HoopsHD continues its series leading up to Selection Sunday and March Madness, as we simulate what would have happened in TTTW (The Tournament That Wasn’t). Up next is the Big Sky Tournament. Although the Big Sky was clearly a single-bid league, its regular season turned out to be a tight three-team race between Eastern Washington, Northern Colorado and Montana. Which of those three would win the bid, or would another team shock the conference and steal it? It is time to find out!
BIG SKY QUARTERFINALS
Eastern Washington opened quarterfinal day in the Big Sky with a convincing 84-61 win over Sacramento State, as both Kim Aiken and Mason Peatling scored double-doubles for the Eagles. 5-seed Montana State pulled the mild upset over 4-seed Portland State, as 20 points from Harald Frey paced the Bobcats to an 84-66 win. Northern Colorado jumped out huge early over 7-seed Southern Utah, leading 40-27 at the half and coasting home for an 87-76 win.
The fourth and final quarterfinal, between 3-seed Montana and 11-seed Idaho State, proved to be the game of the day in the Big Sky. Idaho State had finished in last place during the regular season, yet had already upset Northern Arizona in the first round. The Bengals took the lead early over Montana, and held a 4-point lead at the halftime break. Montana bounced back after halftime, but the game remained tight throughout. A 3 by Tarik Cool with 10 seconds left cut the Grizzlies’ lead down to only 2, but 2 huge free throws from Sayeed Pridgett (who led his team with 24 points) nailed down the win for Montana and advanced the Grizzlies to the semifinals.
BIG SKY SEMIFINALS
The first semifinal, between 5-seed Montana State and top-seeded Eastern Washington, proved to be a highly entertaining game. Although the Eagles controlled the first half and built a 7 point lead, the Bobcats came out strong in the second. A 3-pointer by Montana State’s Ladan Ricketts with 15 seconds left to play tied the game at 70 and sent it into overtime. The OT period, however, was dominated by Eastern Washington. The Eagles outscored the Bobcats 13-4 in the extra five minutes and won 83-74 to advance to Saturday’s championship game.
The second semifinal, between 2-seed Northern Colorado and 3-seed Montana, was also close for most of the game. Northern Colorado led by just a single point at the halftime break, and held the same lead with about 5 minutes left to play. That is when the Bears went cold, allowing Montana to open up a lead and take the game by a final score of 80-71. Northern Colorado’s Jonah Radebaugh scored 23 points in a losing effort, while Sayeed Pridgett led the winning Grizzlies with 19.
BIG SKY CHAMPIONSHIP
After a pair of very fun semifinals, the Big Sky title game had all the earmarks of an exciting championship game that could come down to the wire. Unfortunately, it was not to be. Eastern Washington took control of this game late in the first half, building a 7-point lead at the break and cruising through the second half en route to an 82-69 win and a trip to the Big Dance. Mason Peatling scored 19 points and Kim Aiken had a double-double for the victorious Eagles.
