The Montana State University women’s basketball team will compete against the Idaho Vandals for the Big Sky Conference championship on March 11. The Bobcats, seeded second in the tournament, are set to face top-seeded Idaho at 3 p.m., with the game broadcast on ESPN+ and ESPNU.
The matchup is significant as only the tournament champion secures an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Bobcats have maintained a strong presence in recent years, with either the men’s or women’s teams earning national tournament spots since 2022. The women’s team claimed conference titles in both 2022 and 2025, while the men advanced three consecutive times from 2022 to 2024.
Montana State reached this year’s final after defeating Montana in the second round by a score of 78-57, marking their sixth straight win over their rivals from Missoula—a streak that includes last year’s championship game. In Tuesday’s semifinals, MSU overcame Eastern Washington in overtime with a score of 79-77. The conference tournament, known as “Starch Madness,” is being held at Boise’s Idaho Central Arena. Tickets are available through starchmadness.com.
Live coverage of the championship game will be provided via live stats on the Bobcat Athletics website and radio broadcasts through the Bobcat Sports Radio Network and The Varsity Network. Updates will also be posted on Instagram accounts @MSUbobcatsWBB and @BigSkyConf.
Montana State University leads research funding in Montana with annual expenditures exceeding $288 million, according to the official website. The university enrolls about 17,165 students split evenly between residents and nonresidents according to its official website. It ranks among the top five percent of global universities per rankings by the Center for World University Rankings according to its official website.
As Montana’s land-grant institution based in Bozeman, MSU focuses on research, education, and community outreach addressing key challenges according to its official website. The university contributes through volunteer efforts and research aimed at enhancing lives and environments across communities according to its official website.