Idaho (5-3, 0-0) vs. South Dakota State (5-4, 0-0)
MOSCOW, Idaho – Following a 32-point victory over North Dakota, Idaho's largest over a DI team in four years, the Vandals embark on a two-game Midwest road trip, opening with a Saturday matinee against South Dakota State.
Idaho last faced SDSU in 2021, winning 98-84 at ICCU Arena. The two teams have evenly split their 10 previous games, with the Vandals entering Saturday's matchup in Brookings having lost on each of their last three trips to the city.
The 11th meeting between UI and the Jackrabbits is part of the Big Sky-Summit League Challenge. The Big Sky won 12 of the 22 games between the two leagues on Wednesday, giving the BSC a slight edge heading into the weekend's competition.
Played annually for a combined trophy, the Challenge features competitions between member schools of the Big Sky and Summit League Conferences, with the league that wins the most games between men's and women's institutions taking home the trophy. The Summit League has retained possession of the hardware each of the first two years.
South Dakota State enters Saturday's contest after beating Northern Arizona 75-62 on Wednesday. The Jacks have started their season with a 5-4 record, going a perfect 3-0 at home in November, after being picked third in the Summit League Preseason Poll. SDSU returned three of its five primary starters from last season for head coach Bryan Petersen's maiden campaign. Petersen spent the previous six years on staff in Brookings, helping to lead the Jackrabbits to two NCAA Tournament bids and four Summit League regular season titles.
Preseason All-Summit League First Team selection Kalen Garry has started all nine games this season, posting double-figure scoring efforts in three games, while averaging over five rebounds a night.
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 six of UI's first eight games.
- In the history of the Big Sky-Summit Challenge, Idaho is 2-2 in cross-league games, picking up its first win in the series over St. Thomas in the 24-25 campaign.
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
- 54: Idaho has made five or more threes in 54 straight contests, tied for the 10th-longest streak in the nation
- 166: Idaho ranked 166th in the Dec. 4 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.
- 5: Idaho outrebounded its opponent in 6 straight games to start the season, the most in the Pribble era.
- 11.4: Idaho is averaging 11.4 made threes per contest, the 11th highest mark in the nation.
- 17: Of all missed shots by the opponent, Idaho has only allowed an offensive rebound 23.8% of the time, 17th in all of DI basketball.
UP NEXT
UI travels to South Bend, Indiana, to face the ACC's Notre Dame on Wednesday, December 10. Tip is set for 4:00 PM PT, with the game airing on ACC Network Extra and the Vandal Radio Network.
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.
