2011 Great West Conference men's basketball tournament

The 2011 Great West Conference men's basketball tournament took place March 10–12, 2011 in Orem, Utah.[1] According to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) regulations, as a new Division I conference the Great West champion does not receive an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament until 2020. However, 2011 champion North Dakota received an automatic bid to the 2011 CollegeInsider.com Tournament.[2] In the 2010 tournament the South Dakota Coyotes defeated the Houston Baptist Huskies to claim their first basketball tournament championship.

2011 Great West Conference men's basketball tournament
ClassificationDivision I
Season2010–11
Teams7
SiteUCCU Center
Orem, UT
ChampionsNorth Dakota (1 title)
Winning coachBrian Jones (1 title)
MVPPatrick Mitchell (North Dakota)
← 2010
2012 →
2010–11 Great West Conference men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Utah Valley111 .9171911 .633
NJIT93 .7501515 .500
North Dakota84 .6671915 .559
South Dakota75 .5831815 .545
Chicago State39 .250626 .188
Texas–Pan American210 .167625 .194
Houston Baptist210 .167526 .161
2011 Great West tournament winner
As of March 16, 2011
Rankings from AP Poll

The third seeded Fighting Sioux of North Dakota defeated 2010 Great West tournament champion South Dakota 77–76 in a double-overtime thriller. The Coyotes had upset number 1 seed Utah Valley in the semi-finals. The game was won on a three-pointer from Sioux guard Josh Schuler with four seconds remaining. The championship result was a fitting end to a tournament that saw all six games decided by a total of eleven points. North Dakota's Patrick Mitchell was named tournament MVP.[3]

Format

All seven conference members qualify for the tournament with seeding based on standings from the regular season. The number 1 team receives a first round bye.

Bracket

* – Denotes overtime period

Quarterfinals,
Thursday, March 10
Semifinals,
Friday, March 11
Championship,
Saturday, March 12
         
1Utah Valley70
4South Dakota72
4South Dakota73
5Chicago State70
4South Dakota76
3North Dakota77**
3North Dakota71
6Texas-Pan American70
3North Dakota65
7Houston Baptist63
2NJIT70
7Houston Baptist72

References