Idaho will close its non-conference schedule for the 2025-26 men’s basketball season with a two-game road trip in California, starting against Cal Poly at the Mott Athletics Center in San Luis Obispo. The Vandals enter the matchup with a 7-4 record, while Cal Poly stands at 5-8.
The two teams have a shared history as former Big West Conference members from 1996 to 2005 and have played each other 22 times prior to this meeting. Their last encounter took place during the 2023-24 season in Moscow, where Idaho secured an 85-70 win.
Cal Poly comes into Sunday’s game on a three-game losing streak but has been effective offensively, scoring at least 80 points in each of its last five games. The Mustangs are noted for their stability, being one of only five Division I teams that did not lose any players to the transfer portal in the offseason. They were projected to finish seventh in the Big West preseason poll.
Both Idaho and Cal Poly rely heavily on three-point shooting. Cal Poly ranks among the top teams nationally for both three-point attempts and makes per game. Sophomore Hamad Mousa leads Cal Poly with nearly 20 points per game and is also their leading rebounder.
For Idaho, this season marks several milestones. Five players on their roster are from Idaho, a first since the early 1970s. Head Coach Alex Pribble led the team to its best home start since the 2017-18 season and guided them to 14 regular-season wins last year—the most since that same season.
This year is also significant for Idaho basketball’s legacy: it is the program’s 120th season. The team is commemorating Don Monson, who coached from 1978 to 1983 and led Idaho to a Sweet Sixteen appearance while achieving 100 wins over five seasons.
Idaho has demonstrated depth, with four or more players scoring double digits in eight out of eleven games so far this season. The team set a school record last year with 308 made three-pointers and currently averages over eleven threes per game—ranking seventh nationally. Additionally, Idaho has outrebounded opponents in nine out of ten games this year.
Another milestone was reached when Idaho was ranked No.137 in NET rankings on December 8—the highest since those rankings began for the program in 2018-19.
Looking ahead, Idaho will play Cal State Bakersfield next Tuesday before returning home. The February matchup against Portland State was selected for national broadcast on ESPNU—their first regular-season appearance on linear ESPN since the 2010-11 season.
Tickets for Vandal home games are available through their official website or by calling their ticket office.
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