Idaho (2-1, 0-0) vs. UC San Diego (3-0, 0-0)

• LionTree Arena (4,200) | La Jolla, Calif.
• 1 p.m.: Tip-off on ESPN+ 
• Listen: Vandal Radio Network | The Varsity Network App (Doug Taylor)
• Live Stats
• Game Notes

MOSCOW, Idaho – Idaho Basketball is set to face off against UC San Diego for the second game of their stay in the city, after dropping their first contest of the season on Wednesday at USD. 

Idaho has played the Tritons in each of the past two years, with the two sides splitting those meetings. UI reigned victorious during the 2023-24 season, winning an overtime thriller at a neutral site, before UCSD beat Idaho a season ago in Moscow. 

UC San Diego is coming off a season where they won 30 games and earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament in their first season of eligibility at the DI level. This year's team is nearly entirely different, with Clint Allard entering his first season as head coach, bringing in 10 newcomers, and retaining no starters from the 2024-25 campaign. The Tritons are off to a hot start this year, with wins in each of their first three games, including a victory over Fresno State on Wednesday, 78-73.

Freshman Jackson Rasmussen continued his early-season run on Wednesday, posting 23 points on 6-10 shooting, while earning 12 trips to the free throw line. The Meridian native is now averaging 18 points over the first three contests, the 13th highest mark by any freshman in the country.  Even with the standout performances of Rasmussen, scoring has still been a team effort for the Vandals, with four or more players scoring in double figures in each of Idaho's first three games. 

Fellow Meridian native Brody Rowbury is the only other Vandal to post 10 or more points in each of the first three games. The senior has been a force for Idaho inside, making 65% of his shots and pulling down nearly six boards a game, while averaging 11 points per contest. Per KenPom, UI has squeezed 22.3% of their points from the five this season, the most under Coach Pribble. Idaho's other major frontcourt addition, Seth Joba, has gotten off to a solid start this year, averaging a team high 7.7 rebounds a game, while also being a threat on the defensive end with a block percentage of 6.7%. 


IDAHO NOTES

• Idaho features five players on the roster that hail from the Gem State for the first time since the 1971-72 season
  • Brody Rowbury (Meridian), Jack Payne (Boise), Titus Yearout (Lapwai), Kolton Mitchell (Coeur D'Alene), and Jackson Rasmussen (Meridian)
• 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 Saturday's contest after out-rebounding its opponent in three straight games for only the third time in the Pribble era.
  • If the Vandals win the battle on the glass on Saturday, this will be the first time ever that they have done so in four straight games under Pribble.

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
• 49: Idaho has made five or more threes in 49 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.
• 15: Idaho currently holds a rebounding margin of 15.7, fourth-best in the Big Sky Conference
• 2014: Idaho started the year 2-0 for the first time since the 2014-15 season
• 6: The Vandals had six double-digit scorers in the first two contests of the year and have had at least four in all three games to date.

UP NEXT
Idaho will take a week off prior to a home matchup with Eastern Oregon on Saturday, November 22. Tip is set for 6 p.m., with the game airing 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.