Halftime Report

Idaho and Montana State have shown up to the game, but their offenses sure haven't. Sitting on a score of 30-25, Idaho has looked like the better team, but there's still one more half to play.

Idaho came into the contest with some extra motivation after the defeat they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off. We'll see if they're able to flip the script or if it'll just be more of the same.

Who's Playing

Montana State Bobcats @ Idaho Vandals

Current Records: Montana State 5-8, Idaho 5-8

How To Watch

What to Know

Montana State is preparing for their first Big Sky matchup of the season on Thursday. After both having extra time off, they and the Idaho Vandals will dust off their jerseys to square off against one another at 9:00 p.m. ET at ICCU Arena. The Vandals have the home-court advantage, but the Bobcats are expected to win by 1.5 points.

Montana State is headed into Thursday's game looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game last Sunday. They took a serious blow against TCU, falling 82-48. The match marked the Bobcats' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.

The losing side was boosted by Max Agbonkpolo, who went 7 for 12 en route to 18 points. His performance made up for a slower contest against USC back in December of 2024. Less helpful for Montana State was Tyler Patterson's abysmal 0-5 three-point shooting.

Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Montana State struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only three offensive rebounds. They were dismantled by their opponents in that department as TCU pulled down 14.

Meanwhile, Idaho had to suffer through a three-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They put the hurt on Pacific with a sharp 95-72 victory two weeks ago. With that win, the Vandals brought their scoring average up to 75.2 points per game.

Kolton Mitchell had a dynamite game for Idaho, going 6 for 10 from beyond the arc en route to 32 points plus six assists and three steals. Mitchell had some trouble finding his footing against Oregon State back in December of 2024, so this was a step in the right direction. The team also got some help courtesy of Julius Mims, who almost dropped a double-double on 14 points and nine rebounds.

Montana State's loss dropped their record down to 5-8. As for Idaho, their victory bumped their record up to an identical 5-8.

Keep an eye on the arc in Thursday's game: Montana State has made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having averaged 9.4 threes per game. However, it's not like Idaho struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.7. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.

Montana State was able to grind out a solid win over Idaho in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, winning 62-48. Will Montana State repeat their success, or does Idaho have a better game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.

Odds

Montana State is a slight 1.5-point favorite against Idaho, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The line on this game has moved a bit since it opened, as it started out with the Vandals as a 1-point favorite.


The over/under is 145.5 points.

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Series History

Montana State has won 7 out of their last 10 games against Idaho.

  • Feb 29, 2024 - Montana State 62 vs. Idaho 48
  • Feb 03, 2024 - Idaho 81 vs. Montana State 75
  • Jan 16, 2023 - Idaho 74 vs. Montana State 70
  • Dec 29, 2022 - Montana State 72 vs. Idaho 58
  • Jan 29, 2022 - Montana State 70 vs. Idaho 64
  • Jan 06, 2022 - Montana State 92 vs. Idaho 72
  • Feb 28, 2021 - Montana State 71 vs. Idaho 61
  • Feb 26, 2021 - Idaho 74 vs. Montana State 69
  • Feb 06, 2020 - Montana State 72 vs. Idaho 50
  • Jan 09, 2020 - Montana State 71 vs. Idaho 68