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Idaho Athletics

Men's Basketball

Idaho Begins California Road Trip With a Stop at Cal Poly

Idaho (7-4, 0-0) vs. Cal Poly (5-8, 1-1) MOSCOW, Idaho – Idaho closes its 2025-26 non-conference slate by taking a two-game California road trip, with stops at Cal Poly and Cal State Bakersfield.

UI and Cal Poly have met 22 times prior to Sunday's contest. The two sides are former conference mates, sharing membership in the Big West Conference for nearly a decade from 1996 to 2005. The Vandals and Mustangs last played in Moscow during the 2023-24 season, with Idaho taking a 85-70 victory. 

Cal Poly enters Sunday's contest on a three-game slide, but have found success offensively, posting 80 or more points in each of the last five games. The Mustangs have faced off against two Big Sky teams in the opening two months of the season, dropping games to both Montana and Montana State. 

Poly was one of only five teams in the nation to not lose a player to the transfer portal during the offseason and entered the 2025-26 season picked seventh in the Big West preseason poll. 

Like Idaho, the Mustangs rely heavily on shots from beyond the arc, ranking 21st in the country in three-point attempts per game and 28th in made triples a night.  

Hamad Mousa has led the way for Cal Poly this season, averaging nearly 20 points a game on 45.6% shooting from the field. The sophomore is also the Mustangs' leading rebounder, pulling down 5.5 boards per game.  

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 has found points from its entire roster this season with four or more Vandals finishing in double-figures in eight of UI's first 11 games.
  • The Vandals have started 4-0 at home for the first time since the 2017-18 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
  • 57: Idaho has made five or more threes in 57 straight contests, a top-10 mark in the nation 
  • 137: Idaho was 137th in the Dec. 8 NET rankings, the highest mark in program history since the rankings debuted in time for the 2018-19 season.
  • 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.
  • 9: Idaho has outrebounded its opponent in nine of 10 games to start the season.
  • 11.2: Idaho is averaging 11.7 made threes per contest, the seventh highest mark in the nation. 
UP NEXT
Idaho continues its holiday tour of the Golden State with a stop in Bakersfield on Tuesday afternoon. Tip-off against the Roadrunners is set for 2 p.m., with the game airing on ESPN+, the Vandal Radio Network, and the Varsity Network App. 

TICKETS
 
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.




 
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Players Mentioned

Isaiah Brickner

#5 Isaiah Brickner

G
6' 4"
Senior
Jack Payne

#7 Jack Payne

G
6' 6"
Redshirt Junior
Kristian Gonzalez

#10 Kristian Gonzalez

G
6' 3"
Junior
Titus Yearout

#11 Titus Yearout

G
6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
Kolton Mitchell

#14 Kolton Mitchell

G
6' 1"
Redshirt Sophomore
Brody Rowbury

#0 Brody Rowbury

F
6' 11"
Senior
Biko Johnson

#3 Biko Johnson

G
6' 2"
Senior
Jackson Rasmussen

#12 Jackson Rasmussen

F
6' 7"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Isaiah Brickner

#5 Isaiah Brickner

6' 4"
Senior
G
Jack Payne

#7 Jack Payne

6' 6"
Redshirt Junior
G
Kristian Gonzalez

#10 Kristian Gonzalez

6' 3"
Junior
G
Titus Yearout

#11 Titus Yearout

6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
G
Kolton Mitchell

#14 Kolton Mitchell

6' 1"
Redshirt Sophomore
G
Brody Rowbury

#0 Brody Rowbury

6' 11"
Senior
F
Biko Johnson

#3 Biko Johnson

6' 2"
Senior
G
Jackson Rasmussen

#12 Jackson Rasmussen

6' 7"
Freshman
F