Idaho (14-12, 6-7) at Portland State (17-7, 11-2)
MOSCOW, Idaho - Coming off its largest win against in-state rivals Idaho State in over 35 years, Idaho returns to the floor for a Thursday night rematch with Big Sky leaders Portland State.
Thursday's contest marks a major milestone for the Vandals, as it is Idaho's first regular-season game to air on a linear ESPN network since 2011, and a win in the Rose City will mark UI's first since the 2017-18 season. Tip-off in Viking Pavilion is set for 6 p.m., with the game airing on ESPNU, the Vandal Radio Network, and the Varsity Network app.
The Vandals went toe-to-toe with PSU on January 24, as they never trailed by more than 11 and found themselves within a possession in the final minute, before the Vikings pulled out the win, 66-69, to remain, at the time, undefeated. The Black and Gold broke a seven-game losing streak to PSU at last season's Big Sky Tournament in Boise, controlling the game for all 40 minutes as they ran to a 10-point win, their first at the conference tournament since 2017.
The Vikings' "big three" trio of Jaylin Henderson, Tre-Vaughn Minott, and Terri Miller Jr. have all claimed a Big Sky Player of the Week honor this season, and the lattermost of the three went off for 29 points in the last matchup in Moscow.
BOISE-BOUND
Idaho is firmly entrenched in the middle of the pack in terms of the Big Sky conference standings alongside four other teams who are no more than a game ahead or behind. A win or loss has the potential to put any of these teams, the Vandals included, anywhere between fourth and eighth on any given day. Securing the #6 seed or higher will grant the Black and Gold a first-round bye in the conference tournament in Boise for the second year in a row.
IDAHO NOTES
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The Vandals' victory over Idaho State in Moscow, a 30-point beatdown, is the largest such margin over the in-state foes since the 1989-90 season.
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Idaho features five players on the roster that hail from the Gem State for the first time since the 1971-72 season
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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.
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The Vandals have had scoring success from everywhere on the roster. 14 of 25 box scores this season have featured four or more players in double figures.
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A renewed emphasis on physicality in the paint has paid off for Idaho this year, as the team is +2.8 in rebounding margin and has won the battle on the glass in 15 of 25 games to date. The Vandals finished -1.9 in that margin last season.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
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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.
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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
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5: Five Idaho natives are on this season's roster, the most since the 1971-72 season
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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.
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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.
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6: Following Jack Payne's outing at Montana State, six Vandals have now crossed the 500-point threshold for their careers (Payne, Kolton Mitchell, Kristian Gonzalez, Brody Rowbury, Biko Johnson, Isaiah Brickner)
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1000: Senior forward Brody Rowbury eclipsed 1,000 career points with a pair of sunk free throws in the win over Idaho State.
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4: Idaho's preseason ranking in both Big Sky Preseason Polls, its highest since 2017
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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
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14: Head Coach Alex Pribble led Idaho to 14 regular season wins last year, the most since the 2017-18 season.
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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.
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308: The 2024-25 Vandals relied heavily on play from beyond the arc, setting a new school record for made triples at 308.
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18: Kolton Mitchell has put up double-figures in 18 of Idaho's 26 games so far.
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20: Biko Johnson has put up 20 or more points in eight games this season. The Vandals are 6-2 when he crosses that threshold.
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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
The Vandals' home weekend continues on Saturday at 2 p.m., as Idaho plays host to Idaho State in round two of the Battle for King Spud.
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.
