Idaho (3-2, 0-0) vs. CSUN (3-1, 0-0)

• Idaho Central Arena (5,300) | Boise, Idaho
• 7 p.m. MT: Tip-off on ESPN+ (Michael Walsh, Andy Harrington)
• Listen: Vandal Radio Network | The Varsity Network App (Dennis Patchin)
• Live Stats
• Game Notes
• Tickets

BOISE, Idaho – For the first time since 2018, Idaho Basketball heads to Boise for a regular season contest. The 2025 edition of the Holiday Hoops Classic sees the Vandals playing the Big West's CSUN and Sam Houston State out of Conference USA.

The Vandals and Matadors have met 14 times, dating back to 2001. The former conference mates faced off eight times as members of the Big West and last squared off in Northridge in December 2022, with Idaho winning 76-73.

After their first 20-win season in over 15 years, the Matadors head into the 2025-26 season after being picked fifth in a deep Big West Conference. CSUN retained only one starter from last season, while bringing in eight transfers from across the country. They opened the season by winning three of their first five, and are coming off a nine-point win against Troy. The Matadors hold a top-30 rebound margin while snagging nearly 16 offensive boards a game, the 16th most in the country.

Ui has controlled the glass this season, outrebounding its opponent in all five contests and only allowing an offensive rebound 19% of the time, the third-lowest rate in the nation. Meridian native Brody Rowbury has been key in this effort, leading Idaho in rebounds per game, while snagging an offensive board on 13.7% of his possessions, fourth best of any Big Sky player. The Vandals' rebounding renaissance has seen their average count grow by seven boards a game and hold their opponents to 12% less offensive rebounds compared to last season, according to KenPom.

The two other Treasure Valley natives on Idaho's roster have been key pieces in the early season. Freshman Jackson Rasmussen finds himself among some of the best first year players in the nation through the first three weeks of the season, as his field goal percentage and points per game numbers place him in the top-15 nationally, while playing 84.2% of available minutes against DI competition, the fifth most of any freshman in the country. 

Preseason All-Big Sky selection Jack Payne returns to his hometown after a couple of double-figure outings in the first five games, while contributing 6.4 rebounds per game, the second highest mark on the team. 


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 has found points from their entire roster this season with four or more Vandals finishing in double-figures in four of UI's first five games

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
• 51: Idaho has made five or more threes in 51 straight contests, tied for the 10th-longest streak in the nation 
• 5: Following Kolton Mitchell's 14 point performance against Eastern Oregon, five Vandals now have crossed over the 500 point mark in their careers (Mitchell, Kristian Gonzalez, Brody Rowbury, Biko Johnson, Isaiah Brickner)
• 4: Idaho's preseason ranking in both Big Sky Preseason Polls, its 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.
• 5: Idaho has outrebounded its opponent in 5 straight games, the most in the Pribble era
• 10.6: Idaho currently holds an average rebounding margin of 10.6, the best of any Big Sky school and a top-50 mark in the nation

UP NEXT
UI concludes its two game stay in Boise on Friday with a matchup against Sam Houston State. Tip is set for 6 p.m. PT, 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. 

FOLLOW THE VANDALS
To stay up to date with Vandal Hoops, follow the team on Instagram (vandalhoops), X (VandalHoops), and by visiting govandals.com.