Idaho (14-13, 6-8) at Sacramento State (9-17, 5-9)
MOSCOW, Idaho - After a furious comeback effort fell short in Portland, Idaho Basketball needs to reset and regroup for another tough challenge this week, heading to Sacramento to take on Sac State in what could be the final matchup of the series in its Big Sky tenure. The Hornets will finish their season in Boise alongside the nine other member schools in Boise before departing for the Big West in all varsity sports except football.
Idaho fans will recall the black and gold taking care of business against Sac State in ICCU Arena back in January, where Biko Johnson's 20 points led the four Vandals in double figures to an 86-76 win, but Saturday's contest presents a different challenge. While the Hornets' have just a 9-17 record, all nine wins have come at home.
Four Sac State hoopers average double digit points per contest, led by Prophet Johnson who was held to just eight last time in Moscow. Jeremiah Cherry has a firm reputation as the team's best rebounder with 8.2, and freshman Mark Lavrenov, who put up 26 points in ICCU Arena and has started every game since, has had three more double-digit efforts and four games with six or more rebounds.
BOISE-BOUND
After Thursday's action, Idaho remains in its spot in 7th place in the conference standings. A win on Saturday would go a long way towards securing the program's second first-round bye in Starch Madness in as many years. Portland State has nearly locked down the top seed in the bracket, but winning out over the last four contests, three of which feature opponents Idaho defeated the first time around, has the potential to place the Vandals as high as second in the league standings.
IDAHO NOTES
- 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.
- With the win, UI claimed the infamous "King Spud" Trophy for the first time since its reintroduction in 2022 and first overall since 1969.
- 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.
- The Vandals have had scoring success from everywhere on the roster. 15 of 27 box scores this season have featured four or more players in double figures.
- A renewed emphasis on physicality in the paint has paid off for Idaho this year, as the team is +2.9 in rebounding margin and has won the battle on the glass in 15 of 27 games to date. The Vandals finished -1.9 in that margin last 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
- 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.
- 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)
- 1000: Senior forward Brody Rowbury eclipsed 1,000 career points with a pair of sunk free throws in the win over Idaho State.
- Rowbury is 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.
- 19: Kolton Mitchell has put up double-figures in 19 of Idaho's 27 games so far.
- 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.
- 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 returns home for the final time this season, hosting Northern Arizona on Thursday, Feb. 26, and welcoming Northern Colorado for senior day on Feb. 28.
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.
