The 2006 Big West Conference men’s basketball tournament was the postseason tournament for the Big West Conference during the 2005–06 NCAA Division I men’s basketball season. It determined the conference’s automatic qualifier for the 2006 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Dates and venue
- Dates: March 9–11, 2006
- Location: Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California
Participating teams
All eight member schools of the Big West Conference fielded their men’s basketball teams in the tournament. Teams were seeded 1 through 8 based on regular‑season conference records.
Tournament format
- Quarterfinals: Single‑elimination games; match‑ups followed standard seeding (1 vs. 8, 2 vs. 7, 3 vs. 6, 4 vs. 5).
- Semifinals: Winners of the quarterfinal games advanced, with the bracket predetermined.
- Championship game: The two semifinal winners competed for the conference title and the automatic NCAA Tournament berth.
Championship outcome
- Champion: UC Irvine Anteaters
- Runner‑up: Pacific Tigers
- Final score: UC Irvine defeated Pacific, 84–67 (official score).
NCAA tournament implication
By winning the Big West tournament, UC Irvine secured the conference’s automatic bid to the 2006 NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament.
Notable individuals
- Most Valuable Player (MVP): Insufficient Encyclopedic Information – specific MVP designation for the tournament is not confirmed in available reliable sources.
Legacy
The 2006 tournament marked UC Irvine’s second consecutive Big West tournament championship, reinforcing the program’s prominence within the conference during the mid‑2000s. The event continued the Big West’s practice of holding its tournament at a neutral site in Southern California, offering a centralized location for member institutions.
