Idaho (9-5, 1-0) vs. Montana (8-7, 2-0)

• ICCU Arena (4,200) | Moscow, Idaho
• 6 p.m. PT: Tip-off on ESPN+
• Listen: Vandal Radio Network | The Varsity Network App (Dennis Patchin)
• Live Stats
• Game Notes
• Tickets

MOSCOW, Idaho – Following an 84-81 victory against Eastern Washington, the Vandals look to continue to build on a perfect Big Sky start when they play reigning conference champions Montana at 6 p.m. Thursday. 

The Grizzlies are one of two opponents that Idaho has played more than 200 times during the 120 year history of Vandal basketball. UI won the first meeting in 1916, 22-18, and has found success in the 208 games since, as the Black and Gold hold a 112-97 record in the series. Montana has controlled the series in recent years, with Idaho entering Thursday's contest seeking its first victory over the Griz since the 2021-22 season. 

Preseason Big Sky Most Valuable Player Money Williams has been as advertised for UM in its opening 13 games. The junior averages 18.6 points and 5.7 assists a night, while shooting nearly 50% from the field. Williams is coming off a 31-point performance against Northern Colorado, where he went a perfect 17-17 from the charity stripe and dished five assists. As a team, the Griz are one of the strongest rebounding teams on the defensive end in the nation, snagging 29.7 boards a game, and rank 50th nationally against DI opponents in three point percentage, converting 36.9% of their triples. 

HEAR FROM COACH
"Coach DeCuire always has his guys prepared and they always play with a chip on their shoulder. You know, I think the rebounding lesson from the Eastern Washington game is going to be very important. Not because they're such a great rebounding team, but just the way they play the game, the Grizzlies, they come and they try to out tough you, right? The aura of Montana basketball and what they've been doing the past couple years, they just come and expect to win the game. And we're going to have to be ready for that dog fight."



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 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 5-0 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.
• 11.5: Idaho is averaging 11.5 made threes per contest, the seventh-highest mark in the nation. 

UP NEXT
Idaho will close its three-game homestand by hosting Montana State on Saturday, January 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. 

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