On Jan. 23, the trajectory of Idaho’s season changed drastically when they hosted the Big Sky’s top team at the time, Northern Colorado, who had not yet lost a conference matchup. The Vandals, who had been middle-of-the-pack in conference play up to that point, stunned the Bears 77-76 on a magical buzzer-beating heave from Kolton Mitchell. Mitchell says that when Idaho is at their best, they can beat anyone in the Big Sky.
After a statement win, it seemed that the Vandals were beginning to create notable distance between their success level this season and their lack of it in previous seasons. However, Idaho was brought right back down to Earth just two days later when they suffered their most detrimental conference loss of the season against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks in Moscow.
In that game, Idaho had a strong first half, but never claimed a commanding lead, allowing Diego Campisano and company to claw their way into the driver’s seat and steal a home game from the Vandals. The Lumberjacks run an efficient, high-caliber offense that is more than capable of erasing a deficit if their opponent does not showcase physicality for the duration of the game.
Knowing this, Idaho (12-16, 7-8) was vigilant in not allowing any room for Northern Arizona (16-13, 7-9) to come back when the two teams faced again on Feb. 20. On a night when Northern Arizona was displaying its new “Astro Jacks” jerseys, an homage to Flagstaff’s rich space heritage, the Vandals won 83-78, preventing a regular season sweep. This game is a turning point in the Vandals season as they push to move up in the conference standings before the tournament.
The Vandals jumped out to an 8-0 lead and kept their foot on the gas until the deficit was insurmountable, boasting a 52-28 lead at one point in the second half. Similar to the first meeting, the Lumberjacks went on a hot streak, this time a 48-27 run, which was capped by a Trent McLaughlin triple that shrunk the lead to one possession with under 30 seconds left.
Jack Payne shut the door, making four straight free throws, icing the game and securing a milestone win for Idaho. Payne has been a significant factor in each of the meetings between these two teams. This win makes 2024-25 the most successful season for Idaho in the last handful of years in terms of wins and conference wins.
Though Idaho’s five starters account for 69% of the team’s scoring this season, the offensive catalyst in this game? Junior forward Tyler Linhardt came off the bench and scored 25 points. Linhardt’s career-high prior to this game was 18; He scored 16 in the first half of Thursday’s game. His performance led the Vandals to a strong first half, scoring 45 points, which is the highest mark they have reached thus far in conference play. They went into the break with an 18-point lead, determined to hold onto it this time.
McLaughlin led a valiant comeback effort, tying his career-highs of 35 points and seven three-pointers. He also had five rebounds and three assists. Despite all this, the Vandal offense did enough to escape Flagstaff unscathed.
In a season where the Big Sky has been notably competitive, the Vandals’ two most impactful wins as of today were against Northern Colorado and Northern Arizona. These were considerably high-stakes games, as the Bears are currently battling Montana for the top seed, while the Vandals and Lumberjacks are both among the 50% of the conference that has either seven or eight wins.
The Vandals are in somewhat unfamiliar territory as they are battling with four other teams for the third seed in the tournament, a spot that currently is occupied by Portland State (16-12, 8-7). If the season ended today, Idaho would be in fifth place in the Big Sky, which would be enough to secure a first-round bye. However, the third seed is the ideal position because that team avoids facing any top five teams until the semifinals.
With an unusually tight competition for seeding in the Big Sky, the remaining three games on the schedule are extremely pivotal. The way a team finishes the home stretch of conference games determines their chances of winning multiple postseason games. The Vandals’ biggest game of the season will take place on Thursday when they face off with the Idaho State Bengals (13-13, 8-7) in a repeat of the Feb. 1 matchup that swayed in favor of the Bengals.
After losing in Pocatello, this game is a must-win for the Vandals, who are currently just one spot behind the Bengals in the standings. If the standings remained the same, this game would be a preview of the 4 vs. 5 quarterfinal matchup in Boise. The Bengals are just 3-10 on the road, giving Idaho the perfect opportunity to pick up a resume-boosting victory.
If the Vandals can beat the Bengals in Moscow, they would have a solid chance of securing the fourth seed, but Portland State, who controls their own destiny, will remain in third place if they win out.
Winning out is essentially the only option for the Vandals, who could potentially lose their first-round bye in the season finale with a loss against a Montana State team that currently has the same overall and conference record as Idaho. The Vandals, who beat the Bobcats by five in Moscow to open conference play, will be faced with a challenge against a Montana State team that is 10-3 at home this season.
Idaho also hosts Weber State (10-19, 4-11) on March 1 in the final home game of the season. The Big Sky Tournament begins on March 8 at Idaho Central Arena in Boise.
Liam Bradford can be reached at arg-sports@uidaho.edu