Portland State will host Montana State in a Big Sky Conference Tournament quarterfinal game on Saturday at the Peter W. Stott Center. Tip time has yet to be determined. The winner of that game will advance to the semifinals in the Big Sky Tournament at either Weber State or Montana. The location will be determined when the Wildcats and Griz play on Tuesday night in a winner-take-all season finale at Missoula. The two teams are tied for first place at 14-1, and the winner would take the Big Sky regular season title.
PSU earned the number three seed in the tournament by virtue of its 69-64 win over Eastern Washington on Saturday. The Vikings are 9-6 in the Big Sky, 15-13 overall, and have won five straight Big Sky games. PSU has one regular season game remaining, hosting Northern Colorado on Tuesday night.
Montana State stands at 11-16 overall, 6-9 in the Big Sky and sixth place. The Bobcats will host Northern Arizona in their season finale on Monday night in Bozeman. MSU has struggled in recent weeks, losing eight games in a row. The Bobcats last win was a 70-65 victory over the Vikings on Jan. 25 in Portland. In fact, MSU has beaten PSU in both meetings this year (also 86-73 on Dec. 30 in Bozeman). On the flip side, Portland State has never lost a tournament game to Montana State (3-0).
If Portland State can win its quarterfinal game over the Bobcats, it will face the second seed in the Big Sky semifinals, whether it is Montana or Weber State, in a neutral site setting. The Vikings went 0-2 against each of those teams this season.
Saturday's other quarterfinal game will feature Eastern Washington and Idaho State, who are currently tied at 7-8 in the Big Sky. They meet on Tuesday in Cheney, WA in the final game of the season for those two. The winner will capture fourth place and the right to host the other team in a quarterfinal game next Saturday.
PORTLAND STATE'S TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Portland State has reached the Big Sky Conference Tournament for the seventh straight year it has been eligible (PSU was not eligible in 2010-11 due to low APR score). PSU has reached at least the semifinals in the last four years it has been in the tournament (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010).
Overall, PSU has reached the Big Sky Tournament in 10 of the 13 seasons it has been eligible. The Vikings are 7-7 all-time in Big Sky Conference Tournament games with titles in 2008 and 2009.
PORTLAND STATE's ALL-TIME RECORD BY ROUND
Quarterfinals: 3-3 (1-0 at home, 1-2 neutral, 1-1 on road)
Semifinals: 2-4 (1-1 at home, 1-1 neutral, 0-2 on road)
Championship: 2-0 (1-0 at home, 1-0 neutral)
PORTLAND STATE VS. THIS YEAR'S TOURNAMENT TEAMS
vs. #1 Weber State (0-2): lost at Portland, 88-81 (1/7); lost at Ogden, 92-79 (2/2)
vs. #2 Montana (0-2): lost in Missoula, 75-64 (12/28); lost in Portland, 69-67 (1/29)
vs. #4/#5 Idaho State (2-0): won in Portland, 80-68 (1/16); won in Pocatello, 67-54 (2/9)
vs. #4/#5 Eastern Washington (2-0): won in Cheney, 78-76, in OT (1/21); won in Portland, 69-64 (2/25)
vs. #6 Montana State (0-2); lost in Bozeman, 86-73 (12/30); lost in Portland, 70-65 (1/25)
PORTLAND STATE's ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT RECORD VS. THIS YEAR'S FIELD
vs. Eastern Washington (1-1)
vs. Idaho State (2-0)
vs. Montana (0-0)
vs. Montana State (3-0)
vs. Weber State (0-4)
PORTLAND STATE vs. MONTANA STATE IN THE BIG SKY TOURNAMENT
Mar. 3, 2007: PSU 96, Montana State 71 (quarterfinal game at Stott Center)
Mar. 11, 2009: PSU 79, Montana State 77 (championship game at Ogden, UT)
Mar. 6, 2010: PSU 68, Montana State 65 (quarterfinal game at Bozeman, MT)
THE BIG SKY CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
The top six teams in Big Sky Conference earned berths in the Big Sky Conference post-season tournament. Either Weber State or Montana will host the post-season final four on Mar. 6-7. The winner of the tournament earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Saturday, March 3, Quarterfinals
No. 6 Montana State at No. 3 Portland State
Eastern Washington vs. Idaho State (seeds to be determined)
Tuesday, March 6, Semifinals (Televised by Altitude/CSN at site TBA)
Montana and Weber State will determine seeds on Tuesday
Wednesday, March 7, Championship (Televised by ESPN2)
Semifinal Winners
