Montana is the top seed but Eastern Washington is the betting favorite at the online sportsbooks on the odds to win the 2015 Big Sky Tournament, which gets underway on Thursday at the Dahlberg Arena in Missoula, Montana.
At Sportsbook Eastern Washington sits as the +115 favorite on the Big Sky Tournament odds, with Montana just behind them at +280 on that list. The two schools both went 14-4 against conference opponents during the regular season, with Eastern Washington 23-8 SU and 11-12 ATS and Montana 18-11 SU and 14-8-4 ATS.
The Big Sky Tournament offers up four quarterfinal matchups on Thursday, with Montana facing No. 8 Weber State, Eastern Washington taking on No. 7 Idaho, No. 3 Sacramento State battling No. 6 Portland State, and No. 4 Northern Arizona meeting No. 5 Northern Colorado.
At Sportsbook Northern Arizona is the third-favorite on the tournament odds at +625, with Sacramento State at +750, and the other four schools all longshots of +1300 or greater on those betting lines.
Big Sky Tournament Odds at Sportsbook
Eastern Washington +115
Montana +280
Northern Arizona +625
Sacramento State +750
Northern Colorado +1300
Portland State +1500
Idaho +1500
Weber State +1600
Big Sky Tournament Schedule
Quarterfinals - March 12
Semifinals - March 13
Championship Game - March 14
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Big Sky Tournament betting action on Friday will offer up the semifinal round, with top seed Weber State hitting the hardwood for the first time at the event as they take on No. 6 Northern Colorado.
Northern Colorado upset No. 3 Northern Arizona 62-60 in the Sportsbook round of the tournament on Thursday. The other two Thursday games saw North Dakota top Sacramento State 79-76 and Portland State get past Montana 70-63; Portland State and North Dakota will meet in Friday's other semifinal contest.
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With a bye into the semifinals of Big Sky Tournament betting action Weber State is pegged as the favorite at the sportsbooks to walk away with that postseason conference title this week.
Weber State is the -190 favorite at Sportsbook on the odds to win the Big Sky Tournament this week, with fourth-seeded Montana (+600) and sixth-seeded Northern Colorado (+600) next on that odds list. North Dakota, the second seed at the event, is listed fourth at +725 odds.
Sportsbook round matchups at the Big Sky Tournament get underway on Thursday with No. 7 Sacramento State vs. North Dakota, Northern Colorado vs. No. 3 Northern Arizona, and No. 5 Portland State vs. Montana.
Big Sky Tournament Odds at Sportsbook
Weber State -190
Montana +600
Northern Colorado +600
North Dakota +725
Portland State +1500
Northern Arizona +1500
Sacramento State +2000
Big Sky Tournament Schedule
Sportsbook Rounds - March 13
Semifinals - March 14
Championship Game - March 15
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No. 2 Weber State picked up an easy win Thursday in an 84-58 blowout win against No. 7 Northern Arizona in Big Sky Tournament betting.
Weber State will take on No. 3 North Dakota in the semifinals Friday after North Dakota beat No. 6 Southern Utah 69-52 on Thursday. Weber State was 2-0 SU and ATS against North Dakota in two meetings this season.
No. 5 Northern Colorado defeated Montana State 69-56 on Thursday, but will have a much tougher task Friday against No. 1 Montana. Montana is 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS in its last four games against Northern Colorado.
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Unlike most conference tournaments around the nation, all of the Big Sky’s teams don’t participate in the Big Sky Conference Tournament; only the top seven seeds are invited to play in the tournament.
But in the eyes of many fans and bettors, even with seven teams participating, the Big Sky will strictly be a two-horse race between Weber State and Montana.
No. 2 Weber State is the slight favorite to win the Big Sky Conference Tournament at 5/6 at Sportsbook. No. 1 Montana is virtually deadlocked with Weber State for the top spot on the betting board at 1/1; every other team in the conference is going off at 22/1 or higher. Weber State should have no trouble with No. 7 Northern Arizona (150/1) Thursday, a team that Weber State has won 10 straight games against (6-4 ATS).
No. 6 Southern Utah (100/1) is set to take on No. 3 North Dakota (33/1) in the first round. North Dakota was the only team in the conference other than the top two seeds to finish with a winning record in Big Sky play at 12-8 while Southern Utah was just 8-12 in conference play.
No. 5 Northern Colorado (22/1) and No. 4 Montana State (100/1) wrap up Thursday’s Big Sky action. Northern Colorado is 8-3 SU and 7-4 ATS in its last 11 games against Montana State.
No. 1 Montana is the only tournament participant not playing on Thursday; for being the conference’s top seed, Montana received a bye into Friday’s semifinal where it will play the lowest seed remaining after Wednesday’s action. The two remaining teams will also play in a semifinal matchup on Friday, leading up to the Big Sky Tournament Championship Game on Saturday.
Big Sky Conference Tournament Odds - courtesy of Sportsbook:
Weber State 5/6
Montana 1/1
Northern Colorado 22/1
North Dakota 33/1
Montana State 100/1
Southern Utah 100/1
Northern Arizona 150/1
Thursday, March 14 – Quarterfinals
5:00 PM ET – No. 7 Northern Arizona vs. No. 2 Weber State
7:30 PM ET – No. 6 Southern Utah vs. No. 3 North Dakota
10:00 PM ET – No. 5 Northern Colorado vs. No. 4 Montana State
Friday, March 15 - Semifinals
7:30 PM ET – Highest Remaining Seed vs. 2nd Highest Remaining Seed
10:00 PM ET – Lowest Remaining Seed vs. No. 1 Montana
Saturday, March 16 - Championship Game
9:00 PM ET - Semifinal Sportsbooks
