FARMINGTON, Utah (March 20, 2025) – After a thrilling week of #StarchMadness in Boise, Montana State and Northern Arizona continue their postseason with NCAA Tournament and WBIT bids.
Big Sky Women's Basketball Weekly Notes (Postseason)
'Cats in Columbus
Big Sky Champions Montana State will head to Columbus, Ohio for the March Madness round of 64.
The Bobcats earned a 13 seed in the tournament and will square off against host and fourth-seeded Ohio State.
This year marks the Bobcat’s first apperance in March Madness since 2022. This will also be Montana State’s first time ever playing against Ohio State.
The game is set to tip on Friday, March 21 at 3:30 pm MT on ESPN2. The winner will go on to face the winner of Tennessee and South Florida on Sunday.
The Bobcats head into the NCAA tournament with a 30-3 record, the first Big Sky women’s basketball team to eclipse the 30-win mark.
NAU Earns League's First WBIT Bid
Northern Arizona is set to make their third consecutive postseason apperances on Thursday night in the WBIT.
The WBIT is a newly created 32-team postseason single-elimination tournament owned and sponsored by the NCAA.
The Lumberjacks will square off against in-state foe Arizona in the opening round of the tournament.
The two teams met earlier this season in Flagstaff where the Lumberjacks overcame a 16-point deficit to take down the Wildcats 92-75.
Thursday night’s game is set to begin at 7 pm MT and will air on ESPN+. The winner will go on to face the winner of Middle Tennessee State and Belmont on Sunday.
Northern Arizona sits at 26-7 as they begin their WBIT run. The 26 wins is the most in program history for the Lumberjacks.
Bobcats Sweep Big Sky Titles
Montana State completed the sweep of titles in Boise last week with a thrilling 58-57 victory over Montana in the Big Sky championship game. It is the first title sweep for the Bobcats since the 2016-17 season.
The team was led by Tournament MVP, Esmeralda Morales who scored a game-high 25 points in Wednesday’s championship. Fellow Bobcat Taylee Chirrick also earned All-Tournament team honors.
The full All-Tournament Team can be found below.
2025 Big Sky All-Tournament Team
Esmeralda Morales, Montana State (MVP)
Mack Konig, Montana
Sophie Glancey, Northern Arizona
Benthe Versteeg, Sacramento State
Avery Waddington, Montana
The Bobcats clinched the regular season title on the final day of play, earning the No. 1 seed in #StarchMadness and their first regular season title since 2022.
All-Conference Awards Announced
With the conclusion of the 2024-25 Big Sky Conference women’s basketball regular season, the league office has announced its All-Conference Teams, All-Defensive Team and Individual Award Winners.
Regular Season champions, Montana State, led the way with three individual awards and a trio of All-Conferernce team members.
Esmeralda Morales was named league MVP in her first season in a Bobcat uniform.
This marks the fifth consecutive season where the Preseason MVP differs from the postseason MVP. The full list of All-Conference awards can be found here.
2024-25 Big Sky Women's Basketball Schedule (Postseason)
Thursday, March 20
Northern Arizona at Arizona // 7:00 p.m. MT (ESPN+)
Friday, March 21
#13 Montana State at #4 Ohio State // 3:30 p.m. MT (ESPN2)