MOSCOW, Idaho – The Idaho men's basketball team hosts a pair of home contests in the ICCU Arena this week, welcoming Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado. The Vandals match up against the Lumberjacks on Thursday, Jan. 25 (6 p.m.) before finishing out the week against the Bears on Saturday, Jan. 27 (2 p.m.).
Thursday's contest versus the 'Jacks will be part of Star Wars Night, where the first 100 students will receive a Vandal Lightsaber. Saturday's game against Northern Colorado will be featured as Tribal Nations Night.
The Idaho coaching staff and players will also take part in Coaches vs. Cancer Suits And Sneakers Week (January 22-28). Each member of the staff will suit up to raise awareness and bring attention to the cause. To learn more about the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches' mission, visit
NABC.com.
How to Follow
Idaho vs. Northern Arizona // Jan. 25 at 6 p.m. PST
Watch: SWX //
ESPN+
Live Stats:
SIDEARM Live Stats
Listen:
The Varsity Network or
GoVandals.com/Listen
Tickets:
GoVandals.com/Tickets
Idaho vs. Northern Colorado // Jan. 27 at 2 p.m. PST
Watch:
ESPN+
Live Stats:
SIDEARM Live Stats
Listen:
The Varsity Network or
GoVandals.com/Listen
Tickets:
GoVandals.com/Tickets
Last Time Out
The Vandals fell on the road to Weber State, 88-65 in Ogden this past Saturday.
Idaho jumped out to a 12-point lead in the first nine minutes of action before Weber tied it up at the half, 35-35. The Wildcats took advantage of the Vandals' inability to rebound and guard without fouling to help earn a 23-point victory. Weber scored 12 more free throws than Idaho and outrebounded the Vandals, 37-21.
Julius Mims scored his second-most points of the season with 21 on 10-of-12 shooting. He also grabbed a team-high six rebounds and knocked down one three-pointer.
The backcourt of
Quinn Denker and
D'Angelo Minnis added double-figure scoring efforts, as Denker scored 13 points and Minnis posted 10.
Tyler Linhardt added 11 points, three rebounds and three assists.
About Idaho
The Vandals average the eighth most points per game in the Big Sky at 69.6 points and allow the third-fewest at 70.7.
The Idaho offense is led by junior guard
Quinn Denker, who is the top scorer at 12.3 points per game and ranks first on the team in assists at 56. After scoring in double figures in all five conference contests, Denker ranks seventh in the league in scoring at 16.2 ppg. He has scored in double figures in 13 of 18 games and leads the team with 30 made threes and 222 total points.
Julius Mims is another key contributor who has delivered on both ends of the floor for Idaho, leading the team in six different stat categories and ranking second in scoring at 11.7 points per game. He ranks first in field goals made (86), total rebounds (131), field goal percentage (62.8) rebounds per game (7.3), steals (18) and blocks (27). Amongst Big Sky players, Mims is rated in the top 10 in rebounding (6th), blocks per game (2nd), offensive rebounding (2.11, 5th), defensive rebounding (5.17, 6th) and double-doubles (4, T-4th). Mims has been one of Idaho's go-to scorers over the last four games, averaging 16.3 points and scoring 19 or more points in two games.
D'Angelo Minnis scores the third most points on the team at 9.8 per contest and sits second in assists at 55. He has scored in double figures in nine of 16 games, most recently scoring 10 points at Weber State.
Tyler Linhardt got the start in his third and fourth game over this past week at Idaho State and Weber State, posting 13 and 11 points, respectively. The Washington transfer has now posted 10 or more points in seven games, including a career-high 18 points against Portland State (12/30). The scoring success has climbed Linhardt up to 8.1 points per game which is fourth best on the team.
Scouting Northern Arizona
Despite opening conference play 0-3, the Lumberjacks (9-10, 2-3 BSC) found their rhythm last week defeating Portland State and Sacramento State in their first home contests of Big Sky action.
Junior forward Carson Basham led the squad against Portland State with career-highs in points (23) and blocks (6) while adding 10 rebounds for his third double-double this season. Basham leads the Big Sky with 29 total blocks and 1.53 blocks per game.
Guard Trent McLaughlin is the only 'Jack averaging double-digits with 15.5 points per game (fourth in the Big Sky). McLaughlin compiled 50 points in two games last week on 16-36 shooting.
Series History
Idaho is 43-29 all-time versus Northern Arizona, dating back to the 1965-66 season. The two programs faced off three times during the 2022-23 season with each team earning a win on the road during regular season play before NAU won (76-87) in the first round of the Big Sky Tournament, on Mar. 4, 2023.
Scouting Northern Colorado
The Bears (11-7, 4-1 BSC) stand at second in the conference after winning seven of their last eight games and most recently earning home wins over Sacramento State and Portland State last week.
Five-time Big Sky Player of the Week honoree Saint Thomas does it all for the Bears leading the team in every statistical category except for assists. Thomas posts a league-best 19.9 points per game and 128 field goals made. He's scored at least 20 points in 11 games this season.
Thomas notched a 2024 Big Sky-best 37 points on 13-20 shooting in an overtime win at Montana on Jan. 11. He nearly averages a double-double with 9.8 rebounds per game, while sitting just behind Weber State's Dillon Jones (12) at nine double-doubles.
Northern Colorado tops the Big Sky in fastbreak points (11.89) and scoring offense (81.5).
Three other Bears average at least 10 points - Dejour Reaves (14.2), Brock Wisne (12.2), and Jaron Rillie (10.7).
Series History
The Vandals are 5-11 all-time versus Northern Colorado since 2015. The Vandals won the first meeting, 83-79, at Cowan Spectrum on Jan. 24, 2015 before earning an 84-82 victory in the last meeting on Feb. 16, 2023 in Lewiston, Idaho.
Up Next
The Vandals head on the road for their next four games starting with a road trip at Montana on February 1 and Montana State on February 3.
--
