Halftime Report

Fortunes may be turning around for Idaho after losing seven in a row. After one quarter, neither squad has the contest in the bag, but Idaho leads 40-37 over the Grizzlies. Idaho took a big hit to their ego last Saturday, so a victory here would be a pleasant pick-me-up.

Idaho came into the contest with some extra motivation after the loss 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

Idaho Vandals @ Montana Grizzlies

Current Records: Idaho 7-13, Montana 14-7

How To Watch

What to Know

Montana is 8-2 against the Vandals since February of 2018, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. Both teams will face off in a Big Sky battle at 9:00 p.m. ET at Dahlberg Arena. Idaho took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Montana, who comes in off a win.

Montana was handed a 26-point defeat in their previous outing, but they didn't let that bad energy affect their game against the Hornets on Saturday. The Grizzlies sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 70-67 win over the Hornets. The victory was just what Montana needed coming off of a 72-46 loss in their prior match.

Meanwhile, Idaho's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Saturday after their seventh straight defeat. They were the victim of a painful 89-68 loss at the hands of the Bears. The game was up for grabs at halftime, but sadly Idaho was thoroughly outmatched 46-29 in the second half.

Idaho struggled to work together and finished the game with only eight assists. They were destroyed by their opponents in that department as N. Colorado posted 20 assists.

The Grizzlies are on a roll lately: they've won 12 of their last 15 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 14-7 record this season. As for the Vandals, their loss was their fifth straight at home, which dropped their record down to 7-13.

Looking ahead, Montana is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 14 points. This contest will be their tenth straight as the favorites (so far over this stretch they are 6-3 against the spread).

Montana strolled past the Vandals in their previous meeting back in February of 2023 by a score of 68-53. Does Montana have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Vandals turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.

Odds

Montana is a big 14-point favorite against Idaho, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 14-point spread, and stayed right there.


The over/under is set at 141.5 points.

See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine's advanced computer model. Get picks now.

Series History

Montana has won 8 out of their last 10 games against Idaho.

  • Feb 27, 2023 - Montana 68 vs. Idaho 53
  • Dec 31, 2022 - Montana 67 vs. Idaho 56
  • Feb 17, 2022 - Idaho 82 vs. Montana 76
  • Jan 27, 2022 - Montana 81 vs. Idaho 62
  • Mar 10, 2021 - Montana 69 vs. Idaho 64
  • Feb 08, 2020 - Montana 82 vs. Idaho 71
  • Jan 18, 2020 - Montana 67 vs. Idaho 63
  • Feb 07, 2019 - Montana 100 vs. Idaho 59
  • Jan 19, 2019 - Montana 69 vs. Idaho 51
  • Feb 17, 2018 - Idaho 79 vs. Montana 77