Big Sky tournament bracket: Full TV schedule, channels, scores for 2026 men's basketball championships originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The regular season is in the rearview, and it's time for postseason basketball.
While the men's NCAA tournament gets a lot of attention, the individual conference tournaments can have just as exciting action. The Big Sky basketball tournament will feature all ten teams entering the single-elimination field, with a guaranteed entry into the men's NCAA tournament on the line.
The men's NCAA Tournament is often referred to as the Big Dance or as March Madness, but the Big Sky's conference tournament is affectionately known as "Starch Madness."
The tournament will begin on Saturday, March 7, and it sets off five straight days of Big Sky basketball, culminating in the conference championship game on Wednesday, March 11.
The Sporting News has everything you need to know about watching the 2026 Big Sky men's basketball tournament, including TV and live stream information for every game.
Big Sky basketball tournament bracket 2026
The current seeding, bracket and regular-season records for the 2026 Big Sky men's basketball tournament are listed in the table below. The Big Sky has 10 teams, and all 10 make the conference tournament.
|
Seed |
Team |
Record (Big Sky) |
|
No. 1 |
Portland State |
19-10 (13-5) |
|
No. 2 |
Montana State |
18-13 (12-6) |
|
No. 3 |
Eastern Washington |
13-18 (11-7) |
|
No. 4 |
Montana |
16-15 (10-8) |
|
No. 5 |
Northern Colorado |
20-11 (10-8) |
|
No. 6 |
Weber State |
16-15 (10-8) |
|
No. 7 |
Idaho |
17-14 (9-9) |
|
No. 8 |
Sacramento State |
10-20 (6-12) |
|
No. 9 |
Idaho State |
12-19 (5-13) |
|
No. 10 |
Northern Arizona |
10-21 (4-14) |
Where to watch Big Sky men's basketball tournament
-
TV channel: Semifinals ESPNU, Championship ESPN2
-
Live stream: ESPN+
The early games in the 2026 Big Sky men's basketball tournament will not be aired nationally on TV. The semifinals will air on ESPNU, and the conference championship will be televised on ESPN2.
All games in the tournament will be available to stream with ESPN+.
Big Sky men's basketball tournament schedule 2026
-
Dates: Sat, March 7 to Wed, March 11
-
Location: Idaho Central Arena, Boise, Idaho
The 2026 Big Sky men's basketball tournament begins on Saturday, March 7 and concludes with the championship game on Wednesday, March 11.
All games will be played at the Idaho Central Arena in Boise, Idaho.
For a complete tournament schedule, see below:
Saturday, March 7
|
Game |
Time (ET) |
TV/Live stream |
|
Game 1: No. 9 Idaho State 73, No. 10 Northern Arizona 65 |
— |
— |
|
Game 2: No. 7 Idaho 68, No. 8 Sacramento State 45 |
— |
— |
Sunday, March 8
|
Game |
Time (ET) |
TV/Live stream |
|
Game 3: No. 1 Portland State 85, No. 9 Idaho State 78 |
— |
— |
|
Game 4: No. 7 Idaho 78, No. 2 Montana State 74 |
— |
— |
Monday, March 9
|
Game |
Time (ET) |
TV/Live stream |
|
Game 5: No. 4 Montana 95, No. 5 Northern Colorado 89 |
— |
— |
|
Game 6: No. 3 Eastern Washington 84, No. 6 Weber State 79 |
— |
— |
Tuesday, March 10: Semifinals
|
Game |
Time (ET) |
TV/Live stream |
|
Game 7: No. 4 Montana 75, No. 1 Portland State 72 |
9 p.m. |
— |
|
Game 8: No. 7 Idaho 81, No. 3 Eastern Washington 68 |
11:30 p.m. |
— |
Wednesday, March 11: Championship
|
Game |
Time (ET) |
TV/Live stream |
|
No. 4 Montana vs. No. 7 Idaho |
11:30 p.m. |
ESPN2, ESPN app |