BOISE, Idaho – Idaho men's basketball is set for the first round of the Big Sky Championships. The Vandals clinched the nine seed and will face No. 8 Sacramento State on Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. Pacific Time.
HOW TO FOLLOW
#8 Sacramento State vs. #9 Idaho // Mar. 9 at 9:30 a.m. MT/8:30 a.m. PT
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The Vandals split the season series against the Hornets, with each team picking up a victory at their home gym. Idaho prevailed in the first meeting of the season, 73-72 in overtime at ICCU Arena on Jan. 22 before the Hornets won 83-51 at The Nest on Feb. 24.
Idaho won its 13th game out of the last 14 on Senior Day after defeating Northern Arizona, 78-69 last Saturday. Idaho shot 46.3 from the field while the Vandal defense held Northern Arizona to 38.5 percent from the floor - the lowest shooting percentage Idaho has held an opponent since Cal Poly (.364) on November 24 of last year. The Vandals also made it a point to take care of the ball, as they only surrendered seven turnovers against NAU.
The free-throw line was a point emphasis, going 21-of-26 from the line as a team, including an 8 for 8 effort in the final 37 seconds to close out the 'Jacks.
Mikey Dixon recorded his 10th game of 20-plus points in his final regular-season game, leading the way with 27 points on 9-14 shooting from the field and six rebounds. The scoring output helped the senior guard surpass 1,500 total points for his career at the Division l level.
Trevante Anderson and
Rashad Smith recorded double figures in the win, as Anderson tallied 16 points and Smith added 10 points. Anderson delivered an all-around effort, grabbing five rebounds and dishing out seven assists in the contest.
UI ended the regular season 8-7 overall at home, winning four of its last five games at ICCU Arena.
A LOOK AT THE VANDALS: Idaho went 9-21 overall and 6-14 in Big Sky play. The Vandals are coming off a defensive performance where they held Northern Arizona to 69 points which is the lowest point total allowed by an Idaho defense in conference play this season.
UI is averaging 73.6 points per game which is the sixth-best in the league. The Vandals have scored at least 80 points on 10 occasions this season and held opponents to 70 points or fewer five times. Idaho is shooting 44.2 percent from the floor and 37.4 percent from three. The 3-point mark is the second-highest in the conference and 32nd best in the nation.
Guard
Mikey Dixon is averaging a team-high 16.9 points per game on 43.3 percent from the floor and 87.7 percent from the foul line. The New Castle, Del. native holds the best free throw percentage in the conference and is ranked 12th in the nation with 157 makes at the line. His 506 total points scored is the fourth most among Big Sky players.
Backcourt teammate
Trevante Anderson is second on the team with 14.5 ppg. He is playing his best basketball of late, averaging 18.2 points over the last five contests. Not only has Anderson scored the ball at a high rate, he has also become one of Idaho's top rebounders and best passers. He averages the second-best mark in the rebounding department with 5.1 boards per game while dishing out a team-best 3.8 assists per game.
Junior transfer
Rashad Smith records a double-figure scoring average for the Vandals, with 10.2 points a game. Prior to Idaho's game against NAU, Smith was shooting 62 percent from the floor and 74 percent from three over the last five games (Feb.17-Mar. 3). The combo guard has scored in double figures 16 times this year. Behind the 3-point line is where Smith continues to excel, knocking down a team-best 44.3 which includes a personal-best six made threes versus the Bears on Feb. 26.
SCOUTING THE HORNETS (10-17, 6-14 BSC): Since meeting the Vandals back on Feb. 24, Sac State is 2-1, with wins over Eastern Washington (81-75) and Montana (72-71). The Hornets are playing their best basketball to end the season, winning four of its last five games.
Sac State enters the conference tournament ranked third in the Big Sky in points allowed at 70.3 ppg while scoring 65.9 ppg. Sac State has been statistically the best team at taking care of the ball and committing the fewest fouls, rankings first in fewest fouls (464) and fewest turnovers (305).
The Hornets' offense is powered by Bryce Fowler's team-leading 18.7 points per game. He is the third-leading scorer in the conference and ranks fifth in field goal percentage (49.7), assists (4.15) and steals (1.48) amongst conference players. Zach Chappell and William FitzPatrick also average double figures for the Hornets, as Chappell adds 11.4 and FitzPatrick records 10.3 ppg.
HISTORY VS SAC STATE: The two programs will match up for the first time at the Big Sky Conference Tournament. Idaho owns a 21-9 all-time series record over Sac State, dating back to 1968-69. The Vandals are 5-5 over their last 10 games against the Hornets.
The winner will go on to play No. 1 Montana State at 11 a.m. PT on Thursday, March 10.
2022 Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Championship Schedule
Wednesday, March 9, 2022
Game 1 – No. 8 Sacramento State vs. No. 9 Idaho | 9:30 a.m.
Game 2 – No. 7 Portland State vs. No. 10 Idaho State | Noon
Game 3 – No. 6 Eastern Washington vs. No. 11 Northern Arizona | 2:30 p.m.
Thursday, March 10, 2022
Game 4 – No. 1 Montana State vs. Game 1 Winner | Noon
Game 5 – No. 4 Weber State vs. No. 5 Montana | 2:30 p.m.
Game 6 – No. 2 Southern Utah vs. Game 2 Winner | 5:30 p.m.
Game 7 – No. 3 Northern Colorado vs. Game 3 Winner | 8 p.m.
Friday, March 11, 2022
Game 8 – Game 4 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner | 5:30 p.m.
Game 9 – Game 6 Winner vs. Game 7 Winner | 8 p.m.
Saturday, March 12, 2022
Game 10 – Championship Game | 6 p.m.
All times listed are Mountain Standard.
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