MOSCOW, Idaho – The Idaho men's basketball team wraps up a three-game road trip when they travel to Fargo on Saturday to face North Dakota State in the Scheels Center. The game is set to tip-off at 5 p.m. PT.
LAST TIME OUT: The Vandals fell to Cal Poly at the SoCal Challenge, 67-63. Senior transfer Mikey Dixon scored a season-high 18 points to lead the Vandals, while junior Trevante Anderson chipped in 11.
SCOUTING THE BISON (3-2): North Dakota State is 3-2 and 2-0 at home over the first five games of the season. The Bison earned victories over Concordia-Moorhead, Cal Poly, and Tarleton.
In their last matchup against Tarleton, NDSU hit go-ahead free throws with seven seconds to earn a 54-53 win over the Texans. Three Bison added double-digit performances in the victory, as guard Jarius Cook led the way with 17 points on 5 of 10 shooting from behind the arc. Rocky Kreuser pitched in 12 points with eight rebounds while Grant Nelson added 11 points.
North Dakota State is scoring 61.8 ppg while allowing 63.0 ppg. Kreuser leads the squad so far this season with 14.2 ppg and 8.2 rpg. Cook adds 10.4 points per contest.
SERIES HISTORY: Idaho will meet North Dakota State for the 10th time in the two programs' history, dating back to 1924-25. The Bison carry a 6-3 record while the Vandals have won two of the last three matchups. NDSU most recently earned a 70-53 win over Idaho back in 2019.
FOLLOW: Saturday's matchup can be streamed live on ESPN+. Fans can also listen over the airwaves with the Voice of the Vandals, Chris King, at GoVandals.com/Listen.
GETTING TO THE LINE: The Vandals have found success drawing contact this season, heading to the free-throw line a total of 159 times in six games. That mark is the most in the conference and fifth in the nation. Idaho has knocked down 112 free throws out of 159 chances.
PROTECTING THE PAINT: Junior Philip Pepple Jr. has been a bright spot for the Vandal defense, as leads the team with nine blocked shots. Pepple Jr. had a career day against the Mustangs at the SoCal Challenge, recording a personal-best four blocks. The effort boosted his average to 1.5 bpg - third-best in the Big Sky.
INSTANT IMPACT: Junior Trevante Anderson showed out in his first appearances as a Vandal, dropping 26 points against Long Beach State and 22 points in a win over George Fox. Anderson added his fourth double-figure performance on Wednesday to boost his average to 13.8 ppg. The Tacoma, Wash. native also leads the team in assists with 3.8 per game.
MONEY MIKE: Grand Canyon transfer Mikey Dixon has been as consistent as they come since arriving at Idaho, leading the team with five double-digit performances. He most recently scored a season-high 18 points against Cal Poly on Wednesday. Dixon is averaging 12.8 ppg and shooting 47 percent from behind the 3-point line.
ALL-AROUND EFFORT: Seven different players have scored in double digits so far this season. In the season opener, Trevante Anderson (26), Mikey Dixon (16), Rashad Smith (12), and Philip Pepple Jr. (10) scored at least 10 points against Long Beach State. In a 95-85 win over George Fox, Nolan Bertain (18), Yusef Salih (11) and JeMeil King (11) added double-figure performances.
