MOSCOW, Idaho — For much of the 2025-26 winter, the University of Idaho Vandals men’s basketball team looked like a program still searching for its identity. By March, that search was over — and the results exceeded nearly anyone’s expectations in Moscow and across the Palouse.
The Vandals finished the season with a 21-15 record, captured the Big Sky Conference championship, and earned the program’s first NCAA Tournament berth since 1990, appearing as a No. 15 seed in the South Region. It marked Idaho’s fifth all-time appearance in March Madness and capped a season that, while filled with highs and lows, ultimately reshaped what Vandal basketball could become.
A Team Built on Depth, Not Stars
What made Idaho’s run remarkable was how it was built. The Vandals were never defined by a single dominant scorer. Instead, head coach and staff leaned heavily on balance and ball movement, spreading production across the roster in a way that kept opponents off-balance throughout the postseason.
No Idaho player finished in the top 10 in the Big Sky Conference in scoring, yet four Vandals ranked among the top 20. Guard Kolton Mitchell, forward Jackson Rasmussen, guard Biko Johnson, and guard Isaiah Brickner combined to account for nearly 64 percent of the team’s total scoring production.
Mitchell led the team, averaging 13.7 points, 3.8 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, earning All-Big Sky honorable mention honors despite missing time late in the year with two broken ribs. He ranked among the conference’s top four in made three-pointers, providing one of the most reliable perimeter threats in the Big Sky.
Rasmussen, a freshman forward, wasted no time making his mark. He averaged 13.6 points and 4.7 rebounds per game while shooting 48.6 percent from the field — fifth in the conference — earning Big Sky Freshman of the Year honors. His interior presence gave Idaho a physical foundation that proved critical in close postseason games.
Johnson contributed across the board with 12.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. Brickner, who began the season in a reserve role, elevated his game significantly in the second half of the year, finishing with 11.9 points and 3.9 rebounds per game and earning Big Sky Sixth Man of the Year recognition.
Record-Breaking Shooting and Defensive Discipline
Idaho’s offensive identity was rooted in spacing and perimeter shooting. The Vandals led the Big Sky in total three-pointers made for the second consecutive season, finishing with 355 made threes — a new program record that surpassed last year’s mark of 308.
That perimeter production was essential, given that Idaho finished with the second-lowest field goal percentage in the conference, often struggling to convert shots inside the arc. The Vandals compensated by dominating the glass. Idaho led the Big Sky in total rebounds by a wide margin, consistently controlling both ends of the floor and generating second-chance scoring opportunities that kept games competitive even on poor shooting nights.
Defensively, the Vandals were quietly one of the best units in the conference. Idaho finished third in the Big Sky in both points allowed per game and opponent field goal percentage, establishing a disciplined and physical defensive presence that complemented their offensive balance.
The path to the Big Sky Tournament title was not easy. Idaho entered the bracket as the No. 7 seed after regular-season inconsistency cost them a more favorable position. To claim the championship, the Vandals had to accomplish something no program had done before: win four games in five days.
They opened with a dominant defensive performance against Sacramento State, holding the Hornets to just 13 points in the first half in a 68-45 victory. In the quarterfinals, Idaho edged second-seeded Montana State 78-74 in a tightly contested physical battle. The Vandals continued to build momentum with each game, controlling the glass, limiting turnovers, and competing with growing confidence heading into the semifinals.
The Big Sky Tournament title and subsequent NCAA Tournament appearance marked a cultural turning point for a program that spent much of the past three decades outside the national conversation. For the University of Idaho and the Moscow community, the 2025-26 season delivered something more than wins — it delivered a foundation.
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What Comes Next
With Rasmussen returning as a sophomore and the program’s recruiting profile elevated by the NCAA Tournament appearance, the Vandals enter the offseason with significant momentum. Whether Idaho can build on this historic season and establish sustained Big Sky Conference contention will be among the most closely watched stories in Moscow and across the Palouse heading into 2026-27. The University of Idaho and its fan base — long patient through lean years — now have genuine reason to expect more.