Idaho (16-14, 8-9) vs. Eastern Washington (13-17, 11-6)
MOSCOW, Idaho - The Idaho men's basketball team is set to return to action Monday night for the final contest on the Vandals' regular season schedule against Eastern Washington in Cheney. The game against the third-placed Eagles is set for 6 p.m., and will air on SWX, ESPN+, and the Vandal Radio Network.
UI held onto an 84-81 win over Eastern the first time the two teams met to open conference play in January. The score was tied at 37 at the break, with both teams showcasing a high shooting efficiency in the opening 20, as they both shot over 45% from the field in the first half. Idaho jumped out to an 11-point advantage coming out of the locker room, before the Eagles responded with a strong run of their own to knot the game at 63 with just over six minutes to play. The lead would change hands seven times over the next six minutes, with the Vandals only taking their final lead of the game in the final 15 seconds on a Biko Johnson triple to secure the victory. Kolton Mitchell had a massive day in Black and Gold, scoring a career-high 32 points on 6-9 shooting from beyond the arc, alongside 20 points from Johnson.
HEAR FROM COACH
"I think [Eastern Washington] has been good all year," Coach Pribble said ahead of Monday's contest. "I know they had a tough preseason record, where they kind of struggled to defend a little bit. They're defending at a much higher rate right now, I know that for sure. They have had really good pieces from the start, Kiree Huie and Alton Hamilton in the front court are legit big men that can score the basketball and are physical."
"Isaiah Moses is one of the best guards in the conference. He has been the whole year. We knew he was a challenge when we played him the first time around. They got some other good perimeter players who are just playing their role very well. Cole Scherer is starting for them now, and it's given them some good presence. Every game in this league is a battle, especially when you go on the road; you're going to have to put your best foot forward. It's going to be a big challenge, but it's a big opportunity."
BOISE-BOUND
After Saturday's action, Idaho is now all but guaranteed to finish the regular in the seventh position, meaning the Vandals will play in the first round of Starch Madness on Saturday, March 7th at 7 p.m. PT/8 p.m. MT. UI's opening opponent in the City of Trees will be decided on the final day of the regular season, with the winner of Monday's matchup between Sacramento State and Idaho State moving into the eighth spot 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 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. Over half of the 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 +3.9 in rebounding margin and has won the battle on the glass in 18 of 30 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.
- 312: The 2025-26 Vandals have relied heavily on play from beyond the arc, setting a new school record for made triples at 312 Saturday against Northern Colorado, breaking the previous record of 308 that was set by the 2024-25 team.
- 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 will open its Starch Madness journey at Idaho Central Arena on Saturday, March 7th at 7 p.m. PT/8 p.m. MT. UI's opposition will be determined following the conclusion of Big Sky play on Monday night.
TICKETS
Single session and all-tournament tickets for Starch Madness are on sale now! Secure your tickets to cheer on the Vandals in Boise at starchmadness.com.
FOLLOW THE VANDALS
To stay up to date with Vandal Hoops, follow the team on Instagram (vandalhoops), X (VandalHoops), and by visiting govandals.com.
