Big Sky Conference Tournament Preview & Betting Guide: Montana State, Eastern Washington Look to Renew Rivalry

After an eventful slate of matchups to close out the regular season, things are starting to heat up in the Big Sky with a blockbuster conference tournament on the horizon. Montana State and Eastern Washington are the favorites, while Montana sits close behind with the rest of the league hoping to pull off a surprise. To prepare you for the Big Sky Conference Tournament, we will discuss the favorite, a dark horse, and the best bet that we think could go dancing on the league’s behalf.

Odds Courtesy FanDuel Sportsbook

• Dates: March 4-8
• Location: Idaho Central Arena – Boise, ID
• Championship Game: Wednesday, March 8th, 11:30 p.m. ET | ESPN2

The Bobcats ended the season with a massive statement, beating Eastern Washington in Cheney in dominant fashion on their senior night. It’s rare to see a top 80 high school recruit in the Big Sky, but that’s what Montana State has in 6’5″ guard RaeQuan Battle. After averaging just 8.5 points per game a season ago, the junior has developed into a pure scorer, averaging 17.1 points per contest in 31 starts this year. Darius Brown is a fantastic backcourt complement, ranking top 40 nationally in both assist and steal rates. He’s also a pure shooter, hitting over 90 percent of his free throws and providing the team’s only 40 percent three-point shooter. Head coach Danny Sprinkle may have a better team than the one that reached the NCAA Tournament in 2022.

Eastern Washington was 16-0 and looked like the clear favorite to win the Big Sky Tournament heading into their final two games of the season. Then a road loss to Idaho State and that home defeat to Montana State derailed that premise, leaving them with this +250 price to get the league’s auto-bid. They are an offensive juggernaut that cannot be stopped when their shots fall, which is quite often. They rank ninth in the nation in effective field goal percentage and have the best offense in the Big Sky based on offensive efficiency, per KenPom. The Eagles make their money inside the arc with five players shooting 58 percent or more on two-pointers this season. They seldom take poor shots and feel unstoppable when converting at a solid clip.

The struggles at the end of the season for the Eagles are not something you should be concerned about. Conference road games as a league favorite is always a tricky prospect, and the loss to Montana State was simply catching a good basketball team on the wrong night, where they were lethal on nearly every possession. Even then, Eastern Washington was able to storm back in the second half, cutting the deficit to four with three minutes to play. They also have a road win over the Bobcats on New Year’s Eve. This pricing on the Eagles is way longer than it should be, and you’re getting tremendous value on one of the top shooting offenses in the country.

For more conference previews on SportsGrid: A-Sun | Ohio Valley