No. 2 seed Montana took out top-seeded Northern Colorado in the Big Sky Championship title game on Wednesday night to earn its first NCAA tournament bid since 2019.

Montana made 65.2% of their attempts and won the conference title with a 91-83 win over Northern Colorado at Idaho Central Arena for a berth in the NCAA tournament.

Coach Steve Smiley’s Northern Colorado Bears fell to Montana, 91-83, late Wednesday night in the Big Sky men’s basketball tournament championship in Boise, Idaho. Thanks to senior wing guard Kai Johnson (23 points), the Grizzlies (25-9) notched the league’s automatic, and likely only, bid to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.