MOSCOW, Idaho – Idaho men's basketball (10-15, 4-9 Big Sky) looks to carry its momentum from Saturday's win over Idaho State into a pair of road matchups against Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona. The week gets started against the Bears in Greeley on Thursday, Feb. 22 (5 p.m. PST) before closing the week with a Saturday, Feb. 24 matinee against the Lumberjacks at 1 p.m. PST in Flagstaff.
How to Follow
Idaho vs. Northern Colorado // Feb. 22 at 5 p.m. PST
Watch:
ESPN+
Live Stats:
SIDEARM Live Stats
Listen:
The Varsity Network or
GoVandals.com/Listen
Idaho vs. Northern Arizona // Feb. 24 at 1 p.m. PST
Watch:
ESPN+
Live Stats:
StatBroadcast
Listen:
The Varsity Network or
GoVandals.com/Listen
Last Time Out
Idaho used another gritty defensive effort to be on the right side of a 55-53 victory over Idaho State and clinch its first victory over their in-state rival since 2020.
The in-state battle included 18 lead changes, 12 ties and neither team leading by more than two possessions throughout. The low-scoring affair witnessed UI force the Bengals into 16 turnovers that Idaho capitalized into 15 points. The Vandals held the Bengals without a point for the opening three minutes and 26 seconds and without a field goal for almost five minutes three-quarters of the way through the second half to help prevail.
Freshman
Kristian Gonzalez was a key contributor for Idaho's second unit all night, especially down the stretch with seven of the Vandals' final 12 points. The guard from Chula Vista, California ended with 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting to tie a season high in points and eclipse his most made shots this year.
Kyson Rose also led the team in scoring with 11 points, which is the fifth straight game the forward has scored in double figures.
Arguably the biggest performance of the afternoon came from
Julius Mims. He continued to show why he is one of the best all-around players in the Big Sky, totaling eight points, 14 rebounds, five steals, and two blocks. The backcourt of
Trevon Blassingame and
Quinn Denker also provided key contributions to the Vandal victory. Blassingame posted nine points on 3-of-6 shooting while Denker also recorded nine points and three assists.
Vandal Tidbits
- A 55-53 win over ISU clinched the Vandals' 10th win of the 2023-24 campaign, which matches last year's total. Idaho is now one win shy from the most in a single season since 2017-18.
- After 1,442 days and seven winless contests later, the Idaho Vandals came out on top over their rival to increase their series lead to 66-54.
- Idaho's 12 steals versus the Bengals was the most against an opponent since forcing 12 against Cal State Northridge in the second game of the season.
- After allowing 53 points in a win over ISU, Idaho moved to 6-0 on the season when holding opponents to 59 or fewer points.
- The five steals recorded by Julius Mims against Idaho State were the most against a Division 1 opponent since Rashad Smith in 2023 (5). The output was also good enough for the second most in a Big Sky game this year (6, Robert Ford lll).
- Mims has tallied 14 rebounds in games against St. Thomas, Montana State and Idaho State. He becomes the first Vandal player to grab at least 14 rebounds in three different games in a single season since BJ Blake (2017-18). His 14 rebounds in the two conference games also rank second most in a Big Sky game this season, right behind Dillon Jones (15).
- With two blocks against ISU, Mims has now totaled 42 on the season, which is tied for 10th all-time in the Idaho record book for most blocks in a single season. At least six games remain in the 2023-24 season and Mims is on pace to enter the top 5 and pass former Vandal great Kyle Barone (50, 2011-12). The Big Sky's leading shot blocker has posted two or more blocks in 14 games and at least three blocks in six games.
- Amongst Big Sky players this season, Mims is rated in the top 10 in rebounding (4th, 7.6), blocks per game (1st), total blocks (1st), offensive rebounds (6th, 2.0), defensive rebounds (5th 5.6), steals (9th, 1.2) and double-doubles (T-5th, 5).
- Idaho's 20 assists at Eastern Washington was the first time recording 20 or more in a single game against a D-1 opponent since 2019 at Arkansas State (21).
- Idaho's 81-75 road win over Montana State was the first time the Vandals won in Bozeman since February 5, 2015.
- Guard Quinn Denker leads the Vandals in scoring in conference play, averaging 13.5 points per game. Denker has scored 10 or more in 18 games this season.
- Not only is Denker an effective scorer, but he's also been Idaho's best passer. He has dished out 94 assists and averaged 3.6 per game - both marks rank sixth in the Big Sky.
- The Vandals' most consistent scorer as of late has come from junior forward Kyson Rose. The Kennewick, Wash. native has scored in double figures in five straight games, including a Division 1 career-high 15 points against Eastern Washington (2/10). He is averaging 12.6 points and shooting 64 percent (21-33) from the field over his last five.
Scouting the Bears
- Northern Colorado has won three out of their last four games, including a 5-1 mark in six conference home games to place second in the Big Sky standings at 9-4 in league play and 16-10 overall.
- Six-time Big Sky Player of the Week honoree, Saint Thomas leads the Bears in scoring and rebounding with a double-double average of 19.9 points per game and 10.1 rebounds.
- Thomas leads the league in three stat categories, including the sixth most double-doubles in the nation with 16. He has also made the most field goals (181) and is the leading rebounder. Thomas even ranks second in the conference in scoring, total points (518), free throw percentage (85.7) and defensive rebounds (8.1).
- A counterpart to Thomas is junior guard Dejour Reaves. He is playing his best basketball over the last four games, averaging 24.3 ppg and scoring at least 20 points in each game.
- Northern Colorado boasts the best offense in the Big Sky, leading the league in scoring at 80.6 and ranking second in field goal percentage at 48.4.
- The Bears have been especially effective on the fast break with a conference-best 11.96 points in transition.
Series History vs. Northern Colorado
- The Vandals are 5-12 all-time against the Bears.
- The first-ever meeting between the two programs happened after Idaho rejoined the Big Sky in 2014-15. The outcome went in favor of the Vandals by a score of 83-79 at home.
- Idaho is 2-5 against Northern Colorado in Greeley and 1-12 over the last 13 meetings.
- This will be the second time the two teams face off this season as Northern Colorado earned an 89-68 victory at the ICCU Arena back on Jan. 27. The Vandals were within four points at the break before UNC took over in the second half behind a key 22-4 run. Three Vandals contributed double-figure scoring efforts, including a team-high 14 points from Quinn Denker. Terren Frank came off the bench to score 13 points while Tyler Linhardt added 10.
Scouting the Lumberjacks
- Northern Arizona has won of two of their last three, entering the week ranked eighth in the Big Sky standings with a 12-15 overall mark, 5-8 in the conference and a 6-3 home record. The 'Jacks most recently fell to Portland State on the road, 83-68.
- NAU is led by a pair of double-figure scorers in Trent McLaughlin and Carson Basham. McLaughlin averages 16.7 ppg while Basham follows at 11.6 points and team team-best 6.1 rebounds. McLaughlin lets it fly from three, attempting the most shots in the conference at 177 and connecting on the second most (62).
- McLaughlin's points per game average ranks third best in the Big Sky.
- As a team, NAU is the best at limiting success behind the 3-point line with the lowest three-point percentage defense at 32.3.
Series History vs. Northern Arizona
- Idaho is 43-30 against the Lumberjacks, dating back to the 1965-66 season.
- The first-ever meeting was a high-scoring affair that saw Idaho go out on top with a 122-109 result over NAU in Moscow.
- Over the last 10 matchups, the Vandals are 2-8 overall and 1-2 on the road.
- The last time Idaho visited Flagstaff, the Vandals earned an 88-83 win on Jan. 19.
- Idaho and Northern Arizona will face off for the second time this year after the Lumberjacks won in a 75-60 decision on Jan. 25.
Up Next
Idaho will visit another busy portion of its schedule and look to close out regular season play with some momentum before heading off to Boise for the Big Sky Tournament. The Vandals host Montana State (Feb. 29) and Montana (Mar. 2) before traveling to Portland State (Mar. 4), part of their second stint of three games in five days.
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