STARCH MADNESS: Idaho State men’s and women’s basketball teams head to Boise for the Big Sky Tournament
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POCATELLO – They’re calling the Big Sky Conference tournament Starch Madness because it’s in Boise.
Apparently it’s a potato reference.
Kind of clever. Maybe not?
Anyway, the Idaho State men’s and women’s teams look to make some noise in the postseason beginning Monday at Idaho Central Arena.
Both teams are set for the second round based on seeding.
The Bengal men (15-14, 10-8) are the No. 4 seed and play No. 5 seed Montana State (14-17) in the second round on Monday at 5:30 p.m.
Northern Colorado sits at the top bracket as the No. 1 seed.
The Bengal women (13-6) are the No. 5 seed and play No. 4 Weber State (13-15) Monday at noon.
ISU MEN
The Bengals had their four-game win streak snapped Monday night in an 82-79 loss to Northern Arizona in the regular-season finale.
Dylan Darling scored a career-high 34 points on 12 of 19 shooting, but it wasn’t enough.
The Bengals now set their sights on the postseason, where they’ll face three-time defending tournament champion Montana State.
The Bengals and Bobcats split their season series with both teams winning at home. Montana State is unbeaten in the conference tournament the past three seasons.
MSU has five players that competed in last year’s tournament, including Tyler Patterson and senior forward Sam Lecholat, who also helped the Bobcats to titles in 2022 and 2023.
The Bengals are bolstered by Darling, who is third in the conference in scoring at 19.21 points per game. Jake O’Neil averages 9.7 rebounds, good for second in the Big Sky.
The Bengals are second in the conference in scoring defense at 69.6 points, and led the Big Sky in rebounding margin at 8.8 per game, and in offensive rebounds at 14.0. ISU is in the middle of the pack in scoring at 74.8 points.
ISU WOMEN
The Bengals have six players averaging more than seven points but only total 59.5 per game.
The key could be on the defensive end, where ISU is fourth in the Big Sky at 61.7 points. Weber State is eighth in scoring at 57 points.
The ISU women also had a four-game win streak in their regular-season finale at Northern Arizona.
Monday’s game with Weber State will the be the third matchup, with the two regular-season games ending in overtime with the Wildcats getting the W.
In their last matchup with Weber State on Feb. 8, the Bengals fell 79-76 in overtime. Piper Carlson had a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebound in that game.
Back on Jan. 11, both teams struggled in the fourth quarter, but Weber State was able to secure a 72-67 victory in OT.
Tasia Jordan leads ISU with 10.8 points per game and Kacey Spink averages 5.2 rebounds.
The Big Sky tournament will be streamed on ESPN+ with semifinals broadcast on ESPNU and ESPN2.
The women’s championship game is Wednesday at 3 p.m. and will air on ESPNU and ESPN+. The men’s championship game will follow at 9:30 p.m. and is on ESPN+ and ESPN2.