As the 7 seed, Idaho basketball wasn’t one of the popular picks to win the Big Sky Tournament, but anything can happen in Starch Madness! And on Thursday, the Vandals will take on Houston.
Idaho basketball has steadily rebuilt its program, and now it’s paying off, with its first trip to the big dance since 1990, when Kermit Davis was the head coach. In 2021, the Vandals went 1-21, one of the worst records in college basketball history. But when Alex Pribble took over in 2023, things started to change, now with a 21-win season, the most Idaho has had since 2018.
It feels like Pribble is just getting started, but when you’re in the NCAA Tournament, you can’t let your chance pass you by, because for a mid-major school, you never know when the next time will be.
How they got there:
As the 7 seed in the Big Sky Tournament, Idaho had to know it’d be a difficult run to win it all. But after a 23-point win in the opening round, it was clear they came to play.
The next day, Idaho took down 2-seed Montana State, and confidence was oozing. They got the benefit of playing Eastern Washington on a day’s rest, winning 81-68, and capped off their tourney run with a 77-66 win over Montana.
Four wins in five days is no easy feat for any team, especially one that went 9-9 in conference play.
General information:
Team: Idaho
Location: Moscow, ID
Record: 21-14 (9-9)
Head Coach: Alex Pribble (3rd season overall, all at Idaho)
What to know about Idaho basketball:
There is some great freshman talent in college hoops this year, but it’s rare for a freshman to lead a mid-major team in scoring. However, that’s exactly what Jackson Rasmussen is doing, averaging 13.9 points on the season. But really, it’s a scoring-by-committee, with Kolton Mitchell, Biko Johnson, and Isaiah Brickner all at 12.1 PPG or higher.
And it’s also a testament to what could have been. Kristian Gonzalez led Idaho with 18 points in their opening game, but was injured after previously returning from an offseason injury. It was a tough break on opening night, but Idaho found a way to put everything together to make a run to March Madness.
As a team, some of Idaho’s metrics are concerning against Houston. They only average 12.5 assists and don’t show a lot of defensive pressure inside, with only 2.3 blocks per game. Houston will make it tough offensively and have the toughness to totally out-physical the Vandals.
But if Idaho basketball wants to keep playing, they’re great at taking care of the ball, rebounding, and hitting the three – things that can work against most teams in college ball.
NCAA Tournament prediction for Idaho basketball: Round of 64 exit
Seed: 15
While Idaho’s story has been remarkable and the future looks bright as long as Pribble is the coach, they should be a strong contender to represent the Big Sky in the NCAA Tournament.
But against this Houston team? It’ll be a long shot to get it done.