Big Sky Conference Changes Its Basketball Tournament Format

The Big Sky Conference decided Wednesday to change its post-season basketball tournament, eliminating the bottom three teams and seeding the top two teams into the semi-finals.

All teams were eligible for the tournament before, although Eastern Washington was disqualified in its first year of Big Sky membership because of NCAA disciplinary action.

The changes were approved at a meeting here of league presidents, faculty representatives and athletic directors. The Big Sky also put finishing touches on merger with the female Mountain West Athletic Conference, starting next season.

All nine member schools will field teams in male and female sports, and will compete for three new all-sports trophies, one for men’s competition, one for women’s sports and the third for the best combined showing.

The basketball team with the best regular-season record will host next year’s basketball tournament, the fifth to be conducted by the league to determine a champion and entry into the NCAA post-season tournament.

On Thursday, March 9, the No. 3 seed will play the No. 6 seed and the No. 4 team will play the fifth-ranked team.

“We look forward to working with the women’s administrators, coaches and student-athletes,” said Big Sky Commissioner Ron Stephenson.

“The merger is the result of several years of hard work and compromise on the part of many people in both conferences,” he said.

Joining the Big Sky office staff in July will be Co-Commissioner Sharon Holmberg and staff assistant Dale Kile.

Both men and women will compete in six required championship sports. The men will compete in football, cross country, basketball, indoor track, tennis and outdoor track. The women will conduct championships in volleyball, cross country, basketball, indoor track, tennis and outdoor track.

As part of the merger, the officials also approved a new logo, incorporating elements of the current logos of both leagues.