Idaho (2-0, 0-0) vs. San Diego (1-1, 0-0)
MOSCOW, Idaho – Idaho heads to Southern California for its first true road trip of the season, with two games in the San Diego area on the week's docket, both rematches from last season. The trip begins with a matchup against San Diego on Wednesday, November 12.
The Vandals and Toreros met last season at the Jenny Craig Pavilion, with USD taking a 68-61 victory in the early-season contest. Before last November, they had not played since 1984.
San Diego went 6-27 last season, finishing at the bottom of the West Coast Conference during the regular season. The Toreros found momentum in March, however, winning their first round game at the WCC Tournament. USD has a nearly entirely new roster for the 2025-26 campaign, bringing in 14 newcomers for fourth-season head coach Steve Lavin. After being selected to finish ninth in the WCC Preseason Poll, San Diego has opened their season with a 1-1 start, holding a victory over DIII Occidental College and falling to Idaho State by three.
The first week of the season served the Vandals well, as they were one of only three Big Sky teams to finish without a loss (Sacramento State and Northern Colorado), and the only one to do so with a DI win on their resume. Idaho's victories over Washington State and Whitman shot them up to 207th in the KenPom rankings, their highest position following a game since 2018.
UI's 44-point win over Whitman was the Vandals' largest since November 2023. Just like in their season-opener, six Vandals scored in double-figures, with freshman Jackson Rasmussen leading the charge with 19. To this point, the Meridian native has averaged 15.5 points per game over his first two college appearances, the most by a freshman in the Big Sky. Alongside fellow Treasure Valley native Brody Rowbury, Rasmussen has been extremely efficient, with both Vandal newcomers shooting above a 65% clip from the field, a top-five mark in the league.
IDAHO NOTES
- Idaho features five players on the roster that hail from the Gem State for the first time since the 1971-72 season
- Idaho's February 19, 2026 game at Portland State was selected to air on ESPNU as part of the Big Sky's distribution deal with the Worldwide Leader in Sports.
- This will mark the first time the Vandal men have had a regular season game appear on a linear ESPN since the 2010-11 season.
- Idaho heads into Wednesday's contest after out-rebounding its opponent in back-to-back games for the seventh time in the Pribble era
- The Vandals have made 81.1% of their foul shots, the best mark in the Big Sky and a top-25 number in the nation
- An investment in height and frontcourt size has paid off for the Vandals, with UI averaging 34.5 rebounds per game on the defensive end this season, the 14th highest mark in the nation, and over 10 per game higher than last season
NUMBERS TO KNOW
- 120: The 2025-26 season marks the 120th year of Idaho men's basketball. In the first 119 seasons, the Vandals won five conference titles, made four NCAA tournament appearances, and had five All-American players
- 100: All season long, Idaho Basketball is remembering the life and legacy of the legendary Vandal, Don Monson. Monson was a three-time basketball letterman as a student, but his biggest honor was as head basketball coach from 1978 to 1983, where he led the Vandals to a Sweet Sixteen appearance and earned 100 wins over five seasons
- 5: Five Idaho natives are on this season's roster, the most since the 1971-72 season
- 48: Idaho has made five or more threes in 48 straight contests, tied for the 10th longest streak in the nation
- 4: Idaho's preseason ranking in both Big Sky Preseason Polls, their highest since 2017
- 62.7: The Vandals return the most minutes in the Big Sky, with three out of their five most common starters staying in Moscow for the 2025-26 season
- 14: Head Coach Alex Pribble led Idaho to 14 regular season wins last year, the most since the 2017-18 season.
- 2: Two of Idaho's regular season games are set to take place in Boise this season, the first time the Vandals will play a regular contest in the state capital since the fall of 2018
- 308: The 2024-25 Vandals relied heavily on play from beyond the arc, setting a new school record for made triples at 308.
- 33: Idaho currently holds a rebounding margin of 33, their largest through two games in the last 10 years.
- 2014: Idaho is 2-0 for the first time since the 2014-15 season
- 7: Seven Vandals are currently averaging 10 or more points per game
UP NEXT
The Vandals continue their two game SoCal stay with a game against UC San Diego on Saturday, November 15. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. and the game will be available on ESPN+ and the Vandal Radio Network.
TICKETS
Tickets are available for Idaho's Holiday Hoops Classic on November 26 and 28. Watch the Vandals and Idaho State take on CSUN and Sam Houston State in downtown Boise. Tickets can be purchased through the Idaho Central Arena box office today!
Season tickets are on sale now! For more information, call the Vandal ticket office at (208) 885-6466 or visit govandals.com/tickets.
Idaho Athletics has announced that student tickets for all home football, basketball, volleyball, and soccer home games are completely free of charge. To claim yours, visit govandals.com/tickets.
FOLLOW THE VANDALS
To stay up to date with Vandal Hoops, follow the team on Instagram (vandalhoops), X (VandalHoops), and by visiting govandals.com.
