Idaho (12-8, 4-3) vs. Northern Colorado (11-10, 1-7)

• Bank of Colorado Arena (2,500) | Greeley, Colo.
• 6 p.m. PT: Tip-off on ESPN+
• Listen: Vandal Radio Network | The Varsity Network App (Dennis Patchin)
• Live Stats
• Game Notes

MOSCOW, Idaho – After splitting a home set against Sacramento State and Portland State, Idaho hits the road for four straight, beginning Thursday night at Northern Colorado. The game in Greeley is set to tip at 6 p.m. PT/7 p.m. MT, and will be aired on ESPN+, the Vandal Radio Network, and the Varsity Network app. 

"All the talent is there. All the pieces are there," Coach Pribble said of Northern Colorado at his weekly press conference on Monday. "They're a very experienced team and it's going to be a challenge. They've just hit a bit of a rut, had a little bit of injury issues they are coming back from, but it's a very good, deep, talented team. What we know is the Big Sky Conference is always a challenge, and I think they have been on the losing end of some very close games, and we need to do our best to just maintain the things that are controllable for us and executing our game plan, executing our scouting report, and not allowing them to get comfortable, despite the fact they will be on their own court."

The Bears have struggled to find success in Big Sky play this season after a strong non-conference segment of the schedule. Sixth-year head man Steve Smiley's squad entered the new year coming off a massive victory at Colorado, the capper to a 10-3 opening slate. UNC has not found the same stride against conference opponents; however, losing seven of its first eight games, with the lone win coming against Idaho State at home. Northern Colorado has been close though, as all five of the Bears' losses since beating Idaho State have been by less than five points, including an overtime defeat at Sacramento State. 

Senior guard Quinn Denker has been a game-changer for the Blue and Gold, averaging 17.5 points and a conference-leading 6.8 assists on 47.6% shooting a night and has earned Big Sky Player of the Week honors on a league-leading three occasions this season. Even with his team's troubles since the new year, the San Jose native has still been stuffing the stats sheet, posting 15 or more points on five occasions and two points-assists double-doubles. 

Northern Colorado is Idaho's least-played conference mate, with only 20 previous meetings dating back to the 2014-15 season, the first of Idaho's current stint in the Big Sky.  The two teams split their two-game set last year, with each winning at home. Idaho ended UNC's 6-0 conference start a season ago in a chaotic game on a last-second buzzer beater from Kolton Mitchell, a win that also marked the first time the Vandals beat the Bears in Moscow since 2016.

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 channel since the 2010-11 season.
• Idaho has gotten off to its best 20 game start since the 1993-94 season, beginning the season 12-8

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 32 points to hit 500.
• 1000: Senior forward Brody Rowbury is closing in on 1,000 career points in his final collegiate season. With 955 under his belt so far, he needs 45 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.
• 10: Idaho is averaging 10.6 made threes per contest, a top-25 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's Big Sky slate will continue Saturday with a trip to Northern Arizona on January 31. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. PT, 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. 

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