Big West Conference NCAA Tournament Betting
There isn’t a great team in the Big West this season, but there are plenty of decent teams. COVID has wreaked havoc on this conference schedule, so there is a ton of uncertainty headed into the Big West Conference Tournament. As many as seven of the 11 teams could finish their conference slate above. 500, and the only teams to discount are Cal St. Northridge, Cal St. Bakersfield, and Cal Poly.
Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton are vying for the No. 1 seed entering the conference tournament. Both teams are 10-3 in conference play and will play two more games at home, and oddly enough the 49ers and Titans will both play UC Riverside and UC Davis.
The 49ers started the season 4-9 with two of their wins coming against non-Division I opponents. It looked like it would be a long year for Long Beach State, but this program rallied to win 11 straight games. They have lost two of their last three games, yet they have the edge for the No. 1 seed due to a head-to-head win over Cal State Fullerton.
Poor three-point defense could doom Cal State Fullerton. The Titans are allowing opponents to make 37.2% of their threes, so leading scorer E.J. Anosike will have to take over for long stretches.
Hawaii must be respected too. The Rainbow Warriors were able to beat Long Beach State on the mainland earlier this year, and they easily handled Cal State Fullerton in their one meeting.
Big West Tournament Format
There are 11 teams in the Big West, but only 10 teams will compete in this year’s conference tournament as UC San Diego is in the second year of a transition from Division II to Division I.
The 2022 Big West Conference Tournament will take place at the Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nevada. This tournament will run from Tuesday, March 8, to Saturday, March 12. The No. 1 seed and No. 2 seed have advantages as they play the two winners of the first round games on Tuesday, but every team will have to win three games in three days to win the Big West and claim a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The Big West Championship Game will be held on Saturday, March 12, at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Most Wins All-Time in Big West Tournament
| WINS |
TEAM |
LAST |
| 7 |
UNLV |
1991 |
| 6 |
Utah State |
2005 |
| 5 |
Pacific |
2013 |
| 5 |
Long Beach State |
2012 |
| 4 |
UC Santa Barbara |
2021 |
| 3 |
Cal State Fullerton |
2018 |
| 3 |
Fresno State |
1984 |
| 2 |
UC Irvine |
2019 |
| 2 |
San Jose State |
1996 |
Obviously, the Big West has undergone some changes. Of the eight teams with at least three conference tournament titles, five are no longer in the conference. Granted, we've still got some teams that have been here for a while and have thrived like Long Beach State. The 49ers are the active leader in Big West championships with five, and they range from 1977 through 2012.
UC Santa Barbara broke a tie with Cal State Fullerton as the second-most successful school in the conference with a win over UC Irvine in the 2021 Big West Championship Game.
In a four-year span from 2014 to 2017, there were four first-time winners of this tournament. UC Davis went dancing for the first time after upsetting top-seed UC Irvine in 2017.
Hawai’i got its first win the year before that and UC Irvine claimed the title in 2015. This run started improbably in 2014 with No. 7 Cal Poly entering the tournament with a record of 13-19. The Mustangs knocked off the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds to reach the final where it disposed of No. 5 Cal State Northridge.
Big West Tournament Championship Games
| YEAR |
WINNER |
RUNNER-UP |
VENUE |
| 2021 |
UC Santa Barbara |
UC Irvine |
Michelob Ultra Arena |
| 2019 |
UC Irvine |
Cal State Fullerton |
Honda Center |
| 2018 |
Cal State Fullerton |
UC Irvine |
Honda Center |
| 2017 |
UC Davis |
UC Irvine |
Honda Center |
| 2016 |
Hawaii |
Long Beach State |
Honda Center |
| 2015 |
UC Irvine |
Hawaii |
Honda Center |
| 2014 |
Cal Poly |
Cal State Northridge |
Honda Center |
| 2013 |
Pacific |
UC Irvine |
Honda Center |
| 2012 |
Long Beach State |
UC Santa Barbara |
Honda Center |
| 2011 |
UC Santa Barbara |
Long Beach State |
Honda Center |
| 2010 |
UC Santa Barbara |
Long Beach State |
Anaheim Convention Center |
| 2009 |
Cal State Northridge |
Pacific |
Anaheim Convention Center |
| 2008 |
Cal State Fullerton |
UC Irvine |
Anaheim Convention Center |
| 2007 |
Long Beach State |
Cal Poly |
Anaheim Convention Center |
| 2006 |
Pacific |
Long Beach State |
Anaheim Convention Center |
| 2005 |
Utah State |
Pacific |
Anaheim Convention Center |
| 2004 |
Pacific |
Cal State Northridge |
Anaheim Convention Center |
| 2003 |
Utah State |
Cal Poly |
Anaheim Convention Center |
| 2002 |
UC Santa Barbara |
Utah State |
Anaheim Convention Center |
| 2001 |
Utah State |
Pacific |
Anaheim Convention Center |
| 2000 |
Utah State |
New Mexico State |
Lawlor Events Center |
NCAA Basketball Conferences
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