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Big Sky Tournament History
The Big Sky Conference began holding a postseason men's basketball
tournament in 1976. Boise State won the inaugural
tournament at Wildcat Gym in Ogden, Utah.
For much of the tournament's history, the event was hosted by one of
the conference's member schools. The tournament later moved to a
neutral-site format, with Reno, Nevada hosting from 2016 through 2018
and Boise, Idaho becoming the tournament's home beginning in 2019.
The 2020 tournament championship was canceled because
of the COVID-19 pandemic, so no tournament champion was crowned that
season.
Big Sky Men's Basketball Tournament Champions
| Year |
Location |
Champion |
| 1976 | Wildcat Gym, Ogden, Utah | Boise State |
| 1977 | ISU Minidome, Pocatello, Idaho | Idaho State |
| 1978 | Dahlberg Arena, Missoula, Montana | Weber State |
| 1979 | Dee Events Center, Ogden, Utah | Weber State |
| 1980 | Dee Events Center, Ogden, Utah | Weber State |
| 1981 | Kibbie Dome, Moscow, Idaho | Idaho |
| 1982 | Kibbie Dome, Moscow, Idaho | Idaho |
| 1983 | Centennial Coliseum, Reno, Nevada | Weber State |
| 1984 | Dee Events Center, Ogden, Utah | Nevada |
| 1985 | BSU Pavilion, Boise, Idaho | Nevada |
| 1986 | Lawlor Events Center, Reno, Nevada | Montana State |
| 1987 | Walkup Skydome, Flagstaff, Arizona | Idaho State |
| 1988 | Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, Bozeman, Montana | Boise State |
| 1989 | BSU Pavilion, Boise, Idaho | Idaho |
| 1990 | BSU Pavilion, Boise, Idaho | Idaho |
| 1991 | Dahlberg Arena, Missoula, Montana | Montana |
| 1992 | Dahlberg Arena, Missoula, Montana | Montana |
| 1993 | Kibbie Dome, Moscow, Idaho | Boise State |
| 1994 | BSU Pavilion, Boise, Idaho | Boise State |
| 1995 | Dee Events Center, Ogden, Utah | Weber State |
| 1996 | Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, Bozeman, Montana | Montana State |
| 1997 | Walkup Skydome, Flagstaff, Arizona | Montana |
| 1998 | Walkup Skydome, Flagstaff, Arizona | Northern Arizona |
| 1999 | Dee Events Center, Ogden, Utah | Weber State |
| 2000 | Dahlberg Arena, Missoula, Montana | Northern Arizona |
| 2001 | Matadome, Northridge, California | Cal State Northridge |
| 2002 | Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, Bozeman, Montana | Montana |
| 2003 | Dee Events Center, Ogden, Utah | Weber State |
| 2004 | Reese Court, Cheney, Washington | Eastern Washington |
| 2005 | Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon | Montana |
| 2006 | Walkup Skydome, Flagstaff, Arizona | Montana |
| 2007 | Dee Events Center, Ogden, Utah | Weber State |
| 2008 | Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon | Portland State |
| 2009 | Dee Events Center, Ogden, Utah | Portland State |
| 2010 | Dee Events Center, Ogden, Utah | Montana |
| 2011 | Greeley, Colorado | Northern Colorado * |
| 2012 | Dahlberg Arena, Missoula, Montana | Montana |
| 2013 | Dahlberg Arena, Missoula, Montana | Montana |
| 2014 | Dee Events Center, Ogden, Utah | Weber State |
| 2015 | Dahlberg Arena, Missoula, Montana | Eastern Washington |
| 2016 | Reno Events Center, Reno, Nevada | Weber State |
| 2017 | Reno Events Center, Reno, Nevada | North Dakota |
| 2018 | Reno Events Center, Reno, Nevada | Montana |
| 2019 | Boise, Idaho | Montana |
| 2020 |
Boise, Idaho |
No Champion — Tournament Canceled |
| 2021 | Boise, Idaho | Eastern Washington |
| 2022 | Boise, Idaho | Montana State |
| 2023 | Boise, Idaho | Montana State |
| 2024 | Boise, Idaho | Montana State |
| 2025 | Idaho Central Arena, Boise, Idaho | Montana |
| 2026 | Idaho Central Arena, Boise, Idaho | Idaho |
* Northern Colorado won the 2011 Big Sky Tournament, but the
championship was later vacated because of NCAA violations involving
an ineligible player.
Big Sky Tournament Championships by School
| School |
Championships |
Championship Years |
| Montana |
12 |
1991, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2018, 2019, 2025 |
| Weber State |
10 |
1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2014, 2016 |
| Idaho |
5 |
1981, 1982, 1989, 1990, 2026 |
| Montana State |
5 |
1986, 1996, 2022, 2023, 2024 |
| Boise State |
4 |
1976, 1988, 1993, 1994 |
| Eastern Washington |
3 |
2004, 2015, 2021 |
| Idaho State |
2 |
1977, 1987 |
| Nevada |
2 |
1984, 1985 |
| Northern Arizona |
2 |
1998, 2000 |
| Portland State |
2 |
2008, 2009 |
| Cal State Northridge |
1 |
2001 |
| North Dakota |
1 |
2017 |
| Northern Colorado * |
1 |
2011 |
Big Sky Tournament Host Cities
| Host City |
Times Hosting |
| Boise, Idaho |
12 |
| Ogden, Utah |
11 |
| Missoula, Montana |
7 |
| Bozeman, Montana |
4 |
| Flagstaff, Arizona |
4 |
| Reno, Nevada |
4 |
| Moscow, Idaho |
3 |
| Portland, Oregon |
2 |
| Pocatello, Idaho |
1 |
| Northridge, California |
1 |
| Cheney, Washington |
1 |
| Greeley, Colorado |
1 |
Big Sky Tournament Facts
Montana has won the most Big Sky Tournament
championships with 12, moving ahead of Weber State's 10.
Weber State won the tournament's first three
consecutive championships by one school, taking the title in 1978,
1979 and 1980.
Montana State became the next program to win three
straight Big Sky Tournament titles, capturing the championship in
2022, 2023 and 2024.
The 2020 championship was canceled because of the
COVID-19 pandemic. Eastern Washington had won the regular-season
championship, but no tournament champion was crowned.
Montana returned to the top in 2025, defeating
Northern Colorado 91-83 in the championship game at Idaho Central
Arena.
In 2026, No. 7 seed Idaho won four games in five
days to capture the championship. The Vandals defeated defending
champion Montana 77-66 in the title game for their first Big Sky
Tournament championship since 1990.
Idaho's 2026 championship was its fifth Big Sky Tournament title and
sent the Vandals to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1990.
2026 Big Sky Tournament
Idaho entered the 2026 Big Sky Tournament as the
No. 7 seed after finishing conference play 9-9.
The Vandals defeated No. 8 Sacramento State 68-45, upset No. 2
Montana State 78-74, defeated No. 3 Eastern Washington 81-68 and
then beat No. 4 Montana 77-66 in the championship game.
Montana guard Money Williams was named Tournament MVP
despite the Grizzlies' loss in the championship game. Williams scored
91 points over three tournament games, setting a Big Sky Tournament
scoring record.
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