MOSCOW, Idaho – The Idaho men's basketball team hits the road for a pair of conference matchups with Portland State and Sacramento State on Thursday and Saturday.

How to Follow 
Idaho vs. Portland State // Feb. 2 at 7 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Listen: The Varsity Network or GoVandals.com/Listen

Idaho vs. Sacramento State // Feb. 4 at 2 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Listen: The Varsity Network or GoVandals.com/Listen

Last Time Out
The Vandals (8-15, 2-8 BSC) look to bounce back after dropping a pair of losses at home last week against Weber State (73-65) and Idaho State (95-91). 

Idaho took the Bengals to overtime after a Divant'e Moffitt floater found the bottom of the net with four seconds remaining. The Vandals were unable to slow down the ISU offense and contain them on the glass, as they shot 56 percent (36-of-64) from the field, 45 percent (9-of-20) from three and outrebounded Idaho 33-24.  
 
Junior Isaac Jones had another solid performance for Idaho, posting his eighth double-double of the season with 27 points and 14 rebounds. Moffitt pitched in 23 points and five assists, while Trey Smith scored in double figures for the third straight game with 13 points.  

About Idaho
Two-time Big Sky Player of the Week Isaac Jones enters the week as the conference leader in four stat categories - field goal percentage (66.2), field goals made (157), blocks (26) and blocks per game (1.18). In conference action, the junior is averaging 19.4 points to rank third in the Big Sky. He leads the team and ranks fifth in the league in rebounding with an average of 7.5 per game.  

Fifth-year guard Divant'e Moffitt has been one of the league's hottest scorers in conference play, averaging 20.8 points on 46 percent (75-of-163) shooting from the field. Not only has Moffitt been a top contributor scoring the basketball, but he's also been the Vandals' floor general, ranking first in the Big Sky and 16th nationally in total assists with 119. He also ranks second in assists per game (5.2) and fifth in field percentage (48.2) in the Big Sky.   

Jones and Moffitt are listed as two of the top three scorers in the conference on the season. Jones ranks second at 19.1 points per game while Moffitt sits third at 18.6 points a game. The two Spanaway, Washington natives have combined to lead the team in scoring in 19 of 23 games and posted 20 or more points in a combined 19 outings.  
 
Idaho is one of the most efficient teams in the conference, shooting a Big Sky-best 48.1 percent from the field. Idaho has shot over 49 percent in 11 games this season while recording a conference season-high 57 percent shooting effort against Northern Arizona (1/19). The Vandals are averaging the most points per game in the conference at 76.1 points per game this season while allowing 72.7 ppg. Taking care of the basketball has been an emphasis for the Vandals, as they average the second-lowest amount of turnovers per game in the Big Sky at 11.5 and the third-best assist/turnover ratio at 1.08.
 
True freshman Nigel Burris is third on the team in scoring with 8.6 points per game - the highest scoring average by a Big Sky freshman this season. The forward from San Francisco is knocking down shots at a high rate, shooting 50 percent (68-of-135) from the field, 40 percent (26-of-65) from three and 85 percent (35-of-41) from the foul line. His 5.2 rebounds per game are the second most on the Vandals.

Second-year guard Yusef Salih leads the team in three-point shooting, making 42 shots from behind the arc and averaging 1.8 three-point makes per game. He's made two or more threes in 12 games this season, including a career-high five makes against Long Beach State earlier in the year. The Gainesville, Virginia native is also getting it done on the defensive end, leading Idaho with 25 offensive fouls drawn. He has recorded at least one in 18 of Idaho's 23 games. 

Scouting the Vikings
Portland State is 9-13 overall and 3-6 in the conference. The Vikings have lost four of their last five, while most recently dropping a pair of home games to Montana State (75-66) and Montana (73-67).

PSU ranks as one of the top teams in the conference in bench scoring and forcing turnovers. They are first in the Big Sky in bench points per game (30.2), fastbreak points (15.7), steals per game (7.6) and turnovers forced (16.6). 

A trio of double-figure scorers leads the Vikings, including a team-high 15.5 points per game by guard Cameron Parker. The University of Montana transfer also leads the team and conference in assists per game with 5.9. Jorell Saterfield adds 13.3 ppg and Hunter Woods averages 10.8 per contest. 

Series History 
Idaho and Portland State meet for the 37th time in the two programs' history, as Idaho trails 17-19 in the overall series. The Vandals fell at home 74-58 to the Vikings back on Jan. 7. 

Scouting the Hornets
Sacramento State is 12-10 with a 5-4 conference record. The Hornets own an 8-1 record at the Nest. Sac has lost three of their last four, including a 72-65 home loss to Montana State last time out. 

The Hornets are scoring 67.2 points per game while allowing the second-lowest points per game mark at 66.5. They enter the week as one of the top teams in three-point shooting and rebounding, ranking second with 36.5 boards per game and second in three-point shooting percentage (35.8). 

Two Hornets post double-digit scoring averages, including a team-best 15 points per game by Zach Chappell. Center Callum McRae is also a focal point on the offense end with an average of 12 points and team-high 9.4 rebounds per game. 

Series History  
The Vandals own a 21-11 overall record over Sac State. Idaho will look to bounce back from an 85-83 overtime loss to the Hornets in Moscow back on Jan. 5. 

Up Next
The Vandals will compete in a doubleheader with the women's team on Saturday, Feb. 11 against Eastern Washington.

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