The Idaho men’s basketball team is set for two rematches at home this week. Weber State is up first at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 15 and Idaho State entering ICCU Arena at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 17.
Weber State
Weber State took the first matchup against Idaho 88-65. However, the Vandals’ lineup will be quite different than it was in Ogden, Utah. Redshirt freshman forward Tyler Linhardt played 26 minutes last time but is currently out with an injury.
Junior forward Kyson Rose, who began the season in the starting lineup, has moved back up in Linhardt’s absence. Rose only played for eight minutes against the Wildcats, but has averaged almost 26 minutes, 12 points, three rebounds and three assists since returning as a starter four games ago.
“Kyson’s a good example of a guy who’s been getting better throughout the year,” Head Coach Alex Pribble said during a weekly press conference. “I think we’re really seeing what Kyson is going to be capable of doing throughout the remainder of his career here.”
Junior guard EJ Neal has also taken a leap over the past few games. When Idaho and Weber first played, he was in the game for seven minutes and didn’t put any numbers on the stat sheet. In comparison, he played a combined 51 minutes in last week’s games, putting up 35 total points.
Rose, Neal and the rest of the team will have to step up in big ways to defend home court and make this game competitive. It was tied at halftime the first time around, and Idaho kept it close for 30 minutes, but this will be a buzzer-to-buzzer battle.
Idaho State
This one is for all the potatoes, well just one potato, but he’s really important.
Idaho State currently leads the Battle for King Spud with two victories and a point margin of 10. If the Idaho women win in Pocatello by 10 or less, bringing home King Spud will land on the men’s shoulders.
“There’s a lot of reasons why it’s a big deal,” Pribble said when asked about what it would mean to bring King Spud home. “There’s such a great tradition for the Idaho men’s basketball program, (and) we’re trying to get that back. That means beating Idaho State… (and) this game can be a great opportunity for us to put Idaho back on the map.”
The last time Idaho took a game in this series was on March 7, 2020, not only before King Spud was reintroduced, but also before even the Battle of the Domes series existed. The Vandals were able to take the final game of the regular season 80-76.
Idaho only lost this game 64-59, despite being down by 17 points with five minutes left in the game. Junior guard Quinn Denker hit 10 of Idaho’s 17 total points in those five minutes.
Although the Vandals were able to get it close near the end, it was ultimately foul trouble that lost them the game. Idaho racked up 22 personal fouls, sending Idaho State to the free-throw line for 25 shots. Meanwhile, the Bengals committed 17 personal fouls, which led to just 12 free throws for the Vandals.
Being more disciplined than they have been all season will be crucial for an Idaho victory on Saturday. It’ll also be crucial for students to show up for a rivalry fit for a king.
“Everybody that goes to this school, I can tell you, it’s a big deal,” Pribble said when asked about how the rivalry might impact how many students show up. “Since I’ve got here, the students have been phenomenal with the sense of pride that they have. I’m not just talking about the energy at the football games… I’m talking about you just walk down campus, you walk throughout the community, people have a great sense of pride in the Vandals.”
James Taurman-Aldrich can be reached at [email protected] or on X @jamesaldrich25