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Big West Tournament 2017 Printable Bracket

By Nathaniel Reeves

Jan 4, 2017; Irvine, CA, USA; UC Irvine Anteaters guard Jaron Martin (0) dribbles the ball during the first half of the game against the Long Beach State 49ers at Bren Events Center. The Anteaters won 82-67. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 4, 2017; Irvine, CA, USA; UC Irvine Anteaters guard Jaron Martin (0) dribbles the ball during the first half of the game against the Long Beach State 49ers at Bren Events Center. The Anteaters won 82-67. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports /
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Here’s the bracket for the 2017 Big West Tournament, which begins on Thursday afternoon in Anaheim.

The 2017 Big West Tournament gets underway on Thursday afternoon at the Honda Center in Anaheim, with an automatic qualifying spot for the Big Dance on the line in Saturday’s title game.

Unlike most other conferences around the nation, the Big West will re-seed the bracket following Thursday’s quarterfinals. That could play to the advantage of the top seeds in the conference in case there are a few upsets in the opening round, while making it more difficult for a bottom team to reach the final a la Milwaukee in the Horizon League.

UC Irvine enters as the top seed for the second consecutive season and will look to avenge last year’s tournament loss to Long Beach State in a potential semifinal matchup. The Anteaters closed the regular season with a streak of six wins in seven games to finish at 12-4 in conference play.

Defending tournament champion Hawaii, which beat California as a No. 13 seed in the opening round of the Big Dance last year, slipped all the way to fifth in 2015. UC Davis looks to be the main competition for the Anteaters after finishing in second at 11-5.

While UC-Irvine grades out as the heavy favorite with the No. 136 ranking in Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted efficiency metric, nearly 100 spots clear of the Aggies, top seeds have fallen in plenty of other mid-major tournaments this year. Sixth-seeded Cal State Fullerton will also be worth keeping an eye after winning six of seven down the stretch, including a victory over the Anteaters.

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Here’s the official bracket for the 2017 Big West Tournament..

No team in this year’s Big West is nearly as good as 2016 Hawaii, so the league might have a hard time generating another March upset. The Anteaters would likely be on the 15 line should they win, while any other team could receive a 16.