Tournament Tidbits
This is the 38th Big Sky Conference Championship. For the first team, the tournament features a seven-team field. For the previous 23 years, the tournament was a six-team tournament.
For the first time since 2002, the entire tournament is being played at one site. From 2003-2012, first-round games were played at the home of the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds.
Dahlberg Arena is hosting the Big Sky Championship for the second straight season, and the sixth time overall. The Grizzlies won the title on their home court in 1991, 1992 and 2012. In 1978, Weber State beat Montana for the championship. In 2000, Northern Arizona beat Cal State Northridge at Dahlberg Arena.
Montana is making its 12th straight appearance in the tournament, the longest active streak in the league. Montana State is in the tournament field for the ninth straight season. Weber State is making its seventh straight tourney appearance.
Montana enters the tournament having not lost at Dahlberg Arena to a Big Sky team in more than three years. The Grizzlies have won 26 consecutive regular-season games over Big Sky teams, and a total of 29 in a row over league foes. UM last lost at home to a Big Sky team on Feb. 27, 2010 to Montana State.
North Dakota and Southern Utah both qualified for the championship in their first season as a Big Sky member. In 1996-97, Cal State Northridge, Portland State and Sacramento State joined the Big Sky. Only Cal State Northridge qualified for the tournament in its first season in the Big Sky.
Three of the seven coaches in this year’s field have won the Big Sky Championship. Randy Rahe led Weber State to the 2007 championship in his first season. B.J. Hill guided Northern Colorado to the 2011 championship in his first season. Montana’s Wayne Tinkle won tournament titles in 2010 and 2012. Montana State’s Brad Huse lost in the 2009 championship game to Portland State.
Montana and Weber State have each won eight Big Sky Championship titles, tied for the most in league history. Montana State and Northern Arizona have each won two championships. Northern Colorado won its lone championship in 2011. Montana has appeared in the championship game 15 times, a record. Weber State has appeared 13 times.
Montana senior Will Cherry has played in seven tournament games. If the Grizzlies reach the championship game, he will become the first player in league history to play in nine championship games. Cherry already holds the all-time tournament record with 20 steals.
Cherry is the only player in this year’s tournament who will have played in the championship in four consecutive seasons. Fellow Montana senior Mathias Ward is injured, and won’t get a chance to play in the tournament a fourth straight season.
Top-seeded Montana is seeking its fourth straight appearance in the championship game. Weber State holds the record with five straight title appearances from 1976-80. Eastern Washington appeared in four straight championship games from 2001-04.
North Dakota is making its first appearance in the Big Sky Championship, but Brian Jones’ team is no stranger to tournament success. North Dakota won the Great West Championship in 2011 and 2012. The Great West champion, however, did not receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.
Southern Utah has made one appearance in the NCAA Championship. Under current Idaho State coach Bill Evans, Southern Utah won the Summit League Championship in 2001. At the time, the league was known as the Mid-Continent Conference.