In the previous year 's tournament , the top three seeds were upset in the first round and seventh-seed Idaho State won the title . The Bengals were then seeded sixteenth ( last ) in the West region of the NCAA tournament and were routed in the first round by UNLV in The Big Sky implemented a few changes to the bracket structure to reward regular season play . The top two teams in the league standings were given byes into the semifinal round , while the third - and fourth-seeded teams began play in the quarterfinals on Thursday . The remaining four teams ( seeds 5 – 8 ) played an additional game on Wednesday ; four victories in as many days were now required for a lower-half team to win The top four seeds advanced to the semifinals and the tournament was won by the top-seed
previous year 's tournament
1987 Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
1988 Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Tournament