MOSCOW, Idaho – The Idaho men's basketball team (6-6) kicks off its 18-game conference schedule Thursday night when the Vandals host Sacramento State for their Big Sky opener at 6 p.m. PST inside the ICCU Arena. Following Thursday's action, UI will close the 2023 year with a Saturday afternoon home matchup against Portland State at 2 p.m. PST.
How to Follow
Idaho vs. Sacramento State // Dec. 28 at 6 p.m. PST
Watch:
ESPN+
Live Stats:
SIDEARM Live Stats
Listen:
The Varsity Network or
GoVandals.com/Listen
Tickets:
Holiday Slam Dunk Special
Idaho vs. Portland State// Dec. 30 at 2 p.m. PST
Watch:
ESPN+
Live Stats:
SIDEARM Live Stats
Listen:
The Varsity Network or
GoVandals.com/Listen
Last Time Out
The Vandals fell in a pair of contests at Stanford (64-82) and UC Riverside (67-82) in its final non-conference road trip of the season.
The Silver and Gold held a two-point (39-37) advantage against the Highlanders at the end of the first half. UC Riverside responded in the second period, shooting 55 percent to Idaho's 32 percent to help earn a double-digit victory.
Julius Mims put together one of his best performances in an Idaho uniform, posting a season-high 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field and knocking down two shots from three. He also recorded his third double-double of the year with 11 rebounds while adding three blocks.
D'Angelo Minnis followed with 12 points and nine assists.
Despite Idaho's back-to-back losses, the Vandals 6-6 record is the best 12-game start to a season since 2017. The Vandals will look past their recent struggles, as they begin a fresh start to the season with conference action on the horizon.
Scouting the Hornets
Sacramento State is 3-8 overall and 1-4 on the road. During non-conference play, the Hornets earned wins over Pacific Union (128-66), UC Davis (69-63) and Bethesda (100-45). Sac State and Idaho met two common opponents in preseason action - Stanford and UC San Diego. The Hornets fell to Stanford (73-91) on the road and lost at home to UC San Diego, 52-83.
As a team, the Hornets enter Thursday's matchup as one of the top teams in the Big Sky at rebounding the basketball and knocking down shots from behind the arc. They rank first in three-point makes (9.8), rebound margin (10.3), defensive (27.6) and offensive (13.5) rebounds per game, and total rebounds (41). Offensively, Sac State scores the fourth most points per game in the league at 74.3, while allowing the seventh most at 73.7 per game.
Three Hornets average in double figures, including a team-high 13.5 points per game from Duncan Powell. The sophomore forward also leads the team on the glass with the third most rebounds in the conference at 9.5. Zee Hamoda adds 12.9 points while Brandon Betson posts 11.2 to round out their top 3 scorers.
Series History
The all-time series between Idaho and Sacramento State totals 33 meetings, with Idaho leading 22-11 and winners of three of the last five games at home.
The two programs first met in 1968 in Moscow where Idaho earned a 65-57 victory. They would cross paths 13 more times as regional competitors before the two teams would become conference foes in 2014-15 when Idaho rejoined the Big Sky.
The two split the home-and-home series in 2022-23, as each team won on the road in a pair of overtime affairs. The Hornets earned an 85-83 win over Idaho on Jan. 5, 2023, before the Vandals won in Sacramento, 82-76 a month later on Feb. 4.
Scouting the Vikings
Portland State matched its best start to a season in program history and sits atop the Big Sky with a 9-3 overall mark and a 4-2 record away from Portland. The Vikings are winners of three of their last four, including an overtime win over Fresno State (75-72) at the buzzer last time out. The Viks have been as good as anyone in end-of-game situations winning three games at the buzzer.
It's been an all-around scoring effort for the Vikings, as five players average at least nine points per game - KJ Allen (10.6), Isaiah Johnson (10.3), Jorell Saterfield (10), Bobby Harvey (9.7) and Ismail Habib (9.3). Allen not only scores the ball at a high rate, but he also leads PSU in rebounding (6.1) and steals (13). He played hero in the team's win over Fresno State, knocking down a three from the left wing as time expired.
The Vikings score the seventh most points per game in the Big Sky at 73.8 while allowing the third fewest with 66.9 per game. PSU grabs the second most rebounds (38.9), while ranking second in blocks (4), offensive rebounds (12.1), total rebounds (38.9) and turnover margin (3.2).
Series History
Saturday's meeting between Idaho and Portland State will be the 37th time the two teams have faced off since 1965. PSU holds a slight 20-16 edge over the Vandals and has won four of the last five contests.
Since the two programs became conference foes in 2014-15, Idaho is 7-9 and looks to snap a three-game losing streak at home.
Idaho fell in both games last season to Portland State, dropping a home contest by a score of 58-74 on Jan. 7, before falling on the road, 66-69 on Feb. 2.
Vandal Notables
- Idaho closed non-conference play with a 6-6 record, which is the best 12-game start to a regular season for an Idaho team since 2017. The Vandals earned wins over teams from the Big West, WAC and WCC, and opened the month of December 3-0 for the first time since 2010.
- Idaho is 6-2 when leading at halftime and 6-0 when outrebounding their opponent.
- Junior forward Julius Mims is the only player in the Big Sky to average at least 10 points, seven rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.
- Mims has been one of the most consistent scorers in the league (Minimum 4 FGM/G average), shooting the third best field goal percentage in the conference at 59.6 percent. He has made 53 of 89 shots and most recently scored a Division 1 career-high of 23 points on 9-of-13 against UC Riverside. The 6-9 transfer from North Idaho College leads the conference in total blocks (20) and blocks per game (1.67). He also ranks fourth with three double-doubles and sixth in total rebounds (88) and rebounds per game (7.3).
- The Vandals are the Big Sky's leading shot-blocking team, averaging 4.1 blocks per game. They have recorded at least four blocks in nine games and have been primarily led by Mims, who has recorded two or more blocks in seven games.
- Coming off a career-high nine assists against UC Riverside, D'Angelo Minnis moved up to second in the Big Sky in total assists (45) and third in assists per game at 3.8. He has dished out at least four assists in five games this season.
- Redshirt freshman Tyler Linhardt continues to lead the second unit in scoring as of late, posting double figures in four of his last five and averaging 11.6 points in his last five games. His effectiveness off the bench has Idaho ranked third in the Big Sky in bench scoring at 27.6.
Up Next
The Vandals host a mid-week matchup on Wednesday, Jan. 3 against St. Thomas as a part of the Summit League Challenge next week. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. in Moscow.
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