MOSCOW, Idaho – The Idaho men's basketball team prepares for one of the busiest portions of their conference schedule as they get set to play four games in eight days.
A trip to Cheney to face regional rival Eastern Washington on Saturday jumpstarts the Vandals' four-game stretch. UI will go up against the Eagles in the second game of a doubleheader with women's basketball, who will be playing against EWU at 1 p.m. Tipoff for the men's game is set for 3:30 p.m. The Vandals return home for their second matchup with Montana State before hitting the road for a two-game series against Northern Arizona (Jan. 19) and Northern Colorado (Jan. 21).
How to Follow
Idaho vs. Eastern Washington // Jan. 14 at 3:30 p.m.
Watch:
ESPN+
Live Stats:
StatBroadcast
Listen:
The Varsity Network or
GoVandals.com/Listen
How to Follow
Idaho vs. Montana State // Jan. 16 at 6 p.m.
Watch:
ESPN+
Live Stats:
SIDEARM Live Stats
Listen:
The Varsity Network or
GoVandals.com/Listen
Tickets:
GoVandals.com/Tickets
Promotion:
Golden Ticket
Last Time Out
The Vandals (6-11, 0-4 BSC) look to bounce back after a pair of losses to Sacramento State and Portland State at home. Idaho dropped an overtime thriller to the Hornets, 85-83 before falling to the Vikings, 74-58.
About Idaho
Idaho is one of the most efficient teams in the conference, shooting a Big Sky-best 48.3 percent from the field. The team's field goal percentage ranks 28th in the nation. The Vandals are averaging 75.9 points per game this season while allowing 69.6 ppg. Taking care of the basketball has been an emphasis for the Vandals, as they average the lowest amount of turnovers per game in the Big Sky at 11.4 and the second-best assist/turnover ratio at 1.15.
After scoring the third most points in Idaho history and posting back-to-back double-doubles,
Isaac Jones earned Big Sky Co-Player of the Week. It was his second conference weekly honor of the season, as the 6-9 forward averaged 29.5 points per game, 11 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 blocks over two games. His 42-point effort is the third-most points by a Vandal player in program history and the highest single-game scoring output since 2014.
Jones is the conference leader in six statistical categories entering Saturday's matchup - points per game (19.8), field goal percentage (70.6), field goals made (125), total points (317), blocks (20) and blocks per game (1.25). In four conference games, the junior is averaging 22.5 points to rank first in the Big Sky. Jones is the only player in the nation to average at least 19 points, seven rebounds and shoot 70 percent from the field. On the glass, Jones is averaging a team-high 7.7 rebounds per game.
Fifth-year guard
Divant'e Moffitt has formed into one of the Big Sky's best passers, with 89 total assists to rank first and 5.2 assists per game to rank second. His 1.98 assist-to-turnover ratio is rated third amongst Big Sky players. Moffitt also scores at a high rate, averaging 16.4 points per game - the fifth highest in the league.
True freshman
Nigel Burris is third on the team in scoring with 9.6 points per game - the highest scoring average by a Big Sky freshman this season. The forward is also knocking down shots at a high rate, shooting 51.4 percent from the field, 43.6 percent from three and 89.7 percent from the foul line. His 5.3 rebounds per game are the second most on the Vandals.
Second-year guard
Yusef Salih leads the team from three, knocking down 32 shots and averaging just under two makes per game (1.88). He's made two or more threes in nine games this season, including a career-high five makes against Long Beach State earlier in the year.
Scouting the Eagles
Eastern Washington is the top team in the Big Sky conference through two weeks of play, holding a 10-7 overall record and a perfect 4-0 mark in Big Sky action. The Eagles started conference play with road wins at Montana (87-80) and Montana State (70-67) before following it up with a pair of home victories over Portland State (92-80) and Sac State (78-75) last week.
EWU ranks as one of the top teams in the Big Sky in rebounding and three-point shooting. They pull down 37.6 rebounds a game and make 8.9 shots from three- both marks that rank first in the conference. Offensively, the Eagles are scoring 74.6 points per game while allowing 70.6.
Guard Steele Venters leads the team in scoring during conference action with an average of 19.9 points per game - the third highest in the league. He is shooting 46.7 percent from the field and making 2.3 shots from three. Angelo Allegri is the second-leading scorer on the team, averaging 11.9 points per game.
Series History
Idaho and Eastern Washington will meet for the 96th time in the two programs' history. The Vandals lead the all-time series 59-36 and are 5-5 over the last 10 matchups. Last time out, Idaho earned an 83-80 win at home over EWU.
Scouting the Bobcats
Montana State is 11-7 on the season with a 4-1 conference record. The Bobcats have won three straight, including winners of eight of their last 10. Most recently, MSU earned a win over Idaho State, 81-68.
Two Bobcats score in double figures, including a team-high 16.1 points per game by guard RaeQuan Battle. Battle's 47.2 shooting percentage from the field is four best in the league while his points per game average is the seventh highest. Forward Jubrile Belo averages 12.9 points and leads the team with an average of 5.9 boards per game.
Montana State is one of the top defensive teams in the conference, holding opponents to 66.9 points per game and 41.2 percent shooting from the field - both tops in the Big Sky. MSU has also found success on the fastbreak and scoring off their bench, ranking second with 11.2 fastbreak points and 28.3 bench points.
Series History
The Vandals trail 51-70 in the all-time series. Idaho looks to avenge a 72-58 loss to Montana State in the conference opener in Bozeman back on Dec. 29.
Up Next
The Vandals head down south for a pair of matchups against Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado. Idaho faces the Lumberjacks on Jan. 19 before traveling to play the Bears on Jan. 21.
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