BOISE, Idaho -- Idaho men's basketball is set for the first round of the Big Sky Championships this Saturday. The Vandals begin their run with an opening-round matchup against No. 9 Northern Arizona at 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time inside Idaho Central Arena. 

How to Follow
#10 Idaho vs. #9 Northern Arizona // Mar. 4 at 4:30 p.m. PT  
Watch: ESPN+ 
Live Stats: StatBroadcast 
Listen: GoVandals.com/Listen // The Varsity Network

The Vandals split the season series against the Lumberjacks, with each team picking up a victory on the road. Idaho prevailed in the first meeting of the season (Jan. 19), earning a 88-83 victory on Northern Arizona's home court before NAU responded with a 72-50 victory in Moscow on Feb. 18.  

Last Time Out
Idaho closed out its final regular season game with a 68-53 loss against Montana on Senior Night. Shooting troubles doomed the Vandals for their fourth straight game, as they went 19-of-49 (39%) from the field and 2-of-10 (20%) from three. Despite shots not falling from the field, Idaho managed to go 13-of-16 (81%) from the foul line - the 12th game this season the Vandals' have shot 80 percent or higher. 

Divant'e Moffitt recorded his 14th game of 20-plus points or more in his final regular-season game as a Vandal, leading the way with 21 points on 10-19 shooting from the field and three assists. 

Forwards Isaac Jones and Nigel Burris recorded double figures on the night, as Jones had 14 points and Burris added 11 points. Jones also cleaned up the glass for the Vandals and secured the 11th double-double of his junior campaign with 12 rebounds.

About Idaho
Two-time Big Sky Player of the Week Isaac Jones leads the Big Sky both offensively and defensively in multiple stat categories, ranking first in field goal percentage (63.0), field goals made (218), blocks (34) and blocks per game (1.13). He maintains the fourth-highest points-per-game average in Big Sky play at 19.4. Jones leads the team and ranks fourth in the league in rebounding with an average of 7.9.  

Fifth-year guard Divant'e Moffitt has also been one of the most productive scorers in conference action, averaging the third-highest mark at 19.5 points per game on 46 percent (129-of-279) shooting from the field. Not only has Moffitt been a top contributor scoring the basketball, but he's also been the Vandals' top passer, ranking second in the Big Sky and 30th nationally in total assists with 154. The fifth-year guard is also rated second in the Big Sky in assists per game (5.0) and free throw makes (143), third in field goal makes (204), and seventh in field percentage (47.8).   

Through 31 games, Jones and Moffitt enter Saturday's matchup listed as two of the top three scorers in the Big Sky. Jones scored the second most points per game at 19.2 while Moffitt sits third at 18.4. The two Spanaway, Washington natives have combined to lead the team in scoring in 27 of 31 games and posted 20 or more points in a combined 27 outings.  
 
Idaho is one of the most efficient shooting teams in the conference, holding the third-highest field goal percentage in the Big Sky at 47.1 percent from the field. Idaho has shot over 50 percent in 12 games this season while recording a season-high 64 percent (33-52) from the field against Sacramento State (2/4). The Vandals are averaging 72.9 while allowing 72.4 ppg. Guarding without fouling and taking care of the basketball has been an emphasis for the Vandals, as they average the second-lowest amount of fouls per game in the Big Sky at 16.7 and the third-least amount of turnovers at 11.2.
 
True freshman Nigel Burris is third on the team in scoring with 8.4 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 52 percent (91-of-176) from the field, 44 percent (37-of-84) from three and 88 percent (42-of-48) from the foul line. His five rebounds per game are the second most on the Vandals and also a Big Sky best for a freshman.

Sophomore guard Yusef Salih leads the team in three-point shooting, making 47 shots from behind the arc. He's made two or more threes in 13 games this season. The Gainesville, Virginia native is also getting it done on the defensive end, leading Idaho with 28 offensive fouls drawn. He has recorded at least one in 21 of Idaho's 31 games.

Scouting the Lumberjacks
Since meeting the Vandals back on Feb. 18, Northern Arizona is 1-1 with an 85-82 win over Northern Colorado (2/25) and a 90-89 overtime loss to Weber State (2/27). The Lumberjacks ended the regular season 9-22 overall and 5-13 in Big Sky play to position themselves as the nine-seed entering the conference tournament. 

Northern Arizona is scoring an average of 72.6 per game while allowing 74.3. The Lumberjacks enter the Big Sky Championships ranked first in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.31) and turnovers per game (10.9). As a team, they are also rated second in offensive rebounds (10.3) and third in three-point makes (8.3). 

The Jacks' offense is powered by Jalen Cone's team-leading 17.3 points per game. He is the fifth-leading scorer in the conference and ranks first in total three-point makes (83) and three-pointers per game (2.86). Backcourt teammate Xavier Fuller and forward Carson Towt also provide a spark offensively as Fuller averages 12.8 points per game and Towt records 9.7 ppg.

Series History
The two programs will match up for the first time at the Big Sky Conference Tournament. Idaho owns a 43-28 all-time series record over Northern Arizona dating back to 1965-66. The Vandals have lost eight of their last 10 games against the Lumberjacks. 
 
The winner will go on to play the regular season champion Eastern Washington Eagles on Sunday, March 5 at 4:30 p.m. PT. 

Tickets for the Big Sky Championships in Boise can be purchased online by visiting BigSkyInBoise.com. Fans can also call 208-331-TIXS, visit the Idaho Central Arena Box Office in-person or go to IdahoCentralArena.com to purchase online. 

2023 Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Championship Schedule

First Round – Saturday, March 4 (all times Mountain)
Game 1: Northern Arizona vs. Idaho – 5:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 2: Portland State vs. Northern Colorado – 8:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
 
Second Round – Sunday, March 5
Game 3: Eastern Washington vs. Game 1 Winner – 5:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 4: Montana State vs. Game 2 Winner – 8:00 p.m. (ESPN+)

Third Round – Monday, March 6
Game 5: Montana vs. Idaho State – 5:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 6: Weber State vs. Sacramento State – 8:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
 
Semifinals – Tuesday, March 7
Game 7: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner – 6:30 p.m. (ESPNU and ESPN+)
Game 8: Game 4 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner – 9:00 p.m. (ESPN2 and ESPN+)
 
Championship – Wednesday, March 8
Game 9: Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner – 9:30 p.m. (ESPN2 and ESPN+)

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