Idaho (16-13, 8-8) vs. Northern Colorado (18-10, 8-8)
MOSCOW, Idaho - Following a big 78-58 victory over Northern Arizona on Thursday night that saw UI lead for over 36 minutes, Idaho turns the page to its penultimate regular season contest against Northern Colorado at 1 p.m. Saturday. The matchup with the Bears is the first in a men's-women's Senior Day doubleheader at ICCU Arena, with the game airing on ESPN+, the Vandal Radio Network, and the Varsity Network app.
The Vandals fell to UNC 83-91 in Greeley when the two sides met in January. Freshman Jackson Rasmussen had a career night, scoring 29 points off 11 made foul shots. Idaho led at the break, before the Northern Colorado defense put the clamps on, holding Idaho to 2-10 from the field over an eight-minute segment of the second half to gain a double-digit lead with five minutes to play. The Black and Gold worked their way back within two possessions on a couple of occasions over the final minute, but sharp shooting from the stripe sealed the result.
Idaho pulled out the win in a 40-minute thriller the last time the Bears appeared in Moscow, a game that ended in a memorable buzzer-beating heave from Kolton Mitchell that gave the Vandals a 77-76 win.
Northern Colorado's win over Idaho in January kick-started a stretch of seven straight wins for the Bears that lasted until Thursday night against Eastern Washington, where UNC lost by 10 in Cheney. Senior guard Quinn Denker has continued to be a star for the Bears, as the San Jose native averages 18.4 points and 7.3 assists a game, both top-100 marks nationally.
BOISE-BOUND
After Thursday's action, Idaho is now in a tie with Northern Colorado for the sixth spot in the Big Sky 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 locked down the top seed in the bracket last Saturday, thanks to a loss from Montana State.
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 marked 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. 16 of 29 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 +3.8 in rebounding margin and has won the battle on the glass in 17 of 29 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.
- 20: Kolton Mitchell has put up double-figures in 20 of his 28 appearances this season.
- 20: Biko Johnson has put up 20 or more points in eight games this season. The Vandals are 7-2 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 closes its regular season against Eastern Washington on Monday night in Cheney. Tip-off at Reece Court is set for 6 p.m., 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.
FOLLOW THE VANDALS
To stay up to date with Vandal Hoops, follow the team on Instagram (vandalhoops), X (VandalHoops), and by visiting govandals.com.
