Idaho (8-5, 0-0) vs. Eastern Washington (2-11, 0-0)
MOSCOW, Idaho – Idaho opens its 2025-26 Big Sky slate with a Saturday matchup against Palouse rival Eastern Washington. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m., with the game airing on SWX, ESPN+, the Vandal Radio Network, and the Varsity Network app.
Saturday's contest will be the 101st meeting between the Vandals and Eagles, with the series dating back to 1905, the first season of Idaho men's basketball. The initial meeting was in UI's second-ever game as a program, a 39-2 Vandal victory. Last season, Idaho broke a four-game losing streak to Eastern, as the two sides split the two-game season series.
The Eagles played one of the most difficult non-conference slates in the nation, 34th according to KenPom. EWU's offense has run through senior Isaiah Moses, as the Alaska native leads all Big Sky players in field goal attempts while averaging 17 points a night. Moses has scored in double figures in all but one of Eastern's 13 games and earned the first Big Sky Player of the Week honor of the season following a 30-point effort at Colorado.
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 channel 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 13 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
- 59: Idaho has made five or more threes in 59 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 have now 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.
- 10: Idaho has outrebounded its opponent in ten of 12 games to start the season.
- 11.5: Idaho is averaging 11.5 made threes per contest, the eighth-highest mark in the nation.
UP NEXT
Idaho will continue its three-game homestand next weekend by hosting Montana on Jan. 8 and Montana State on Jan. 10.
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.
