Tournament Time in Utah, Starting With Weber State

The Madness of March has begun to descend upon the beehive state weeks before the big dance in college basketball tips off.

Fans eager to know a team’s bracket, seeding and standing or even eligibility know that the conference tournament goes a long way in making or breaking a season.

Regular season failures can be erased in a heartbeat, whereas regular season triumphs can crumble via one bad performance.

The pressure is on, the stakes are high and the madness begins now!

The first taste of a D1 Utah school hitting the hardwood in postseason basketball happens today with the Weber State Wildcats in the Big Sky Tournament.

The matchup looks a little something like this:

#4 WEBER STATE VS #5 MONTANA STATE BOBCATS

Out of 10 teams in the Big Sky, Weber State was one of only four who finished with a winning conference record at 11-7.

Their 20-11 season finish is good for spot #4 in the bracket and puts them in a spot where two wins will set them firmly in the Big Sky Championship.

First things first: #5 Montana State (14-17, 9-9) will battle with the Wildcats today at 5:30 Utah time.

Despite the record, Montana State presents a reasonable threat.

The first matchup on December 30^th was a Wildcat clinic on their home floor as they raced to a 86-64 victory.

The Wildcats put up 43 points a half as Dillon Jones netted 29 points, and 5 Weber players scored in double figures.

Matchup #2 wasn’t nearly as kind for Weber State.

Coming off a two-game win streak, Weber State walked into Bozeman for the regular season finale on March 4th after scoring 85 points in both of their previous two wins.

Considering they dropped 86 on Montana State last time out, Wildcat fans were feeling pretty excited about the possibility of a three-game tear before tournament play.

A tied game at the break quickly unraveled as It was Montana State who would provide the offense this time around.

The Bobcats pulled away, hitting 13 of their 27 three point tries and burying Weber State to the tune of 76-64.

Its only fitting that these teams meet again, as both have impressive wins VS one another to their resume.

This isn’t just a must watch for the 1-1 series this year, but even more so for one of the hottest Big Sky rivalries.

Neither team needs to be reminded about the 60-58 Montana State win in last year’s tournament.

A game that went into two overtimes, eventually provided a path for Montana State to not only win the Big Sky after dispatching Northern Arizona, but to take on Kansas State in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Weber State was so close to experiencing that themselves, and will look to right the ship tonight in Boise.

The Winner will advance to play the Big Sky Champion, Eastern Washington, tomorrow at 6:30 Utah time.