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MOSCOW, Idaho – The Idaho men's basketball team will open the 2020-21 season this week in Portland. The Vandals will start the campaign taking on Seattle University on Wednesday afternoon at 2 p.m.. They will then play the University of Portland on Friday afternoon at 4 p.m., and William Jessup University on Saturday at noon. All games will take place in the Chilies Center on the campus of the University of Portland. No fans will be allowed at the games.

FOLLOW: Fans can follow the Vandals all season long on Twitter and Instagram, @VandalHoops, and with the Voice of the Vandals, Chris King, at GoVandals.com/Listen. All home and conference contests will also be streamed live through the PlutoTV app and at WatchBigSky.com.

Only Friday's game against the host Pilots will be streamed. The link for the game can be found at the top of this story.

SCOUTING SEATTLE UNIVERSITY
The Vandals will meet Seattle University to open the 2020-21 season on Wednesday. The Redhawks finished last season 14-15 overall before the season was canceled with two games remaining in the regular season. SU lost five seniors but bring in five freshmen and six transfers. Riley Grigsby is the top returning scorer. He tallied 9.7 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per game last season.

The two teams met on November 30 last season, with the Redhawks taking the 74-55 victory over a shorthanded Vandal squad.

SCOUTING THE UNIVERSITY OF PORTLAND
Idaho will take on the Pilots on their home floor on Friday. Portland is coming off a 9-23 season, going 1-15 in WCC play. The Pilots have nine newcomers on their roster, including five transfers and two freshmen. Takiula Fahrensohn was the fifth leading scorer a year ago (7.8 ppg).

The Vandals are 13-13 against the Pilots, with the two teams last meeting in 2013-14.

SCOUTING WILLIAM JESSUP UNIVERSITY
The Vandals will meet the Warriors on Saturday afternoon. The NAIA school finished 2019-20 with a 18-13 record. They lost their top two scorers and bring in 10 newcomers. Jayden DeJoseph (7.1 ppg) and Tarren Storey-Way (7.6 ppg) are the top returners.

SEASON PREMIER
The Vandals will look to win the first game of the season for the second consecutive year. Idaho won the first game of the season last year for the first time in three years. In the last five seasons, Idaho is 3-2 in season openers.

SENIOR LEADERSHIP
The Vandals have a group of five seniors to lead them in a strange 2020-21 season. Chance Garvin is in his fifth year with the Idaho program, while Scott Blakney is a fourth year senior. Damen Thacker, Ja'Vary Christmas, and Babacar Thiombane are all in their second years with the Vandals, but all have turned into leaders on the team.

NEWCOMERS
The Vandals welcome five newcomers to the 2020-21 squad. Tanner Christensen, Hunter-Jack Madden, and Ethan Kilgore are the three freshman this season. DeAndre Robinson and Kendall McHugh join the Vandals as transfers.

TOP COMPETITION
The Vandals will play Gonzaga on December 14. The Bulldogs are ranked No. 1 in the AP Preseason Poll. This will be the first time the Vandals have ever taken on a team ranked first in the AP Poll. Overall, Idaho is 12-49 all-time against ranked teams, with their last win coming over No. 21-ranked Utah in the 2010-11 season (64-56). Gonzaga and Idaho last met in the 2008-09 season.

SIGNED
Two players have signed to join the Vandals next season. RJ Walker is from Decatur, Ill. He is a guard who averaged 17 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.5 spg, and 3.2 apg his junior season. Yusef Salih, from Richmond, Va., averaged 14.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 4.1 apg, and 2.3 steals per game in 2019-20. He was named First Team All-Conference.

CLAUS ERA
Zac Claus, who was named the interim head coach over the summer of 2019, had the interim tag dropped on Feb. 25, 2020. After spending four years as an assistant, Zac Claus was named the interim head coach of the Vandals over the summer of 2019.

Coach Claus got his first career win in his first chance. The Vandals defeated The Evergreen State College, 88-82, to open the season. Claus is the 17th coach in Idaho history to win the first career game they were in charge.

Fans can stay up-to-date on all things Idaho men's basketball by following the team on twitter and Instagram, @VandalHoops.

For more information on Idaho Athletics, visit GoVandals.com.  Fans can also find Idaho on Twitter and Instagram, @Idaho_Vandals, or on Facebook by searching Idaho Vandals.