Idaho (21-14, 9-9) vs. Houston (28-6, 14-4)

• Paycom Center (18,203) | Oklahoma City, OK 

• 7:10 p.m. PT/9:10 p.m. CT: Tip-off on TruTV

• Listen: Vandal Radio Network | The Varsity Network App (Dennis Patchin)

• Tickets

MOSCOW, Idaho - After rattling off four wins in five days at the Big Sky Tournament, Idaho found out its reward for its first Big Sky title in nearly four decades: a matchup with the second-seeded Houston Cougars in Oklahoma City. 

Only once in Idaho men's basketball's 120-year history have the Vandals faced the Lone Star State's Cougars, coincidentally also in Oklahoma City during the All-College Basketball Tournament on December 27, 1963, with Houston winning 76-61 in front of a crowd of roughly 2,200. Cougar head coach Kelvin Sampson is not a stranger to the University of Idaho, as he was the head man at Washington State from 1987 to 1994, going 3-4 against the Vandals. 

Freshman guard Kingston Flemings has led the charge for the Cougars as one of three players to start all 34 games, scoring 16.4 points a game off a 47.5% shooting clip and dishing out 5.3 assists. The San Antonio native snags a team-high 1.6 STL which would tie for second in the Big Sky. 6'8" big man Joseph Tugler has been a defensive stalwart all year long in the Big IX, notching 1.5 BLK and 1.4 STL a game while grabbing 5.4 rebounds to end opposing possessions across 40 minutes.

The winner of Thursday night's contest will advance to the second round, facing off with the winner of #7 Saint Mary's and #10 Texas A&M for a chance to move on to the Sweet 16.

IDAHO NOTES

• Idaho secured its fifth conference title with a 77-66 victory over Montana in the Big Sky Tournament, punching its fifth-ever ticket to March Madness and its first since 1990.

  • The win made Idaho the first team in conference history to earn a championship by winning four straight games in five days.

• 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.

  • Brody Rowbury (Meridian), Jack Payne (Boise), Titus Yearout (Lapwai), Kolton Mitchell (Coeur D'Alene), and Jackson Rasmussen (Meridian)

• 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 and two games against DI competition have seen six different Vandals with 10 or more points. 

• A renewed emphasis on physicality in the paint has paid off for Idaho this year, as the team is +4.3 in rebounding margin and has won the battle on the glass in 22 of 35 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.

• 3: Three Vandals earned honors from the Big Sky Conference when the regular season came to an end. Jackson Rasmussen earned the league's Freshman of the Year award, Isaiah Brickner was named Top Reserve, and Kolton Mitchell received Honorable Mention All-Big Sky.

• 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. 

  • Senior guard Biko Johnson needs just seven points on Thursday to hit the same career honor.

• 468: Gem State native Jackson Rasmussen cemented himself as the all-time leader in points scored by a freshman in program history. After his efforts vs. Montana in the Starch Madness championship, he sits at 472.

• 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 22 of his 32 appearances this season.

• 20: Biko Johnson has put up 20 or more points in nine 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
The winner of Thursday's contest will advance to the second round of March Madness, awaiting the winner of #7 Saint Mary's vs. #10 Texas A&M.

TICKETS 
To cheer on the Vandals in their first trip to March Madness in nearly four decades, click  HERE.

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