There isn’t a conference in the country more top-heavy than the Big Sky. Montana, with a 19-1 conference record, is the No. 1 seed while Weber State, at 18-2, is right behind them. Of the other nine teams in the conference, only one -- North Dakota -- has a winning record in league play.
Big Sky Tournament 2013 schedule and bracket: Weber State plays, Montana watches
The first round of the Big Sky conference tournament begins on Thursday with No. 2 seed Weber State in action.
James Snook-US PRESSWIRE
But while Montana is sitting out the first round on Thursday, Weber State will have an additional hurdle to clear on their way to a rematch with the Grizzlies in the conference championship game. Last season, despite having likely NBA rookie of the year Damian Lillard, the Wildcats lost to Montana with the conference's lone bid to the NCAA Tournament on the line.
And while Weber State has gone 2-0 against No. 7 seed Northern Arizona this season, when the two teams met in early March, Weber State escaped with an 80-78 road OT win.
A bracket for the tournament can be found here. The full schedule of Thursday’s action is below:
First Round: Thursday, March 14
No. 2 Weber St. Wildcats vs. No. 7 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks, 5 p.m. ET
No. 3 North Dakota vs. No. 6 Southern Utah Thunderbirds, 7:30 p.m. ET
No. 4 Montana St. Bobcats vs. No. 5 Northern Colorado Bears, 10 p.m. ET
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