The culmination of the Big Sky Conference men’s basketball regular season is the conference tournament, a bracketed competition determining the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament. Participating teams are seeded based on their regular-season conference record, with the higher seeds receiving advantages such as byes and home-court advantage (though the entire tournament is held at a pre-determined neutral site). The tournament is a single-elimination format, meaning a team is eliminated after one loss.
The importance lies in the opportunity it provides for a team to secure a coveted spot in the national tournament, regardless of their regular season performance. It provides a pathway for teams who may not have performed consistently well during the year to compete at the highest level of collegiate basketball. Historically, the event has provided many dramatic upsets and memorable moments, building the profile of the conference and its member institutions. It is the premier event on the Big Sky Conference men’s basketball calendar and a vital part of the college basketball landscape.