Like it or hate it, 76 is here to stay

As summer rolls to its end and football season starts to ramp up, the Big Sky Conference held its football media days in Spokane, Wash. on Monday.

And while the focus of that day was the boys of fall, I took notice of Big Sky Commissioner Tom Wistrcill bringing up the hardwood during his address. 

Expansion is always a touchy topic in the world of college basketball, some want it, some think it will only benefit the mediocre power five schools. 

Currently it’s difficult for a mid-major to earn an at-large berth into the tournament regardless of record. 

Just last season, Miami (Ohio) ran the table in the MAC before falling in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament and was among the last four at-large bids. The other teams in the “last four in” held records of 20-13, 20-13 and 18-14 respectively.  

Knowing this and knowing that in recent years the Big Sky Conference champion has sat at the 15- or 16-seed line, it surprised me to hear Wistrcill — who is a member of the NCAA Tournament Committee — say that expansion was good for the conference. 

His explanation made it all clear. 

“(Big Sky teams) are going to get an opportunity to play a light opponent most years in the opening round of both the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments,” Wistrcill said. “I like our chances in those games.” 

A light opponent means a better chance to win and a better chance at winning means the potential for more money to come back to the conference. 

The NCAA pays teams a “unit” for winning a game in the tournament — in men’s basketball a unit is $350,000, while in women’s basketball it is around $115,000. 

Beating another mid-major champion for this money is a lot more feasible than matching up with Wisconsin, like Montana did in 2025. Idaho received a No. 15 seed in 2026 and faced Houston, losing 78-47. In this new style, they could have met another 15-seed in Queens, Tennessee State or Furman in the opening round with the winner battling a No. 2 seed like Houston and former Montana Tech coach Kelvin Sampson. 

“That is real money that will fall into the conference and back to our schools,” Wistrcill said. “I can’t wait to see how that plays out for our teams. I like our chances.” 

While mid-majors still may not be in the hunt for the final at-large bids; that aspect will be found out in March as the selection committee unveils the first 76-team brackets. 

One thing that we do know is that there will be a little more money flowing into the teams in the back end of the bracket thanks to the expanded opening round. 

Whoever the Big Sky champs face in March, they’ll like their chances. 

Reporter Jon Allen can be reached at 406-758-4426 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.