BOISE, Idaho (March 6, 2026) – The Starch Madness bracket is set as Idaho claimed the Big Sky women's basketball regular season crown and top seed heading into tournament week. All 10 teams turn their attention towards the postseason as they make their way to Boise.
Big Sky Women's Basketball Weekly Notes (Starch March)
Chirrick Named Big Sky Women's Basketball Player of the Week
Montana State's sensational sophomore Taylee Chirrick led the Bobcats to three wins in five days, including two on the road, by scoring 52 points and grabbing 23 rebounds. She also dished out three assists and blocked two shots, but Chirrick made history by piling up 11 pilfers to forge a tie for the Montana State and Big Sky Conference single-season steals record with 124. She caught former Bobcat guard Liz Holz, whose 124 steals in 1988-89 held up for 37 years.
Others Nominated for Women's Basketball Player of the Week
Jocelyn Land (MSU), Rubi Gray (SAC), Antoniette Emma-Nnopu (WSU)
Idaho Clinches Regular Season Title
The Vandals claimed their first regular-season title since 2018-19.
Ranked #16 in the mid-major poll, Idaho will take a 15-game win streak into Boise as the top-seed.
The Vandals completed the regular season with a 26-5 record and a 17-1 mark in conference, with their lone loss coming against Montana State on January 10th in Bozeman.
Idaho will play its first game on Sunday at 12:00 pm against the winner of #9 Weber State and #10 Portland State.
Chirrick Earns Two Individual Awards
Montana State sophomore Taylee Chirrick closed out her second campaign in the league with a bang, collecting two of the league’s individual awards in Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year.
Chirrick closed out the regular season, tying the Big Sky single-season steal record with 124, which ranks second in the nation.
The Bobcat also collected her sixth Player of the Week honor of the season to cap off the regular season.
She also leads the Bobcats in scoring, averaging 17.8 points per game.
Vandals Claim Trio of All-Conference Awards
Second-year head coach Arthur Moreira has already led the Vandals to the crown in just two years of work.
Coaches around the league have recognized his success by voting him coach of the year. He has led the Vandals to a top-three finish in the league in his first two seasons.
Kyra Gardner earned Newcomer of the Year honors after a successful first year in the league after transferring from Washington State. Debora Dos Santos was also named Top Reserve after her contributions off the bench.
The two Vandals are two of five Vandals averaging more than 10 ppg for the Black and Gold.
Big Sky Women’s Basketball 2025-26 Individual Award Winners
Most Valuable Player – Taylee Chirrick, Montana State
Newcomer of the Year – Kyra Gardner, Idaho*
Defensive Player of the Year – Taylee Chirrick, Montana State
Top Reserve – Debora dos Santos, Idaho
Freshman of the Year – Naomi White, Northern Arizona
Coach of the Year – Arthur Moreira, Idaho*
* Unanimous Selection
2025-26 Big Sky Women’s Basketball First Team All-Conference
Taylee Chirrick, Montana State*
Naomi White, Northern Arizona
Kyra Gardner, Idaho
Hope Hassmann, Idaho
Addison Harris, Montana State
Kacey Spink, Idaho State
Tasia Jordan, Idaho State
* Unanimous Member of the All-Big Sky First Team
2025-26 Big Sky Women’s Basketball Second Team All-Conference
Benthe Versteeg, Sacramento State
Debora dos Santos, Idaho
Kourtney Grossman, Eastern Washington
Ella Gallatin, Eastern Washington
Avery Waddington, Montana
Tatum West, Northern Colorado
2025-26 Big Sky Women’s Basketball All-Conference Honorable Mention
Neenah George, Northern Colorado
Antoniette Emma-Nnopu, Weber state
Rubi Gray, Sacramento State
Kyleigh Brown, Portland State
Heather Baymon, Northern Colorado
2025-26 Big Sky Women’s Basketball All-Defensive Team
Taylee Chirrick, Montana State (DPOY)
Kacey Spink, Idaho State
Ana Pinheiro, Idaho
Benthe Versteeg, Sacramento State
Tatum West, Northern Colorado
Starch Madness Returns March 7-11 in Boise
The 2026 Big Sky Men's and Women's Basketball Championships take place March 7-11 at Idaho Central Arena in Boise, Idaho. The tournament champions will receive automatic berths to the NCAA Division I Basketball Championship.
For the 11th-straight season, all Big Sky members will compete in the conference tournament with the field featuring 10 teams for both the men and women in 2026. All games will be available to stream on ESPN+ and the Championship Games will be aired on the ESPN family of networks.
2025-26 Big Sky Women's Basketball Schedule (Starch Madness)
Saturday, March 7
G1: #9 Weber State vs #10 Portland State (ESPN+) 12:00 p.m.
G2: #7 Northern Arizona vs #8 Montana (ESPN+) 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 8
G3: Winner of G1 vs #1 Idaho (ESPN+) 12:00 p.m.
G4: Winner of G2 vs #2 Montana State (ESPN+) 2:30 p.m.
Monday, March 9
G5: #4 Idaho State vs #5 Sacramento State (ESPN+) 12:00 p.m.
G6: #3 Northern Colorado vs #6 Eastern Washington (ESPN+) 2:30 p.m.
Tuesday, March 10
G7: Winner of G3 vs Winner of G5 (ESPN+) 12:00 p.m.
G8: Winner of G4 vs Winner of G6 (ESPN+) 2:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 11
G9: Winner of G7 vs Winner of G8 (ESPNU) 3:00 p.m.
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