Idaho really does have a shot at winning this tournament — only if it can overcome its road woes. The Vandals proved they can compete with the best teams in the conference and if they can get a win over Eastern Washington, look for their confidence to carry them the rest of the way.
Stephan Wiebe and Korbin McDonald can be reached at [email protected]