The 2024 Big Sky Basketball Championship saw the top-seeded EWU men’s team fall in their first game for the second straight season. Second-seed Northern Colorado lost their first game as well. Since 2021, the number one seed has advanced to the championship game just once. Should the Big Sky adjust the tournament format to make it easier for top-ranked teams to make the final round?

The biggest pro for changing the tournament to benefit top teams is that the Big Sky is a mid-major conference that typically only receives one bid to the NCAA tournament, automatically going to the conference champion. A better team winning the tournament gives the conference stronger representation and a better chance to win games at March Madness.

One conference that has taken this approach is the West Coast Conference (WCC). The WCC awards the one-seed and two-seed byes until the semifinals while the third and fourth seeds don’t play until the quarterfinals. In comparison, the top four seeds in the Big Sky all receive the same bye, skipping the first round and playing their first games in the semifinals. 

“If you’re looking at the one and two seeds getting two rounds of byes and automatically being into the semifinal, I do think you’re probably going to have a better chance of having one of those two teams being in the championship game,” said Skip Gleason, the Associate Head Coach of Eastern Washington’s women’s basketball team.

Recent history proves this sentiment true. Going back to 2021, the same time parameter given to the Big Sky Tournament, the WCC has seen the top two seeds play against each other in the championship game every season. This format works to send the best teams to the NCAA tournament.

However, should the conference tournament be geared towards the NCAA tournament, rather than providing a higher chance of exciting upsets? “If you want to put the emphasis on the Big Sky Tournament itself and have more games and potential upsets, then I think that the format that you have now is what works,” said Gleason. “There’s pros and cons to both [sides].”

Gleason also pointed out the Eagles’ women’s team was the top seed this season, and was able to advance to the championship game, ultimately winning the tournament and heading to the NCAA tournament. 

The top seed has played in the championship in three of four Big Sky tournaments since 2021, and the second seed made the final round in the other year. With the men’s side seeing multiple upsets and the women’s bracket sending the top teams to the tournament, it appears the current tournament format can balance excitement with competition. 

Weber State Men’s Basketball Head Coach Eric Duft proposed an alternative solution to help top seeds. “Allow the one and two seeds to get at least an hour on the court the day before the game.”

The tournament is played at Idaho Central Arena, a multipurpose stadium designed to accommodate more sports than just basketball. “I think playing in a hockey arena has some shooting challenges with the extended end zones. Having only 25 minutes the day of the game when the opponent just played the day before and has adjusted to the arena is an obvious disadvantage,” Duft said. 

“As far as the bracket goes, I don’t know if any changes will be made in that regard,” he continued. Small changes such as Duft proposed are more likely than a large reformatting of the tournament to a WCC-style bracket. The tournament has sent top-seeded women’s teams to the NCAA tournament, so it is unlikely that a large change is necessary for the men’s bracket to produce similar results.