Idaho (17-14, 9-9) vs. Sacramento State (13-17, 11-6)
MOSCOW, Idaho - After a regular season that saw Idaho clinch its first winning season since 2018,
Alex Pribble's squad looks at a Big Sky Tournament first round matchup against Sacramento State on Saturday (7 p.m. PT/8 p.m. MT, ESPN+, Vandal Radio Network), inside a venue that has taken on the role of UI's home away from home this season.
The first game of Idaho's Starch Madness journey will be its fourth inside the confines of Idaho Central Arena this season, following a curtain-raising exhibition against Boise State in October and a couple of games during the Holiday Hoops Classic in November. It is against a familiar opponent for the Vandals, who have faced the Hornets in three of the last five Big Sky tournaments, in addition to playing them twice a season for the last nine years.
UI completed its third straight season sweep of Sac State on February 21, winning 86-80 at Hornet Pavilion behind a career-night from beyond the arc by Biko Johnson and a historic game on the boards for the Vandals. Johnson scored 15 of his 25 points in the opening period to help Idaho take a two-point lead into the break. The lead would change hands five times before the 3:49 mark in the second half, where the Vandals would wrestle it away for the final time. Brody Rowbury put the game on ice with a step-back three in the final 30 seconds to close Idaho's seventh straight regular season win against the Hornets.
Johnson has posted back-to-back 20-plus point performances against Sacramento State this season and is shooting over 46% from the field in Idaho's two games versus the Hornets, while Jack Payne is posting similarly impressive numbers in those contests, as the junior from Boise is converting 46.7% of his shots to post 11 points and nine boards a game against Mike Bibby's squad. In the matchup at ICCU Arena in January, Payne found his first college double-double, with 12 points and rebounds.
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 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 +3.8 in rebounding margin and has won the battle on the glass in 19 of 31 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 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
With a win, the Vandals will continue their Starch Madness journey against the second seed Montana State on Sunnday night at Idaho Central Arena. Tip off is set for 7 p.m. PT/8 p.m. MT.
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.
