1981 Big Sky Conference men's basketball tournament
ClassificationDivision I
Season1980–81
Teams4
SiteKibbie Dome
Moscow, Idaho
ChampionsIdaho (1st title)
Winning coachDon Monson (1st title)
MVPKen Owens (Idaho)
1980–81 Big Sky men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Idaho †12–2 .85725–4  .862
Montana11–3 .78619–9  .679
Montana State11–3 .78616–11  .593
Idaho State6–8 .42912–14  .462
Nevada5–9 .35711–15  .423
Weber State5–9 .3578–19  .296
Boise State4–10 .2867–19  .269
Northern Arizona2–12 .1438–17  .320
† Conference tournament winner

The 1981 Big Sky Conference men's basketball tournament was the sixth edition of the tournament,[1] and was held March 6–7 at the Kibbie Dome at the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho.[2][3]

Top-seeded Idaho defeated Montana in the championship game, 70–64, to clinch their first Big Sky tournament title.[4]

Format

First played in 1976, the Big Sky tournament had the same format for its first eight editions. The regular season champion hosted and only the top four teams from the standings took part, with seeding based on regular season conference records.

No new teams qualified for the Big Sky tournament this year. This was the first year in which three-time defending champion Weber State was not in the title game; the Wildcats tied for fifth and failed to make the field.

Bracket

Semifinals
Friday, March 6 		Championship
Saturday, March 7
      
1 Idaho 69
4 Idaho State 45
1 Idaho 70
2 Montana 64
3 Montana State 64
2 Montana 85

Source:[4][5]

NCAA tournament

The Vandals (25–3) received an automatic bid to the 48-team NCAA tournament, their first appearance, and were seeded seventh in the West region.[6] They lost to Pittsburgh by a point in overtime at El Paso, Texas.[7][8][9]

References

  1. ↑ Van Sickel, Charlie (March 6, 1981). "Idaho choice in Sky showdown". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). p. 15.
  2. ↑ Missildine, Harry (March 6, 1981). "Big Sky's big night". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 25.
  3. ↑ "1980-81 Big Sky Conference Season Summary". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Sahlberg, Bert (March 10, 1981). "Vandals win it all over stubborn Grizzlies". Idaho Argonaut. (Moscow). (University of Idaho). p. 9.
  5. ↑ Van Sickel, Charlie (March 7, 1981). "Idaho battles potent Grizzlies". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). p. 11.
  6. ↑ Missildine, Harry (March 9, 1981). "NCAA: Idaho draws Pitt". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 15.
  7. ↑ Missildine, Harry (March 13, 1981). "Idaho vs. Pitt: a guessing game". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 35.
  8. ↑ Missildine, Harry (March 14, 1981). "Vandals victimized in overtime". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 17.
  9. ↑ "'Prayer shot' ends Vandal NCAA dreams". Idaho Argonaut. (Moscow). (University of Idaho). March 24, 1981. p. 6.
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