MOSCOW, Idaho – The Idaho men's basketball team jumpstarts a three-game homestand this week with a pair of matchups against Denver on Nov. 29 and Cal Poly on Dec. 2. The Vandals (3-3) face the Pioneers (4-3) on Thursday at 6 pm before a Saturday tilt versus the Mustangs (2-4) at 2 p.m. 

Saturday's meeting against Cal Poly will provide a perfect opportunity for fans to get their fix of Vandal football and Vandal hoops on the same day. If you show your football playoff ticket at the door for the basketball game, you'll receive a discounted general admission ticket for $5. 

How to Follow 
Idaho vs. Denver // Nov. 29 at 6 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+ 
Live Stats: SIDEARM Live Stats
Listen: The Varsity Network or GoVandals.com/Listen
Tickets: GoVandals.com/Tickets

Idaho vs. Cal Poly // Dec. 2 at 2 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+ 
Live Stats: SIDEARM Live Stats
Listen: The Varsity Network or GoVandals.com/Listen
Tickets: GoVandals.com/Tickets

Last Time Out
Idaho closed out its west coast road trip last week in Seattle with a 1-1 record, defeating UC San Diego 73-70 in overtime. Four Vandals secured double-figure scoring efforts, including a double-double performance of 17 points and 12 rebounds from Julius Mims. D'Angelo Minnis joined in with 15 points while Quinn Denker and Trevon Blassingame recorded 12 points each. 

The biggest play of the game happened at the 29-second mark in the overtime period with the Vandals trailing 68-69, as Terren Frank forced a Triton turnover that led to a go-ahead layup by Blassingame. The Vandals won the game at the foul line to hand UC San Diego its first loss of the season and secure head coach Alex Pribble's first Division l victory at Idaho. 

A third of the Vandal roster features local ties to the Seattle area, including Blassingame, Tyler Linhardt and Minnis, who showed up in the biggest moments to rally Idaho to a three-point victory. The trio combined to score 27 points in the second half and overtime period to help the Vandals move to 3-3.

Idaho made the most out of its 10 offensive rebounds, scoring 18 second-chance points to the Tritons seven. The Vandals also turned UC San Diego's 11 turnovers into 11 points.

Scouting the Pioneers 
Denver is 4-3 overall and 1-2 on the road. The Pioneers own wins over Cal Poly (97-76), Nicholls (91-85), Colorado Christian (100-68) and Texas A&M-Commerce (71-61). 
 
The Pioneers are led in the backcourt by Tommy Bruner, who leads the nation in scoring at 25.6 points per game and recorded 27 or more points in four out of six games. The fifth-year guard also finds himself top 10 in free throws made (7th, 44) and field goals made (5th, 55). 

Frontcourt teammate Touko Tainamo also gets it done on the offensive end for Denver, averaging the third most points in the Summit League at 19.1 per game. The junior forward has been consistent on the glass with the second-best rebound per game average in the conference at 9.4 while securing two double-doubles. 

Denver has been one of the more dominant teams in the country rebounding the basketball and knocking down shots from the foul line at a high rate. They rank second in the league in rebounds per game (41) and offensive rebounds per game (14), and first in all three free throw stat categories - free throw attempts (30.1), percentage (71.6) and makes (21.6). 

Series History
The two programs face off for the sixth time (0-5) in series history on Wednesday night, as the Vandals look for their first win. The series began in 1965 with Denver earning back-to-back wins in 1965 and 1966 before taking a 46-year hiatus. Idaho and Denver returned to play for two more games in 2012-13 when both teams were members of the Western Athletic Conference. Idaho will look to avenge its most recent loss last season, where Denver came out on top, 68-63.    

Scouting the Mustangs 
Cal Poly starts the 2023-24 season 2-4 with a pair of wins over La Verne (80-62) and St. Thomas (61-60). The Mustangs are winless on the road this season with an 0-3 mark. 

Three players score at least eight points a game, including a team-high 16.2 points from Kobe Sanders. Jarred Hyder adds 11.7 per game while Quentin Jones pitches in 8.3.  

The Mustangs are averaging 66.3 points per game while allowing 73.2. Taking care of the basketball has been an emphasis for Cal Poly, committing the second least amount of turnovers per game at 9.8. 

Series History 
Idaho and Cal Poly meet for the 22nd time in series history, as the Vandals hold a 12-9 lead dating back to 1954. The Mustangs have won the last two meetings, including an 82-71 win at home last season in San Luis Obispo.

Up Next 
Idaho closes its home stretch next week with a matchup against Pacific on Dec. 5 at 6 p.m. inside the ICCU Arena. 

Tickets
Single-game and season tickets are available now. For more information, call the Vandal ticket office at (208) 885-6466 or visit GoVandals.com/tickets. 

Follow
Fans can follow the Vandals all season long on Facebook, Instagram, and X at @VandalHoops, and with the Voice of the Vandals, Chris King, at GoVandals.com/Listen. All home and conference contests will be streamed live through ESPN+.

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