Idaho (10-6, 2-1) at Idaho State (9-8, 2-2)
MOSCOW, Idaho – Coming off a massive comeback win against Montana State, Idaho looks to continue its momentum against in-state rival Idaho State in the Battle for King Spud to start the Vandals' first road trip of the 2026 Big Sky season. The matchup is set to start at 6 p.m. PT/7 p.m. MT, and will air on ESPN+, the Vandal Radio Network, and the Varsity Network.
Thursday will mark the 123rd meeting between the two Gem State sides. The Bengals swept the 2024-25 season series, taking the game in Pocatello 71-87 and winning in Moscow by four. Idaho has struggled to find victory in Poky, last beating the Bengals at Reed Gym in January of 2017.
Where they were largely led by eventual Big Sky MVP Dylan Darling, the Bengals have expanded their attack and forced opponents to pick their poison. Graduate forward Connor Hollenbeck has done a little bit of everything for ISU, leading the team with 13.4 PPG and pulling down 4.9 RPG. Senior Caleb Van De Griend has been one of the top sixth men in the Big Sky, sitting just behind Hollenbeck at 13.0 PPG and averaging an even 7.0 boards per contest, despite not starting any of the Bengals' seventeen games to date. Former Big Sky Freshman of the Year Evan Otten, standing at 6'11", rounds out a Bengals' roster loaded with threats.
KING SPUD
Every year, Idaho and Idaho State play for possession of the "King Spud Trophy," a potato-shaped, crowned relic that returned to highlight the rivalry in 2023 after a hiatus that spanned over 40 years. Unveiled in 1962, the men's and women's teams have played a combined four games each year, with the program winning three or more taking home the hardware. In the event of a tie, the trophy goes home with the team with the highest point differential.
In 1979, the original trophy mysteriously disappeared and, to date, has not been located. Both programs have attempted searches since then, to no avail. Student governments for both Idaho and Idaho State voted to reinstate and recreate the prize as a critical part of the rivalry. Both institutions provided funding to create a replica, which was 3-D printed in the UI Integrated Research and Innovation Center in time for the 2022-23 season.
Idaho State has held King Spud since its reintroduction, winning all four matchups last year. In the years where the original trophy was involved, Idaho's last time taking home the hardware was in the 1969-70. The Vandal men split the series and finished with a +6 point differential to take it home. At the time, the women had not yet joined the series.
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 10 of 16 games so far.
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
- 60: Idaho's streak of games with 5+ made threes came to an end vs. Montana, having previously accomplished the feat in 60 straight contests
- 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)
- Jack Payne is also rapidly approaching this milestone, needing 55 points to hit 500.
- 1000: Senior forward Brody Rowbury is closing in on 1,000 career points in his final collegiate season. With 922 under his belt so far, he needs 78 to hit that margin.
- Rowbury would be the first to hit that milestone in black and gold since Kyson Rose did the same in the 2024-25 season.
- 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.
- 11: Idaho is averaging 11.0 made threes per contest, the seventh-highest mark in the nation.
- 21: The Vandals earned the program's largest comeback win of the 21st century vs. Montana State in January, trailing by 21 points just before halftime and coming back to win 92-89 at the final buzzer.
UP NEXT
Idaho will continue Big Sky play, traveling to Weber State in the Dee Events Center on Jan. 17, before returning home to take on Sacramento State and Portland State.
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.
