Big Sky Conference Expands Hoops Schedules, Aims for March Madness Payout
Source: Montana Sports. Casualplayhub News adds summary, context, and editorial framing while linking back to the original report.
MISSOULA — The roar of autumn football may capture the imagination, but the squeak of sneakers on hardwood still drives the NCAA's financial engine. The association's audited financial statements for 2025 reveal a staggering $1.57 billion in total revenue, with more than $1 billion pouring in from the men's and women's national basketball tournaments. For member schools, each victory in the brackets translates into financial units worth millions for the men's side and hundreds of thousands for the women's. As the tournaments expand to 76 teams in 2027, the Big Sky Conference is positioning itself to claim a larger share of that wealth.
"It's millions of dollars that flow back into the system," Big Sky commissioner Tom Wistrcill told MTN Sports last month at the Big Sky Kickoff media event in Spokane, Washington. "With the expansion of the tournament, we're going to have a better chance of winning a game, which means more money for the Big Sky, both men's and women's."
The new March Madness format will likely match the Big Sky champion against a similarly ranked opponent in an expanded opening round of 12 games. Winners advance to the traditional 64-team bracket, with those opening-round games still carrying significant financial units. This improved revenue opportunity is part of a broader vision for Wistrcill, who recognizes that the Big Sky does not generate the tens of millions of dollars in profit seen by Power 4 conferences. Nevertheless, the league aims to redistribute earnings to its member institutions, allowing schools to spend on everything from facility upgrades to player compensation.
To that end, the Big Sky's own basketball tournaments are pivotal to the bottom line. "We work hard to try to be efficient with those dollars but not be too skinny on things like championships," Wistrcill said. "We continually hear from our student-athletes and coaches that the championship experience we provide is really at a high level, so we certainly invest in those, as well. It's a balance there."
The conference unveiled its 2026-27 basketball schedules on Wednesday. Notably, league play begins in early December, reflecting the Big Sky's growth to 11 full-time members. Southern Utah and Utah Tech joined the conference prior to this academic year, while Sacramento State departed. The schedule features a 20-game double round-robin format, with each team facing every other conference opponent both at home and on the road. The regular season concludes March 1, followed by an expanded Starch Madness tournament starting March 5.
All 11 schools will send their men's and women's teams to Boise, Idaho, for the conference basketball tournaments. "We talked for a long time about, 'Do you keep the bracket the same and leave one team at home, one men's team and one women's team?'" Wistrcill recalled. "In the end, we decided — and I think it was the right decision by our administrators — to say, 'Hey, let's play a (No. 10 seed vs. a No. 11 seed) game on Friday night, one men's, one women's game, and then feed into the bracket.'"
Those 10-vs.-11 matchups will be the only games on Friday of the new-look tournament. The winners advance to play the No. 9 seeds, and the brackets then flow as they have in the past, with the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds playing their first games on Sunday. "We need to kind of strike a balance between rewarding the best teams, the 1 and 2, and we do that by having them play the winner of the four worst teams the first games. Then they get a bye while 3 through 6 are playing, so we give them an advantage," Wistrcill said.
Recent history shows that lower-seeded teams have often captured the Big Sky's automatic bids to the Big Dance. On the men's side, the regular-season champion has failed to win the conference tournament three of the past four years. Montana, which shared the regular-season title with Northern Colorado in 2024-25, won the tournament as the No. 2 seed. The women's tournaments have been more predictable, with top seeds winning each of the past three years. The Big Sky's 2027 champions will be crowned March 10, with the NCAA men's tournament beginning March 16 and the women's tournament tipping off March 17.
Article commentary
The Big Sky Conference's strategic pivot toward basketball revenue reflects a calculated response to the shifting economics of college athletics. While the conference operates far from the financial stratosphere of the Power 4, the expansion of the NCAA tournaments to 76 teams in 2027 offers a tangible opportunity for mid-major programs to generate meaningful income. Commissioner Tom Wistrcill's emphasis on winning a single tournament game underscores the leverage that the new format provides: a favorable opening-round matchup against a similarly seeded opponent dramatically increases the odds of a first victory, which in turn unlocks lucrative units. For a conference that does not enjoy the massive media rights deals of the SEC or Big Ten, each unit represents a significant infusion of cash that can be reinvested into facilities, coaching salaries, or direct athlete compensation. This is no small matter in an era where the House v. NCAA settlement and the push for revenue sharing are reshaping the financial landscape. The Big Sky's decision to expand its own conference tournament to include all 11 teams, rather than leaving one out, is equally shrewd. It ensures that every program has a postseason stake, which can boost fan engagement and player morale. However, the move also raises questions about competitive balance. The historical trend of lower-seeded men's teams winning the conference tournament suggests that the new format, with its play-in game for the bottom seeds, could further level the playing field. That might be exhilarating for fans but disconcerting for regular-season champions who see their hard-earned seeding advantages eroded. The women's side, with its recent chalk results, may face a different dynamic, as parity in women's basketball across mid-major conferences is still evolving. The 20-game double round-robin schedule is a logistical challenge, especially with 11 teams stretching from Montana to Southern Utah. It demands deep roster depth and resilience, but it also provides a truer test of regular-season merit. The early December start to league play is a notable shift, potentially conflicting with non-conference tournaments that many programs rely on for RPI boosts and exposure. Still, the conference appears to be prioritizing internal competition and championship experience over external scheduling flexibility. The relocation of the tournament to Boise has been a success in recent years, and the city's central location within the conference footprint makes it a logical choice. Overall, the Big Sky's moves are a textbook example of how a mid-major conference can adapt to the NCAA's evolving tournament structure. The financial stakes are modest compared to the Power 4, but for schools like Montana, Weber State, and Northern Colorado, the difference between earning one unit and zero can be transformative. The true test will come in 2027, when the new format debuts and the Big Sky's chances of a first-round upset become reality. If the conference can capitalize, it may not only boost its bottom line but also elevate its national profile in a way that attracts better recruits and more media attention. The risk is that the expanded tournament dilutes the regular-season drama, but for now, the potential rewards far outweigh the drawbacks.