Idaho (13-10, 5-5) vs. Montana (13-11, 7-4)
MOSCOW, Idaho – Idaho's 2026 tour of the Treasure State concludes in Missoula on Saturday afternoon, as the Vandals are set to face off against the home Grizzlies in a rematch of a Big Sky thriller from the second week in conference play. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. PT, with the game airing on ESPN+, the Vandal Radio Network, and the Varsity Network app.Â
The aforementioned January matchup between these two teams saw Idaho fall behind by as much as 18 in the first half before a furious comeback helped the home crowd come alive. The Vandals were able to tie the game up with 3:38 left and find a lead late before the Griz defense put the clamps down to take a 79-73 victory. Idaho has struggled to find recent success against UM, dropping each of its last eight contests with the Griz, but holds a large edge in the total series record, winning 112 of the 210 prior games between the two original Big Sky members.
"Obviously, tough game," said head coach Alex Pribble. "Very good team. Money Williams gave us problems the first time around, and they're gonna have a little edge. The reality is [that] every game in the Big Sky continues to be this way. I know you get sick of me saying this, but the parity in the Big Sky is unique, and every game is going to be a battle. It continues to be about us playing our best basketball and finding a way to improve before this Big Sky Conference Tournament."
Williams, as mentioned, has been a standout for UM all season long and put that on display in the Moscow matchup, going 11-21 from the floor and 12-14 from the charity stripe for a 35-point output in a game where Idaho needed a stop late to pull off the 18-point comeback. Montana has had its ups and downs throughout the hoops season, handing Portland State its lone conference loss of the year in the Viking Pavilion before falling to Sacramento State on the road and Eastern Washington in Missoula on Thursday night. Both teams coming off conference losses should provide all the necessary hype for a Saturday showdown in the Treasure State.
IDAHO NOTES
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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 23 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 +3.4 in rebounding margin and has won the battle on the glass in 15 of 23 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 is closing in on 1,000 career points in his final collegiate season. With 980 under his belt so far, he needs 20 to hit that margin.
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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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17: Kolton Mitchell has put up double-figures in 17 of Idaho's 21 games so far.
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20: Biko Johnson has put up 20 or more points in seven games this season. The Vandals are 6-1 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.
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UP NEXT
Idaho will return home for the first time in two weeks to host Weber State on Thursday, Feb 12, in the ICCU Arena. Following this will be the annual "Blackout the Bengals" game vs. Idaho State on Feb. 14.
TICKETSÂ
Season tickets are on sale now! For more information, call the Vandal ticket office at (208) 885-6466 or visit govandals.com/tickets.Â
FOLLOW THE VANDALS
To stay up to date with Vandal Hoops, follow the team on Instagram (vandalhoops), X (VandalHoops), and by visiting govandals.com.
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