With the exception of one Big Sky Conference league game, it’s still the pre-season and therefore a bit difficult to predict how the conference is stacking up. You can always check out the Sagarin Rankings in USA Today, but I’ve found team rankings to be a somewhat unreliable measure of Big Sky teams until later in the season.
I’ve always preferred making my own chart of comparative scores. My chart -- which is listed below -- includes only those teams which have played more than one Big Sky school. This method omits some pretty important matchups (particularly this year) but can still give a rough picture of how the Big Sky is faring as a conference... and which teams look strongest going in to conference play.
There are some odd results this year. For instance, if the Portland Pilots (West Coast Conference) were in the Big Sky, they might be considered a good bet to challenge for the conference championship. Also, as a conference the Big Sky seems to have slipped a few major notches against the elite Pac 10, Big West and West Coast Conference schools.
Another indicator: The Big Sky Conference is not measuring-up very well against much Division I competition this year. Two national ranking services support that indicator. First, the Sagarin Conference ranking has the Big Sky at 21st, lower than it has ranked over the the two previous seasons. Secondly, not only is no Big Sky team ranked in the College Insider Mid Major Top 25, no school has even received a vote over the last two weeks (Several Big Sky teams, including the Griz, received votes earlier in the season). Only two Big Sky teams (Northern Arizona & Portland State) have beaten a team ranked in the Mid Major Poll.
Here’s how Big Sky teams have stacked up:.
AIR FORCE: Beat Northern Colorado 71-62; lost to Montana 59-57.
BOISE STATE: Beat Idaho State 93-61; lost at Montana State 86-84.
BRIGHAM YOUNG: Beat Idaho State 90-69; beat Weber State 72-57.
CAL POLY: Lost at Northern Arizona 85-51; lost at Portland State 74-66.
COLORADO STATE: Lost to Montana 75-39; beat Portland State 64-63; lost at Northern Colorado 72-59
GONZAGA: Beat Montana 77-54; beat Northern Colorado 77-57.
IDAHO: Beat Eastern Washington 58-49; lost to Idaho State 71-69.
IOWA: Beat Idaho State 58-43; beat Northern Colorado 59-47.
LONG BEACH STATE: Beat Idaho State 66-61 OT; lost at Montana State 74-56.
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE: Lost to Northern Arizona 65-56; lost to Montana 69-62.
PEPPERDINE: Lost at Montana State 95-89; won at Northern Arizona 93-87 OT.
NEW MEXICO: Beat Eastern Washington 92-57; beat Weber State 62-32.
OREGON STATE: Beat Idaho State, 56-41; beat Northern Colorado 65-56.
PACIFIC: Beat Sacramento State 75-62; beat Montana 76-71 OT.
PORTLAND: Won at Montana 58-57, Lost at Eastern Washington 84-75; beat Idaho State 76-52; lost to Portland State 78-73; beat Northern Colorado 70-63.
SAN FRANCISCO: Beat Sacramento State 93-63; beat Weber State 67-65.
SANTA CLARA: Won at Sacramento State 77-65; beat Montana 60-49; beat Eastern Washington 66-57.
UCLA: Beat Idaho State 89-49; beat Portland State 69-48.
UC SANTA BARBARA: beat Montana State 76-61 (play Eastern Washington Dec. 30).
UMKC: lost to Eastern Washington 65-54; lost to Northern Arizona 77-62.
UNLV: Beat Montana State 76-65; beat Northern Arizona 83-74.
UTAH STATE: Beat Northern Arizona 78-62; lost to Weber State 78-71.
WASHINGTON STATE: Beat Eastern Washington 68-41; beat Montana 66-55; won at Idaho State 75-45; beat Portland State 72-60.
WASHINGTON: Beat Eastern Washington 82-68; beat Portland State 84-65.
What these comparative scores don’t show is how well the Montana State Bobcats have played ... and just how much the Sacramento State Hornets have struggled.
Want to build a Big Sky Power Poll based upon these scores? We’d probably start with Montana State in the top spot:
1. Montana State
2. Northern Arizona
3. Portland State
4. Montana
5. Northern Colorado
6. Weber State
7. Eastern Washington
8. Idaho State
9. Sacramento State
